botox

Toronto lovers of beauty rejoice - Beautylicious is back again!  For those not familiar with what it is, many of the salons and spas in the Bloor-Yorkville area offer consumers set value-priced packages and services for a set period of time.  there is a wide array of hair, spa, skin and health & wellness service packages available at three set prices - $25, $75 and $125 in four categories: hair (hair/colour/cut/style); spa (includes massage and/or facial and/or mani/pedi); skin (non-invasive procedures including Botox, Restylane or chemical peel); and Health & Wellness (nutrition services, dental, chiropractic services)

There are too many packages for me to even begin to tell you about but you can find all the event info at www.bloor-yorkville.com with details of all the participating spas and salons as well as the packages available.  But I will share with you a few of the ones I have my eye on as well as a few that I have tried already and can recommend:

Marc Anthony Salon - 38 Avenue Road - 416-413-1521 has an amazing $125 offering of an all-over colour, wash, deep conditioning treatment, Shiatsu scalp massage, haircut and blowout (for new clients only).  I got my hair cut there with Byron last week and it was great - you can read the review here.

Taz Hair Co. - 11 Yorkville Avenue - 416-922-6060 has a great $75 or $125 package involving colour and/or highlights - snag Susan if you can, she's great and they use the INOA colour there which has to be experienced to be believed!  You can read my review here.

Pure + Simple - 41 Avenue Road - 416-924-6555 - I can't say enough about the deluxe sea salt microdermabrasion so you will just have to go an experience it for yourself for $125!  You can read the review here.

and don't miss out on seeing Dr. Cory Torgerson - Facial Cosmetic Surgery - 70 Yorkville Avenue, Suite 31 - 647-343-0207 - who is offering special promotional prices on Restylane or Perlane injectable fillers as well as Botox.  If you aren't ready for that yet, he is also offering a complimentary consultation and 3D photo image session - check out what you could look like after a bit (or a lot) of work!  I did it and it was fun, you can check out the post here.

What sounds interesting that I haven't tried:

Clarins Skin Spa - 87 Yorkville Avenue - 416-924-9124 - for $125 I can have a Hawaiian Wave body treatment + Firmer bust: super moisturizing treatment for the body and bust and decollete treatment to stimulate and tone for firmer skin in this delicate area.

OxyBeauty - 14A Hazelton Avenue, Suite 304 - 416-929-4597 - for $75 I can have a OXYjet facial: removes pore impurities, replenishes antioxidant content and provides deep skin moisturizing for environmentally damaged skin

Spa at the Windor Arms Hotel - 18 St. Thomas Street - 416-934-6031 - for $75 I can have a 60 minute Pumpkin Body Wrap: this vitamin-rich masque stimulates blood flow and nourishes the skin.

I have no idea how I will ever choose - it's too bad I only have one face (unlike Christelle)!

Check it out at www.bloor-yorkville.com and help me make a decision and if you're going to book, do it soon, they book up fast and it only runs October 28-November 7!

Dr. Romy Saibil and Dr. Francine Gerstein own and staff the spa and they were kind enough to sit down and chat with me.  I have to say it wasn't at all like talking to a couple of doctors, it was more like sitting around and dishing with a couple of girlfriends which was great!  From looking at them you would never think they were highly trained physicians, they look young enough to be sorority girls but this is thanks to being their own clients. They freely admitted to me that they indulge in their own procedures and if you ever want to know how good a job a doctor can do, take a look at their own work on their medical partner! After trying very hard to get them to give up the names of some celebrity clients (they wouldn't), I was really interested to know their philosophy about what they did and it's simple:  They believe that you need to trust your doctor and feel that they care about you and want to give you the very best results possible.  They also believe in practicing medicine properly and by the book and not cutting corners as well as taking pride in what they do.  What more can you ask for?

We then talked about the various medical services that True MediSpa offers and this is where I found out one of the things that sets them apart from some other facilities that offer the same  - these services are always performed by one of the doctors.  I have heard and seen a lot of ads for medi spas that claim to always have a doctor on premises, but hey, if someone's going to stick a needle in your face, you want to make sure that it's a doctor and not just some random employee!

Drs Saibil and Gerstein are certified Botox injectors and with Botox still being the most popular treatment, they get lots of opportunity to work their craft.  They think the most important thing to remember when getting Botox is that you still want to look like yourself and natural but better after you have it  - this is why you want a real doctor with a good eye for where to inject doing it - Botox is not the time to be looking for a sale or a cut rate provider!  It will run you between $300-$800 depending on how many areas you are having treated and lasts 3-6 months.  Dermal fillers, which are quickly catching up in popularity are $550-$2,000 and last 3 months - 1 year.  And don't worry, not only will the doctors follow up with you after your procedure, they insist on it - and take before and after pictures so you can see the change!

Other services offered and performed by the doctors are Physician Strength Chemical Peels and Spider Vein Treatments.
True MediSpa also offers other cosmetic services by non-physicians with protocols that are supervised by the doctors:  Photo Rejuvenation ($425 full face), Microdermabrasion ($120 face), Facials ($120), Chemical Peels ($120) and Laser Hair Removal ($399 lower legs) - you can also buy a series of any treatment for a discount.  Of course I couldn't visit without trying something out so I had a Pumpkin Peel with the lovely Jenna.  This isn't one of those super strong peels, since I had to go back to work afterwards, but something to get rid of the dead skin and freshen up my complexion - and perfect for fall, it smelled just like having a pumpkin pie on your face (but less tasty).   And I will say that the next day, my skin glowed!
If you're not a spa girl, this is still a great place to visit for a product fix, they carry lines I have never heard of like Vivierskin, Skin TX as well as lines I already love like Alyria.  And if you've been looking for the Daniel Thompson makeup line that's been in the news recently, they have that as well!

One line that I didn't know but have now tried and am a fan of is Clayton Shagal - specifically the Colhy Gel In-Depth Moisturizer - 50ml - $110 - a clinical strength moisturizer that is so light, you will swear you don't have any on!  Some of it's benefits: It helps replace lost collagen in your body, stimulates the production of collagen within, tightens pores, delays the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines, smooths existing wrinkles while making the skin smooth and supple, corrects pigmentation spots and makes the skin glow from within, increases the lipid elasticity of the skin, heals burns and scars, improves skin density, maintains hydration levels in the skin.  If it can do even half of all that this gel will be my new love!


You can call 416-780-1100 to book an appointment or check out the website at www.truemedispa.com