Spa Diaries

By Wanda Love

Rock-star pooches

While doggy spas have been popular for years, Vancouver’s Opus Hotel has now elevated man’s best friend to rock-star status. Four-legged VIPs (very important pets) can be treated with a Pampered Pooch package that includes freshly baked doggy treats, a one-hour in-room doggy massage and a Bow Wow Butler for manicures and grooming. The hotel team will even make your life easier by taking Rover for a stroll if you’re otherwise occupied.

Après pampering, your VIP will strut his stuff with a hand-made dog collar from local artisans at Furry Beads.

“Scrotox” hits below the belt

Discovered in 1987 by Canadian physicians Jean and Alastair Carruthers, Botox has become a worldwide sensation. It’s no surprise then that men are now jumping on the wrinkle-reduction bandwagon, spawning the term “Brotox.” But some guys have decided to go south with their self-improvement program. Yes, “Scrotox” is a wince-worthy treatment trend that involves injecting Botox into the scrotum to, well, iron out the wrinkles. Proponents tout the treatment as skin smoothing. I’m told it makes the area more aesthetically pleasing, although the key benefit is said to be making the scrotum appear larger. And men say women can be vain?

Chill out

While awaiting a spa experience, we’ve become accustomed to relaxing on comfortable chairs and sofas while the soft rhythms of waves or pan-flutes are piped through the sound system. Now, SolTec Lounge is offering an even more restorative and peaceful entrance to a stress-free wellness journey with a sexy new lounge chair that blends calming sounds with magnetic and vibration therapy to take you away from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Best of all, perhaps, spa-goers can take one home, too.

Former CEO of Leading Spas of Canada, Wanda Love has travelled extensively, experiencing traditional and unusual spa treatments around the world.
wandalove.com

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