Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/162483
realbeauty GET GLOWING The best places in Vancouver to get pampered and prepped for your wedding BEAUTY EDITOR KATE MACLENNAN (LEFT TO RIGHT) SENSE, A ROSEWOOD SPA AT HOTEL GEORGIA; WILLOW STREAM SPA AT FAIRMONT PACIFIC RIM; SPRUCE BODY LAB; BOMBAY BROW BAR MANICURE PEDICURE FACIAL Beautymark Sense, A Rosewood Spa at Hotel Georgia Spruce Body Lab Anyone who has tried to add a bit of bling to her nails knows it takes talent to wield that little polish brush well. Enter Christina Culver, a nail artist who has painted digits at New York Fashion Week and can take your fingertips from pretty to pretty awesome. Her designs — inspired by everything from classic fashion prints (think: geometrics and Navajo) to on-trend colours and textures (such as metallics) — are fun, flirty and, most importantly, special enough for your big day. From $59. 1268 Pacific Blvd., 604-642-2294. beautymark.ca A Canadian Maple Pedicure at this beautifully resurrected historic hotel is no in-and-out affair. Slip into a cozy robe and recline in a zero gravity chair (designed with NASA technology, you'll feel completely weightless) as a therapist begins your treatment with aromatherapy, followed by a maple sugar scrub, organic hydrating mask, and sumptuous massage using organic shea butter and a drizzle of local honey to soothe and hydrate your legs and feet. Sip bubbly and nibble chocolate while your feet are expertly groomed. Emerge in a cloud of bliss. $115 for 80 minutes. 801 W. Georgia St., 604-673-7045. rosewoodhotels.com/en/hotelgeorgia Putting your best face forward means some skin pre-prep is in order. Trust your visage to the staff at Spruce who conduct customized facials in the clean, quiet serenity of their modern spa environment. You'll cozy between soft sheets in a warm bed while an aesthetician cleans and exfoliates your face and performs any necessary extractions. Next, relax with a shoulder and neck massage while a hydrating mask works its magic. For longlasting results try the gentle, French-created Milk Peel: four treatments over eight weeks take the guess work out of your pre-wedding skin prep routine and include all the products necessary for guaranteeing radiant skin on your big day. All those Parisian women can't be wrong. Facial from $110; peel $560. 1128 Richards St., 604-6833220. sprucebodylab.com Pure Nail Bar If there were a goddess of weddings (and no, Elizabeth Taylor doesn't count), then she is surely to credit for the invention of gel polish. Not to be confused with gel nails, gel polish (or "shellac," as Pure Nail Bar calls it) is applied like a regular lacquer, but dried under UV light. It won't burn your nail bed as it cures, nor will the result be as thick as a gel nail. But, like gel nails, you get a durable, shiny result that won't chip or flake for days. Shellac manicure $45. Ten Lower Mainland locations. purenailbar.com 78 Absolute Spa Round up your bridal party and head to this longstanding Vancouver spa for a relaxing group pedicure experience. You'll be ushered into a bright, open room where you and your best friends can chat and sip champers while feet are soaked, buffed and painted to perfection. The Diamond Pedicure is an obvious fit for a blushing bride-to-be, while the Absolute Organic Pedicure is ideal if keeping your beauty regime natural is a priority. From $75. 1015 Burrard St., 604-684-2772. absolutespa.com Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Pacific Rim The luxury Fairmont hotel chain does nothing by halves and its Willow Stream spa treatments are testament to that. Show up early for your facial in order to don a cozy robe and decompress in one of the rooftop hot tubs with peekaboo views of the North Shore mountains, or in the infrared R E A L WEDDINGS p70-79_Colours of Love Real Beauty.indd 78 4/24/12 3:30:43 PM