Category: In the News

Just in time for the new season, a special occasion or a way to forget the cold winter blues, DARE rounds up the best spas (that are truly one-of-a-kind) in Toronto. Pamper yourself, you deserve it.

Authenticity-obsessed diners now have some extra help when deciding which Thai restaurants in the city are the best west of Chiang Mai. The Thai Select program, started by Thailand’s ministry of commerce to promote the South East Asian country’s food in Canada, created a list of criteria that restaurants must adhere to in order to get its seal of approval. READ MORE

Senior Marketing Manager Kathryn and Aesthetician Fernanda was recently on Breakfast Television to help treat their super-fan Mary with a manicure, a spa retreat (massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, and Water Therapies) and a gift card for Bangkok Garden. Click on the link below to watch the video clip: Kathryn and Fernanda on Breakfast Television

They call themselves an “urban oasis”; that's an accurate description. The Elmwood Spa is a day spa situated in a beautiful five-storey historic building in the heart of downtown Toronto. It has 34 treatment rooms and 18 manicure/pedicure stations. For the 30 years that they have been in business, they've offered a variety of services that can make you feel like all your stresses are melting away.

Nestled on Elm Street (one of the best foodie streets in Toronto) it’s hard to imagine that a luxurious setting and tranquil upscale environment awaits you on the inside. The spot is quite huge  (yet intimate at the same time) and wooden decor greets you on arrival. Elmwood Spa (another one of my faves in the city) must exude a special element of relaxation on its neighbour because I always feel calm once I enter Bangkok Garden. It’s a spot I hang out with the girlfriends and it’s a spot that both my moms absolutely love. Clearly a good balance, no matter what the occasion. READ MORE

Senior Marketing Manager, Kathryn Merei & Marketing/Communications Coordinator John Chieng posing at the red carpet Gala for SpAwards. Thank you for recognizing us for Best Marketing in 2012 and one of the top 50 Spas in Canada!

While dozens of spas are spread throughout the GTA, you’ll find most of the better ones in the downtown core. Elmwood [Spa], near Yonge-Dundas Square, is a four-floor sanctuary with 34 treatment rooms, a pool, steam rooms, two restaurants (including Thai favourite Bangkok Garden) and a juice bar. Bringing your spouse along is encouraged, as the spa includes couples suites. READ MORE -Jeff Cottrill, Toronto.com

Terrace Restaurant's Chef Billy Benson was recently on Breakfast Television to share his easy-to-make 3 course meal for Valentine's Day. He'll walk you through the steps of cooking a healthy (and filling) 3 course meal so you can look like a pro in the kitchen!

The Toronto spa scene is booming. With new luxury hotels like the Ritz-Carlton, the Shangri-La, Trump Hotel and the Four Seasons Hotel springing up through the city like sunflowers in a Tuscan field, it’s an exciting time to be an urban wellness junkie – especially when these properties come with 5-star spas. At the same time, it’s reassuring to know that what we’ve had and loved for years isn’t getting lost in the spa shuffle. So let’s hear it for aging gracefully. It’s Elmwood Spa’s 30th birthday, and this tried-and-true downtown spa with four spacious floors, an airy pool area, two restaurants, fresh juice bar and blue-tiled vision of a whirlpool in the women’s change room isn’t losing sleep about hitting the big 3-0. READ MORE By Carol Perehudoff

In honour of Elmwood Spa’s birthday this year, journalists and beauty experts were invited to an exclusive media only experience at the spa to celebrate 30 years of being Toronto’s original destination for beauty, health and wellness. To commemorate the Spa turning the big 30, we were pampered with a complimentary spa treatment followed by some refreshments, including champagne, and delicious Thai munchies at Bangkok Garden restaurant. Though it was difficult to choose just one, and as I’m partial to massages, I opted for the Fire and Ice Massage. Once I was ready, I was escorted to my treatment room where my RMT explained what the Fire and Ice Massage entailed, including some of its benefits. READ MORE Keeping the Balance, Sandy Caetano

Madonna told Harper’s Bazaar that she loved her oxygen facials so much that she keeps an oxygen machine in each of her homes. As well, Kate Middleton reportedly treated herself to an oxygen facial before her wedding. Toronto’s Elmwood Spa says its new O2 facial ($130 for 50 minutes) produces immediate results including plumper, smoother and glowing skin.

New to Elmwood Spa, the Oxygen Treatments add extra rejuvenating health benefits to traditional spa services. Okay, what the hell does that mean? Essentially, the O2 facial is everything you would normally receive in a facial, but along with cleansing, massage and exfoliation, the aesthetician will also take a magic wand that blows fast oxygen into your tired, clogged pores. This feel-good technique gives skin a beautiful glow and is a great option for when you want immediate results for say, a wedding or high school reunion. _ -www.shedoesthecity.com_

While the ’90s fad of oxygen bars is thankfully long gone, much like other trends of that decade, the benefits of that vital element are making a comeback. The Elmwood Spa recently introduced its latest treatments, with a goal of utilizing the detoxifying and pick-me-up properties of oxygen. – www.frontrowmag.com

SpaFinder, Inc., the global spa resource, has announced that Elmwood Spa has won a 2010 SpaFinder Readers’ Choice Award in the category of Top 10 Favorite Day Spas. Spa-goers cast a record number of votes in the eighth-annual Awards, which are considered the most thorough and independent assessment of spas worldwide.

In the past decade, more and more men have come to embrace the spa as not simply a women’s pastime or luxury. The need to relax and de-stress, receive treatment for sports injuries, or grooming has become popular among many of Toronto’s professionals. – The Examiner

The Elmwood has been around for decades but constantly reinvents itself through renovations and new global-inspired treatments. It’s big, too, but never feels that way, thanks to plenty of nooks that keep other patrons at bay. Spa packages are a favourite here, judging by the abundance of bathrobe-clad guests eating lunch in the dining room. – The Vancouver Sun