Review: Regal Nails Salon & Spa

Spa: Regal Nails Salon & Spa

Address: 135 First Commerce Dr, Aurora, ON L4G 0G2

Website: http://www.regalnails.com/

E-mail: N/A

Phone Number: (905) 841-3663

Hours of Operation: If Wal-Mart is open, so is Regal Nails (starting at 10:00 AM each day).

Parking:  The nail salon is located inside the Aurora Wal-Mart so there is TONS of parking. It is also Go Train accessible (Aurora stop).

Service Received: Shellac Manicure

Price of Service: $30.00 + Tip

Cleanliness: Very Clean!

Fun and Free Extras: Hand and arm massage with every manicure. Full stop.

For a little more LOL:

The plaza boasts such amazing extras as:

·      Wine Rack (also inside Wal-Mart)

·      The Keg

·      Swiss Chalet

·      Boston Pizza

·      Starbucks

·      Marble Slab Creamery

·      A variety of little clothing and shoe stores for some fun shopping

Review:

If you haven’t already noticed, this low budget gem is located IN A WAL-MART.  So please keep that in mind throughout this review.

If you are expecting a highly relaxing day spa, this is not the place for you. However, if you are looking for a quick, clean, and fun place to get your bi-weekly manicures then do make the trek to Aurora and hit up Regal Nails Nail Salon & Spa!

The salon has 6 nail stations, 5 pedicure chairs, 1 separate nail drying station, and a private area for waxing. I have been going to this location since moving to the sticks and have loved it since my first manicure/eyebrow wax. The ladies that own the salon are friendly, hilarious, and remember your name! After only my second time there, they called me by my first name….that is impressive.

I decided to venture over to Regal Nails on Boxing Day and get myself Shellac-ed for New Years. For those of you not familiar with the whole Shellac process, understand that it is the MOST AMAZING THING A GIRL COULD DISCOVER (when it comes to manicures). The Shellac nail polish goes on thick and last for about two weeks (yes you read that correctly – TWO WEEKS!) without chipping or getting dull. It is almost like getting a gel nail put on, but it doesn’t ruin your natural nail. It. Is. Fabulous.

Okay, so back to the service. They were very willing to take both myself, and my mother,  without appointments and ensured that even though they were busy – we would be seen promptly. This was followed through, and within a very short period of time we were both choosing colors and our manicures were underway. (NOTE: Regal Nails has an amazingly excellent selection both Shellac polishes and regular Essie and OPI colours – anything you can imagine is there)

They salon is extremely clean with all their tools and their work spaces. I have never experienced anything that made me squirm…this makes me happy. The ladies are great at making conversation and also great at noticing when you just don’t want to make small talk. They get right to work, most manicures are complete in under an hour, and with Shellac – your nails are instantly dry so you can literally pay and leave…no waiting around hoping not to ruin them when you reach into your wallet.

The benefit to Regal Nails being in a Wal-Mart is that as long as Wal-Mart is open, it will be too. A girl who was getting a manicure beside me said she had gone to 5 other salons –all of which were closed for Boxing Day. Regal Nails came to save her…and her cuticles.

The only downside…is that it is in a Wal-Mart. There are people walking by with shopping carts, sounds of items being checked out, and a lot of hustle and bustle – always. However, I see this as an excellent perk. Not only do I get my nails done, but I can get my milk, bread, and all my last minute desires in the same place….oh and did I mention that directly BESIDE Regal Nails is a Wine Rack? Could there be a more perfect pairing? 

For a quick fix, a last minute manicure, pedicure, or a “OOPS! I forgot to get my eyebrows done”, and if you are in the area – I HIGHLY recommend Regal Nails Salon and Spa.

Rating: 4/4 (For a low budget Gem)

Your ladies of leisure,

Happy Holidays!!!

Here's to hoping that your stockings are overflowing with various Spa gift certificates!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Your Ladies of Leisure,

How to L.O.L Over the Holidays

Let’s face it - the holidays are filled with a lot of running around, an expansion of food/alcohol intake, and a slimming of the wallet.

If you haven’t received a Spa gift certificate and you don’t have the money or time to book a day…how do you find the time to relax between the craziness of Christmas, New Years, and the fake allure of ‘time off’?

Your L.O.L’s have listed their Top 5 suggestions (in no particular order):

1.     Go boxing day shopping (on the 28^th)

It’s simple. Females like to shop. But shopping for deals on the 26^th can be extremely

stressful. Line ups are no fun. Go shopping a few days later; the sales will still be

there. Some things may be a little picked through, but honestly, you don’t really

need those things anyway – and if you think of it as a little gift to your Visa

bill…then it’s win/win.

To convince you a little more…remember…shopping for others is nice, but shopping for yourself – way better. But what could be better than shopping for yourself? Purchasing full priced merchandise…wait for it…AT A DISCOUNT! Nothing says happiness like the feel of numerous plastic bag handles weighing down your arms. Especially if those bags are filled with items that are wants, and not needs.

So wake up early, wear comfortable clothes, grab your girls, grab yourself a latte, and hit the closest mall.

2.     Have a girls night in

Although everything is better with wine…if you are someone who doesn’t like it than just simply replace each discussion of wine with your favourite alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage.

For a girls night in you can play a board game, watch a Sex and the City marathon, get yourself a bottle of wine (or whatever) and gossip.

Some games that we suggest:

Cards Against Humanity You can buy it for $25 on their website and have it shipped to your house for $10 OR to Snakes and Lattes for free!  Or, if you are really a diva on a dime, you can download the game on the Cards Against Humanity website for free. However, be prepared for A LOT of cutting.

As described on their website Cards Against Humanity is “unlike most of the party games  you've played before, Cards Against Humanity is as despicable and awkward as you and your friends. The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a Black Card, and everyone else answers with their funniest White Card.”

It is similar to, but nothing like Apples to Apples. You need to play it to fully understand its amazingness.

Sexy Scrabble Yes, it is just what it sounds. Purchase yourself Scrabble (any Wal-Mart, Chapters, Toys R Us..etc will have it for under $20) and make a rule that you get an extra 10 points for every umm…inappropriate word played. Rules for this game can be found with a quick Google (search: Dirty Scrabble. C likes alliterations – so she changed it…yes a little OCD)…but we think its fairly straight forward.

Drinking Jenga Basic, but requires a little more work than Scrabble. We suggest purchasing a special Jenga (again under $20), relegated just for these types of occasions. On the blank sides of the tiles, you can write any of the following suggestions that have been complied on this website over the years by many-a-drinking Jenga players.

You pull the tile. You do what it says. End of story. 

If those are too much to handle, here are a few light hearted games to bring you back to your  (or our) youth…..

Dream Phone Get back in touch with your inner tween by playing dream phone. It is C’s personal favourite and comes with its own HOT PINK Zack Morris sized phone. Finding out which boy wants to date you is almost as fun as looking at the all their mushroom cuts, box cuts, and fadeouts. Dan…Dan my man!!!

A horribly old commercial for the game here:

Mall Madness Run around the mall trying to find the best sales before your debit

card runs out, the bank is closed, or your friend sends you to the arcade! Sounds

stupid? It is…but with a couple glasses of wine, it is a hell of a lot of fun!

Horribly old commercial for game here:

Girl Talk The 80’s sleepover version of Truth or Dare. We suggest your skip the “zit stickers” as punishment and exchange it for a drink. The truths (and dares) will become much more interesting after a while.

*NOTE: We can’t find an amusing commercial for this game. You will just have to trust us.

**Double Note: Yes…clearly one of us has a slight obsession with cheesy 80’s board games. Deal with it.

3.     Have a spa night (with friends or alone)

Wal-Mart has this awesome nail dryer for really cheap! Some are going for as low as $8!!! It’s part of their Christmas line…so it’ll probably be on sale shortly. When you are Boxing Day shopping (on the 28^th), stop off at your local Wal-Mart and grab yourself one. While you are at it, get a frisky shade of Essie or OPI nail polish and a face mask. And we think it goes without saying…a bottle of wine is always necessary.  

4.     Take a Hot Yoga Class

If you aren’t already doing this…it is a MUST. Life can be so uncontrollably busy sometimes that it is necessary to lock down, at least, an hour a week to just stop and refocus. 

C’s Hot Yoga of choice – Moksha. A drop in class is under $20, but an unlimited trial membership is only $40 and lasts for 30 days! If you aren’t hooked after the trial then there is no pressure to go back. However, if you plan on attending weekly, or monthly,  they have a variety of packages to fit anyone’s schedule.

These privately owned Yoga studios are popping up all over the place so it will be easy to find one near you.  They even have a handy app which allows you to book your class ahead of time to ensure space.

A little word of advice: Your first time you WILL feel like you will die. We promise you, you won’t. Your body will acclimatize and you will be fine. Push through. But do bring a BIG BOTTLE OF WATER and a towel. You will sweat from places you did not know even existed on your body. We will leave you with that lovely image….ENJOY!

5.     Cancel some plans….

I know, this sounds ridiculous. And as L.O.L’s we ALWAYS encourage a night out with friends and a bottle of wine. However, the holiday season can get to overwhelming sometimes. Before you know it, an entire month has gone by where you have been basically living out of your car. You can’t do everything, and double or triple booking yourself is just insane.

Our advice for this…SAY NO! Personally speaking, it’s hard. Saying no is difficult and you don’t want to let anyone down, especially around the holidays. However, it is necessary. A night to recoup, in your PJ’s, on your couch, while watching your favourite reality TV show can be just what the doctor ordered. So do it! You will be glad you did. But be sure to reschedule! A good L.O.L. never lets her down time get in the way of her friends.

Your Ladies of Leisure,

Review: Nails For You

Spa: Nails For You (A nail salon franchise with over 20 locations in the GTA, and new locations opening regularly)

Address: Second floor of the Sheppard Centre (Corner of Yonge & Sheppard, Toronto ON)

Website: http://www.nailsforyou.ca

E-mail: info@nailsforyoultd.com

Phone Number: 416-733-0855 (Sheppard Centre Location)

Hours of Operation:

Monday to Wednesday: 9:30 am-7:00 pm
Thursday to Friday 9:30 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday 11:30 am – 5:00 pm

Parking:  Underground connection to Sheppard Subway station, pay parking on the street and in lots nearby.

Service Received: Pedicure

Price of Service: $30.00 including tax.

Cleanliness: Good, looks well cared for. The nail techs cleaned our area as soon as we finished.

Fun and Free Extras: Nice electric massage chairs!

For a little more LOL, nearby:

• Sheppard Center with various restaurants
• Movie theater in the complex

The Review:

Hi all! T here. This low budget gem is so conveniently located for a pedicure date with a friend! Inexpensive, great service and they have a good 7 or 8 chairs for pedicures. My friend (a male) and I were walk-ins and they were able to accommodate us immediately! Got to love that. Nails For You offers mani/pedis, facials, full body waxing and permanent make-up services.

We both brought in Tim Hortons coffee and a snack, and were able to sit and chat in their lovely electric massage chairs while the nail techs dealt with our feet. They were quiet and didn’t interrupt, which I appreciated as my friend and I were able to catch up!

The pedicure took about 40 minutes. The lady that I had took her time, and even managed to prevent me from shrieking when she got to the part where they scrub off your callouses – I am notoriously ticklish, and this part always kills me!! She painted my toenails a nice, bright pink colour and moved me to a different chair to put them under a dryer afterwards. Right before I put my shoes and socks on, she rubbed some sort of oil into my nails which seemed to help prevent them from getting imprint marks from my socks! Bonus points! This was my male friend's first pedicure EVER and I have to say...I think he was sold on the whole idea. I approve!

Downside? All of the polishes available to pick from (OPI & China Glaze) looked thick and old, and some of the colours had separated. Choice was limited – they had a basic selection of colours, no new releases, no glittery or fancy looking ones (sigh…I have a thing for glitter and sparkle. A little sparkle makes everything better!).

Overall, it’s a great place for a quick pedi and a terrific alternative to the traditional coffee date with a friend! While not a spa experience, it’s inexpensive, they do a good job and you know what you’re getting. I would go back!

 RATING: 3/4

I hope you're all getting excited for the holidays, because I know we are!!!

Your ladies of leisure,

Review: Elmwood Spa

And here it is, our first spa review!

Spa: Elmwood Spa “Canada’s Favourite Urban Oasis”

Address: 18 Elm Street

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1G7
(East of Bay Street, South of Gerrard Street)

Website: http://www.elmwoodspa.com/

E-mail: spa@elmwoodspa.com

Phone Number: 416-977-6751

Toll-Free: 1-877-284-6348
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/elmwoodspa
Twitter: @elmwoodspa

Hours of Operation:

Monday to Thursday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday 10:30 am – 6:30 pm

Parking:  Close street, hotel, and underground parking – however, it IS located downtown, and parking is expensive. We took the subway (5 minute walk from Dundas station).

Service Received: 50 Minute Swedish Massage performed by a RMT.

Price of Service: $111.00 including HST (pricier than a massage in a clinic).

Cleanliness: Excellent. No complaints here.

Fun and Free Extras: Water therapy (a fancy name for a coed hot tub, pool, and sauna area – still amazing...and complimentary with any service over $99.00). There is also a female-only hot tub and sauna in the women’s change room – I’m assuming there’s one in the men’s too! Plastic bags and a bathing suit dryer are there for your wet bathing suit. That said, DON’T FORGET TO BRING A BATHING SUIT! Lockers, and amazing rain shower head showers as well!

Body Care: Fluffy Robes and Flip Flops, Elm Line Lotion & Shower gel, Disposable Razors and shaving cream, Fruit Infused Water and Tea, q-tips.

Hair Care: Salon grade (AG) shampoo and conditioner, blow dryer, curling iron, straightener, hair gel, hair spray.

      

For a little more LOL, nearby:

• Eaton Centre
• Queen Street shopping
• The spa has its own juice bar and restaurant (unfortunately we didn’t get to try these this time around)

The Review:

This swanky spa is located in the heart of downtown Toronto, just around the corner from the Eaton Centre. Its relaxing atmosphere, friendly concierge, and overall proximity to T’s condo made it an easy first choice to kick off this blog.

Both of us decided to go for the same service…our benefits were ending in December…so we figured, why not? A 50 minute Swedish massage was booked almost immediately.

However, since we booked our services separately we worried about their ability to accommodate us, at the same time, on the same floor. They originally booked both of us on separate floors so they could accommodate our time request. I was placed with a male RMT (This idea didn’t fly very well – I always just feel more comfortable with a girl, and plus, there was no way of finding out if he was hot first. How does one even ask that question?). By the time they made the confirmation call (3 days before), they had switched me to a female! (sigh of relief) And even upon arrival to the spa, they quickly switched T to the same floor as I was on, so we could enjoy our day at the spa! This won me MAJOR points with Elmwood.

T and I got there nice and early so we could take FULL advantage of the Water Therapies. Again, just a fancy name for sauna, pool, and hot tub – but free none the less...and AMAZING! What was more amazing, was their pile of disposable razors and shaving cream to clean up any problem areas before the pool or massage. If you are anything like me – this is a GEM of a find.

My massage was great – not amazing, but still GREAT! My RMT was a burly woman who did not shy away from working my tense muscles. It was fantastic. She constantly checked in to see how I was doing, if the pressure was okay, and NEVER had dry hands. Again – fantastic. And at the end of the massage, she asked if she could get me a tea! I, of course, said yes. Double fantastic.

Okay, so with everything fantastic…there must be a few downfalls. Here they are:

1. My only complaint from the massage was that she spoke to me...during the massage. I’m not sure where I stand on this yet, but currently, I feel that if I am going to relax – I’m not interested in making small talk. Rude? Maybe, but that’s how I feel.

2. When it came time to pay, the computers weren’t working and both T and I couldn’t get our receipts for our benefits. Upon asking how long it would take – they told us 3 – 5 BUSINESS DAYS. 3-5 business days to E-MAIL a receipt? REALLY!? I’m a working girl, yes, but I don’t have $111.00 just floating around on my VISA that I can sit 3-5 business days waiting for an e-mail to then wait another week for my reimbursement cheque. BOO!

 Overall, would I go back? Absolutely. Worth the money? Yes, given that you get an insurance receipt! I’d love to try some of the other services offered.

RATING: 3.5/4  

That's all for now! We'll be back soon with your next spa review!

Your Ladies of Leisure,

UPDATE: January 8th, 2013: Unfortunately, C and I have since decided to remove one half flower from Elmwood Spa... and here's the scoop on why!

As we mentioned, the receptionist said that we would have to wait 3-5 business days to get our massage receipts...okay, not that happy about it, but whatever. 3-5 business days later...nothing. 10 business days later? Still nothing. I mean, I know the holidays came up and all, but we visited Elmwood on December 16th! C then called Elmwood twice trying to get our receipts...and she wasn't able to. Finally, I sent Elmwood a fairly unhappy email on January 4th, 2013 because we STILL had not received our insurance receipts!! Really, really not okay.

I explained in my email why I was unhappy, that we were supposed to get our receipts within 3-5 business days...and it was now weeks later! I also talked about how Elmwood is one of my favourite places to go, and how I had been excited to take C there for our first blog review! And now...kind of soured. Not so excited anymore.

Response? Well, we got our receipts within hours of my email. Yes, I'm happy with the quick response...but in that email? Not even a single apology about the wait time!

 "Good day,

Please find attached your massage receipt as per your request.

Thank you for your patience. If you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please kindly confirm you have received this receipt.

Have a great day."

Rude. Well, okay then Elmwood. I see how it is. Since we did like our actual services quite a bit, we're not removing a full flower.

RATING: 3/4 

Enjoy your day fellow Ladies of Leisure!

What is a Lady of Leisure?

What is a Lady of Leisure (L.O.L) you ask?

A L.O.L. is a concept, a mindset, a movement. Often, as females, we work long hours and spend so much time doing for others that we forget to treat ourselves.

Being a L.O.L. is not meant for everyday; it is not a lifestyle...nor will it catapult you onto the next episode of "The Real Housewives of....wherever". However, if you have the time, money, and good fortune to L.O.L. everyday...then...god bless. To L.O.L. is to buy into the concept that once a year, once a month, or dare we say it, once a week (EEK!), us ladies take some much needed time for ourselves.

Taking time can include, but is not limited to, the following:

• taking an extra long bath (with bubbles...and wine)
• giving yourself a mani/pedi (with friends...and wine)
• giving yourself a facial (with friends...and wine)
• reading a book (with a extra large latte, all the whip cream, and a biscotti....or a glass of wine)
• taking a moment to explore this blog, and BOOKING YOURSELF A DARN SPA DAY! (always explore the blog with your finest glass of wine...or cheapest...we don't judge here).

So if you have some benefits to spend or just need a quick place to get a mani/pedi...then this blog is for you. We are working overtime and putting all our efforts into finding out what the GTA has to offer...trust us...we don't mind. Grab your girls, grab some wine, and get booking!

Your Ladies of Leisure,

 "We are all of us stars, and we deserve to twinkle." - Marilyn Monroe

Photo credit: Andrew Till