Nestled under the popular boutique hotel L’Hermitage in the heart of Vancouver’s shopping and entertainment district, we recently discovered an oasis of an escape: Bare Essentials Skin Bar [BE]. Less than a year old, owner Amy Sahota and BE are making a name within the city’s beauty industry with a unique take on luxurious offerings suited to everyone’s needs.
We stopped by at a recent special event hosted by Amy and got her take on what makes BE so, well, befitting to the needs of busy Vancouverites. States Sahota, “I want everyone to be ‘skin happy’ without having to experience major downtime or spending so much time or money to make that happen. Great skin comes from within – education, adjusting your lifestyle – and it should always be affordable.”
With appointment times varying from 30 to 60 minutes, and prices from $45 to $90 depending on service time, obtaining gorgeous skin is well within our beauty budget and time constraints.
Not your typical spa, Bare Essentials Skin Bar is just that: a skin bar, focusing on skin health. Offering targeted treatments (we love the sassy cocktail-inspired names!), clients can choose from one of the 12 menu options. We tried their amazing signature treatment, the Vantini, which focuses on resurfacing, smoothing, and brightening the skin. It uses hydroxy acids, retinol, and a nourishing mix of vitamins, peptides and botanical extracts. Our skin was singing its own glow-tune by the time the 45-minute service was over!
One more aspect that may surprise you about this forward-thinking spa is that the space is completely open-concept. Don’t worry, you’re not lying semi-naked in the open! Time-crunched clients can pop in for quick yet effective 30 minute facials and not have to worry about changing out and back into their work clothes; so no need for a private treatment room. It’s genius really, and all the rage in Los Angeles.
With spring just around the corner, we all want to get our skin fit and looking its best, and the “Skintenders” at Bare Essentials Skin Bar can help. Their clever Skincare Boot Camp service trains clients to understand what products are best for their skin, and helps whip skin into shape by prescribing the perfect skincare regime. Clients are encouraged to bring in their current-use products for evaluation. Routinely, people use products that just aren’t right for their skin type and Bare Essentials Skin Bar’s Skintenders will let clients know what’s working, and what might be best to toss or substitute.
Bare Essentials Skin Bar is located at 790 Richards Street. For more information on their services, visit them online.
Have you check out the Bare Essentials Skin Bar? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.