New Westminster Spa and Massage

Within grey walls and hardwood floors that echo with the tranquil trickle of water fountains, each member of Gemini Beauty Centre’s team of professional aestheticians employs upward of 10 years of beautifying experience as they rejuvenate weary patrons from tip to toe tip. Dedicated to guest comfort, staff conducts pre-treatment consultations in order to explain impending services and address questions and concerns. Wielding luxurious beauty products imported from Europe via transatlantic games of fetch, staffers restore radiance to epidermises with advanced skincare services ranging from restorative Valmont Triple DNA treatments to Bio lifting eye treatments. Champions of banishing stress from patrons’ frames, the fingers of Gemini’s staff fly as they bombard ailing torsos with a menu of full-body treatments including monopolar firming treatments, revitalizing mud body masks, and French pedicures performed in German.

Channeling medical and beautification experience, the aestheticians at Voka Deka Esthetics Salon personify the venue's fusion of science and cosmetic art. This theme carries over to its facials, each of which combines botanicals and advanced skincare formulas to remedy a specific ailment, such as acne or signs of aging. With hard or soft wax and high-quality supplies like botanical products and Egyptian cotton muslin, the staff also eradicate fuzz from the body, making vine-swinging commutes to work more aerodynamic.

Framed prints of flowers hang on dark, burgundy walls, illuminated by light cast from a curved, modern floor lamp. Between them, leather couches and chairs sit waiting to cradle visitors with their wraparound backs and arms. Cream carpeting gives way to tiled flooring as visitors make their way from the waiting area to treatment rooms—and while they walk, they follow in the footsteps of elite clients that include Ravi Bansal, the 2009 Miss Universe Canada contestant.

Within treatment nooks, therapists refine skin and ease tension through a range of services that include massages, laser hair reduction, microdermabrasion, permanent makeup, mani-pedis, and weight-loss treatments, among others. The Compu-Lift machine is one of many star technologies at the med spa, infusing the face with ultrasonic vibration and microcurrents in order to oxygenate skin and counteract signs of aging such as wrinkles and dark spots that spell out your birth year.

Bodies find inner and outer solace inside Yasey Beauty Spa, where slimming treatments reduce cellulite and drop inches, and three essential facial treatments address specific skin needs. Added onto the cleansing effects of a simple facial, special regimens can add even more radiance by infusing skin with hydration using RosActive products or banishing signs of age with a caviar mask sure to woo the most itinerant of handsome oil barons.

La Raffinage Salon & Spa rains luxurious spa services upon locals like diamond dewdrops on grass blades with clogged pores. During a 90-minute Yon-Ka refinement facial ($95), La Raffinage’s expert aestheticians apply high-quality Yon-Ka products to relax and revitalize the skin, eliminating toxins, oxygenating the skin, and strengthening skin's resistance to the elements. The 60-minute Reiki energy treatment ($85) gives clients access to a Reiki specialist who'll use the ancient healing art to tap into the body’s energy waves. The compassionate practitioner will place hands over the body to unblock stymied energy. Stress will melt away like butter under a heated magic wand, with spiritual balance, physical tranquility, and the desire to burst into a Bollywood dance number following thereafter.

Today, Bloom Essentials owners Nicole and Kim might be better known as the team behind the nail designs that earned a top ranking from the Georgia Straight Readers Choice awards. But as kids, the sisters were known simply as Bug and Pickle. With those playful childhood monikers, it's no wonder than the duo grew up to run a spa that prefers fun over high-tech gadgetry, and where the aestheticians—nicknamed "Bloomers"—treat each client as if they were an old childhood friend.

Of course, the friendly demeanour isn’t the only thing attracting visitors. For more than a decade, Bloom’s knowledgeable nail artists have dolled up fingers and toes with intricate handcrafted nail art, giving customers creative reign to dictate designs that could include zebra stripes, handlebar moustaches, or holiday characters. The trendy nail salon also offers full-body waxing and custom facials and churns out its own custom-made pedicure cream, which clients can purchase to keep toes soft between visits. And as if the beauty treatments weren't enough, a boutique area allows patrons to peruse items from the sisters' "Bug & Pickle" line for moms and babies, accessories such as cutesy aprons and sparkling bracelets, and the occasional little black dress made from old nail-polish bottles.