Ontario Guide and Deals

Illustrating its devotion to maintaining an immaculately clean environment inside and out, Buff Nail Lounge emphasizes natural products. Opt for an array of waxing services ($10–$55) and designate an area for one of Buff's experienced aestheticians to overthrow hair dynasties and sanction smoothness. With the salon’s basic mani-pedi service ($55), nails are filed and shaped, cuticles are well cared-for, and bad skin is banished to an island in the South Atlantic during this relaxing and revitalizing treatment. Appendages soak in a cleansing bath while a massage eliminates the stress that your hands and feet have been hoarding since the stress harvest. At treatment’s end, Buff Nail Lounge’s attentive aestheticians apply the salon’s namesake polishes, made without the harsh chemicals formaldehyde and toluene to help keep keratin caches healthy. Feel free to mix and match wax and nail services, pampering hand or toe talons separately before unleashing a fury of waxen Valkyries on a hirsute brow ($15) or Bikini line ($25).

The Sarum Room, founded by registered nurse Chantal Ward, employs state-of-the-art laser technology to dramatically reduce body-hair growth in its patients. Using the virtually pain-free Soprano XL laser hair-removal system, The Sarum Room's staff of skilled hair hunters will remove a chinchilla-colony's worth of body hair from select epidermal regions. The laser—actually just pulsating light—heats up melanin contained within the hair, stunting hair growth. With the three laser hair-removal treatments offered with this deal, you'll be well on your way to wearing a sleeveless tuxedo without fear of underarm hair-prompted mocking, or you can take to the beach with a follicle-foiled bikini line, allowing for all eyes to only be on your totally sweet facial tattoo.

The chefs at Milano Pizzeria have been perfecting the art of the pizza for more than 40 years. On any given day, they may cook any of the 20+ specialty pies on the menu or custom blend toppings for original orders. Milano’s classic pizzas include the greek pizza with feta and hot peppers, the meat lover’s pizza with salami and italian sausage, and the Hawaiian Plus with handfuls of olives and crispy bacon. Though Milano is known for its pizzas, its expansive menu brims with other entree specialties from all over the world; hearty lasagna, veal parmesan, and meatball subs further root the eatery in Italian culinary traditions, and burgers, poutine, and chicken shawarma round out the eclectic menu.

Inside Santé Restaurant, the piquant scents of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine mingle amidst the work of local artists, whose pieces fill the dining room's walls. This fusion of eatery and gallery is the brainchild of owner Donna Holtom, who believes that "beautiful art serves to heighten the dining experience," as she told Ottawa at Home magazine in 2009. Inside the kitchen, chefs demonstrate their own artistic skills. Using a palette of free-range chicken, organic salmon, and locally sourced produce, they paint plates with aromatic curries and ginger-spiked stir-fries, just like Picasso during his little-known sauce period. To accompany these fragrantly seasoned dishes, Santé Restaurant stocks its subterranean vault with a selection of Canadian and international wines.

The dedicated framers at Ferrante Picture Framing draw on more than 40 years of experience as they outfit works by Ontario artists James Lumbers, Trisha Romance, and George Upper as well as personal photographs and mementos with frames of all shapes and styles. Wood, metal, and matting accent the edges of posters and paintings in picture sandwiches protected by glass; display cases can commemorate a retired licence plate or a toddler's dinner plate scraped clean of its vegetables. Staffers can also create pop art pieces that transform ordinary photos into masterpieces more Warholian than Marilyn Monroe in a tub of Campbell’s tomato soup.

Pulp Comics traces its origins to a heroic act of kindness.

In 2009, Paul Tappay donated part of his liver to his father, saving his dad's life and leaving him plenty of time to read comic books while convalescing in the hospital. Hungry for a new adventure, Paul drew up a business plan built around his love of comics, games, and pop culture. Months after the Tappay family's life-altering and lifesaving surgery, Pulp Comics began welcoming visitors not to a crowded, dimly lit lair, but to a sunny, roomy space full of new and vintage publications and droves of like-minded hobbyists.

A sense of positive, fun-loving nerddom pervades Pulp Comics' main room, where you'll find collectibles, racks of comic books, and a life-sized replica of Harrison Ford's character from Witness frozen in carbonite. Guests read gripping graphic novels in the front room's comfy leather sofas or retreat to the Back Cave, filled with more than 10,000 vintage back issues, old-school arcade games, and free WiFi.