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~By Guest Blogger, Karen Lloyd

No matter your age, Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood has something to boost your health and wellness, with a variety of services along Queen Street East. As we are approaching cooler climes and busier times, it’s the perfect moment to take stock of the resources available to all of us.

Until I sat down to write this blog, I was out of the loop on health, wellness and beauty in Riverside but after just a little digging , I found myself in the know about Riverside’s plethora of incredibly unique wellness and beauty boutiques, fitness studio and wellness centres. My conclusion: there’s really a complete package of health and wellness options for all ages right here in Riverside.

Here are some of my favourites and tidbits on how they will be featured during this Saturday, September 16th’s complimentary Riverside Health & Wellness Walk.

Oma Chiropractic & Wellness Centre

Feel safe, cared for, and at home in the loving, gentle hands of Oma Chiropractic & Wellness, located at 1 Munro on Queen East. In addition to a range of health services such as chiropractic care and massage therapy, Oma Chiropractic & Wellness hosts regular wellness workshops and unique opportunities to support the whole family, including the family dog!

For example, the Riverside Health & Wellness Walk, coming up on September 16th, will feature a complimentary talk by creative entrepreneur and business coach Marnee Bruno. Then, on September 28th at Oma, will be a workshop called “Tame Tantrums and End Power Struggles” with peaceful parenting coach Sarah Rosensweet.

“The workshop will offer several strategies for how to manage meltdowns when they happen, and how to firmly, yet lovingly set boundaries,” says Oma Chiropractic director Adrienne McRuvie, a chiropractor, a reflexolgist, reiki therapist and yoga teacher. Adrienne’s training with the International Pediatric Chiropractic Association sparked her passion for prenatal care and care for children of all sizes.

For more about Adrienne, her clinic, and upcoming workshops visit www.omachiropractic.com

The Chi Junky Yoga Studio

With small class-sizes in a warm and inviting atmosphere, The Chi Junky Studio guarantees a personalized experience and hands on approach when it comes to yoga and your health in general. Beginners are welcome!

Each 60-minute session includes complimentary yoga equipment, tea service, towels and alkaline water. Some sessions are even lit with candles. In addition to regular weekly classes like ‘Candlelight Sweat Flow’, ‘Chill and Let Go’ or ‘Move to Sooth Hatha’, “The Chi Junky organizes regular relaxation retreats outside of Toronto with the next one coming up Oct. 12 in Prince Edward County”, says owner and instructor Rachelle Wintzen.

“It’s a full weekend of complete luxury and relaxation,” says Rachelle noting the retreat will include exceptional meals made with local and organic ingredients, daily wine tastings from PEC wineries, and twice daily yoga.

Come meet The Chi Junky in person on September 16th and take part in a complimentary meditation during the Riverside Health & Welllness Walk.

For more information visit them at 70 McGee Street, steps off of Queen East, or check out more at www.chijunky.com

Framewrk

Framewrk is a new Riverside fitness studio that offers a mix of different fitness programs including something you may have never heard of before – Essentrics.

According to Framewrk founder, owner and instructor Josephine Cuthill, Essentrics is a dynamic and fluid combination of strengthening and stretching (using ballet, Tai Chi, and even physiotherapy) for a full-body workout.

“Essentrics is good for everyone, but can often especially be good for people recovering from injury and can even help in that process,” says Josephine.

Additionally, the bright spacious studio offers classes in yoga, pilates, cardio, and weight training.

Enjoy a complimentary demo of Essentrics at the Riverside Health & Wellness Walk this Saturday, drop by the studio at 9 Davies, Suite 206, or for more information or visit www.framewrk.ca.

Barefoot Beauty

It’s all about hands and feet at Barefoot Beauty which opened up at 643 Queen Street East in Riverside this summer.

This salon prides itself on offering healthy and clean manicure and pedicure services using all-natural organic products made in-house. A particularly unique service at Barefoot Beauty is IBX,  a two step application used to strengthen and repair weak, cracking, or peeling nails.

“This treatment is a wonderful option for anyone who wants to stop using acrylic or bio-gel enhancements,” says Barefoot Beauty owner and head chiropodist Emily Stock. With regular use, she says the IBX treatment can reduce the occurrence of white spots on nails, repair and toughen nails, promoting a smoother nail plate, and improve the appearance of the nail plate.

“We absolutely love this product and are one of the few salons in Toronto to offer this specialty treatment,” she says. IBX can be used on its own for a healthy, natural nail look or under regular polish or gel (Shellac-style) polish to help strengthen and repair the nails.

Come meet Emily and experience Barefoot Beauty’s gorgeous space during the Riverside Health & Wellness Walk on September 16th.

Read more about the other unique services Barefoot Beauty offers in this blog or visit their website at www.barefootbeauty.ca

Clinique De Mode

At Clinique De Mode, just a few blocks east of Broadview at 750 Queen East, you’ll find a menu of medical treatments designed to give your skin a youthful glow.

Included in this mix of treatments is the Vampire Facial which had everybody in the ‘hood talking for a while after it was introduced via sidewalk sandwich board. Rightfully called Platelet Rich Plasma treatment, the Vampire Facial uses your very own blood to stimulate the regrowth of new collagen and aid considerably with epidermal repair.

“When people stop by the boutique, without a doubt the most frequently asked question is, what on earth is a Vampire Facial?!” says co-owner and skin care specialist Christina. “It’s one of the most effective facial treatments available in the industry for targeting pigmentation, acne scars, fine lines, and wrinkles.”

Meet co-owner Stephen to get the inside scoop on the Vampire Facial and more during the Riverside Health & Wellness Walk.

Clinique De Mode also offers chemical peels, laser hair removal, body contouring and more. Learn more at cliniquedemode.com.

KNOW A GREAT RIVERSIDE HEALTH AND WELLNESS SPOT THAT WE’VE MISSED? LET US KNOW! 

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Karen Lloyd is a writer, photographer and website designer in Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood. This blog is part of the series giving you the inside scoop on  Riverside, Toronto. Read Other Blogs in this series: Riverside Patios, and Where to Rest Your Head in Riverside

Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood is a mecca for restaurants and boutique shops. Fortunately you can also spend the night in a range of great accommodations available here, just steps from downtown Toronto. This blog highlights the places you can stay, the people you will meet, and the experiences you can enjoy in Riverside.

David, Riverside resident and host

No showers after 11:30 pm is the number one rule at host Sandy’s Victorian home in Toronto’s bustling Riverside neighbourhood.

“It’s loud!” she says, laughing, during a recent interview with several local residents about what it’s like to open their homes to Toronto travellers. Each host spoke highly of their unique accommodations, interesting guests, life east of the DVP and how recent tourism trends have contributed to the local economy, including their own wallets.

Semi-retired, Sandy has been sharing three bedrooms in her beautiful four-bedroom home with travellers since 2015, and she loves every minute of it – especially cooking dinners for guests, sharing wine with them, and basically getting to know wonderful people from all walks of life, from all over the world.

“Many of them are now friends with warm invitations to visit them in their homelands,” she says.

There are at least six dozen residents in Riverside offering either private rooms, trendy self-contained studios, or their full spacious home with rooftop deck and enough room for six guests. Prices typically range from $33 to $200 a night.

Steve, another host, has been renting the apartment on the second floor of his home to travellers since 2015. Unlike Sandy, he doesn’t share space with his guests or interact with them. He only asks they leave it as tidy and clean as they found it.

“When I give you the key to my place you have your own pad,” he says. “Most of the time they’re out sightseeing.”

Both hosts agree sharing their space has not only been a great way to supplement their income – Steve says, “I own a house and I couldn’t own a house without it,” – but it has also introduced the Riverside neighbourhood to visitors who may otherwise normally stay closer to downtown Toronto.

While there are lots of sights to see and things to do in and around Toronto (including jumping on the highway to visit Niagara Falls), globe trotters are finding out that Riverside can hold its own on a travel itinerary.

“I read somewhere that this is one of the hottest neighbourhoods in the city,” says Steve.
In fact, many of Steve and Sandy’s guests have left rave reviews for both their accommodations and the Riverside neighbourhood.

In August, traveller Kara from Grand Rapids, Michigan wrote, “Steve was a very friendly and kind host. His home was very comfortable and beautiful. The home is very close to the public transportation system which can take you downtown, and steps away a very lively and fun main street full of shops and restaurants.”

Pretty much anywhere you stay in Riverside is close to the streetcar, and everything else is a minute to get to by foot. The neighbourhood’s location in between Toronto’s major attractions  – downtown and the beaches – also make it very attractive, not to mention The Danforth just steps north.

“There’s definitely something special here,” says David.

Travellers, especially families, are already checking out the availability of his four bedroom home for next summer. Since 2016, David has rented his home approximately 20 times to families who want to share their travel experience under one roof. If they stay longer-term, for a month or more, he takes off to Mexico. If it’s short-term he’ll stay with his girlfriend in the west end.

“I think [home-sharing] is a totally new vacation phenomenon,” says David.
The busiest time of year for David and most hosts in Toronto is from May to September with the majority of visitors coming from small towns across Canada, United States, and Europe. Their thousands of reasons for being in Toronto are as varied as the accommodations available to them.

The Opera House is often mentioned by guests as a reason for visiting as well as the Riverside Eats & Beats Streetfest and Riverdale Art Walk in June, Riverside breweries, celebrity chef Lynn Crawford’s restaurant Ruby Watchco, and even De Grassi Street which was made famous by the Degrassi TV series of television shows for youth in the 1980s.

Bonjour Brioche owner and host Lori says a lot extended family stay in the neighbourhood, as well, to be close to relatives but not in their way, as most homes in Toronto are fairly small.

“Grandparents are huge,” says Lori who’s one-bedroom apartment is located above her bakery on Queen Street East and usually rented long term.

You can find all these great local hosts and accommodations via Airbnb 

Those looking to rest their heads in-style in Riverside can do so in one of the swank new rooms at The Broadview Hotel which re-opened in August 2017. It’s “a 126 year-old building and an historic neighbourhood landmark that has been meticulously restored and re-imagined as a 58-room boutique hotel and charismatic gathering spot”.

The Broadview Hotel boasts uniquely decorated guestrooms, three restaurant/ bar/ cafe spaces, a variety of special event spaces, and a range of unique events happening in-house. With nods to Riverside’s history and modern life throughout, you will also get an intimate view of the neighbourhood at The Broadview.

Read more and get a further inside view in Riverside Magazine, including an interview with the hotel’s General Manager, Murray Henderson. Book your stay via The Broadview Hotel’s website.

KNOW A GREAT RIVERSIDE ACCOMODATION THAT WE’VE MISSED? LET US KNOW! 

—

Karen Lloyd is a writer, photographer and website designer in Toronto’s Riverside neighbourhood. This blog is part of the series giving you the inside scoop on  Riverside, Toronto. Read Blog 1 in the series on Riverside Patios.