After months of hibernating on my couch watching television and eating Twix bars, I was feeling bloated and gross. I decided to check myself into a luxurious spa, where I treated myself to organic treatments fit for even the most pampered of princess.

The last time I found myself in a tent was … let’s just say it was when I was forced into one as a child. Though I love the outdoors, I don’t understand why someone would … camp. But, after forcing myself out into the cold, that’s where I find myself. OK, not camping, but in a tent … in a spa on King Street West.
I head to Elixir Organic Spa with good intentions. I’ve been trying to live a more organic lifestyle. (OK, I’ve been thinking of starting to live a more organic lifestyle.) Mostly, I want to detox the winter away.
Elixir Spa bills itself as the first 100 per cent synthetic-free spa in Toronto. Lynn Shulman, the laidback founder, celebrating Elixir’s six-year anniversary this summer, has zero tolerance for synthetic ingredients. With good reason.
In 2001, while she was working in corporate marketing, Shulman had what she explained was an “horrendous allergic reaction” to an “organic” spa product.
“I was young and dumb,” she says. “I didn’t know that ‘natural’ didn’t mean it was purely organic. I couldn’t understand how a reaction of such severity could result from something that was supposed to be all-natural.”
Thus, the idea for a truly organic spa was born, but it was a challenge to find the right products. “Many products on the market are falsely labelled as natural or organic,” she says. “Even in health food stores. You really have to read the labels.”
“If it’s not from a food, we don’t use it. Our motto is: ‘If you can’t eat it, you shouldn’t apply it on your skin.’”
The spa is small but charming and comfortable, kind of like visiting a good friend’s house. I’m offered a variety of, obviously, organic teas, opting for the white tea with peach mint.
When she first opened, Shulman admits that her first customers didn’t understand the concept of an organic spa.
“Once they experienced the facial, they kept coming back,” she says.
“When we do organic cleansings, there’s also an aromatherapy component, so you feel it emotionally as well.”
On the wall is a list of this month’s spa specials, ranging from the divine coconut lime pedicure and manicure combo with coconut lime soak and massage with coconut lime butter to the mojito body scrub and steam that includes an exfoliation with a mojito (lime and mint) scrub.
I’m here to try the slimming detox and steam. The treatment begins with a skin brushing, followed by a massage with purifying essential oils and 25 minutes inside a private steam capsule with fragrant herbs as well as a relaxation massage.
And this is how I find myself in a tent.
After the skin brushing and massage, a contraption is lowered down over my body with a hole for my head.
“When you sweat,” says Shulman, “it releases all your toxins.” She adds that if you steam in the tent you could also lose 500 calories in 15 minutes (definitely an added bonus!).
I worry that I might become too hot or claustrophobic or dizzy (I like steams, but for five minutes tops). But when you’re in the tent alone, and 15 types of herbs and flower scents are tunneled into the steam around your body, it’s an extremely relaxing experience. I didn’t want it to end. I never get too hot as cool towels are placed on my face during the steam.
She says it’s a good treatment if you have a cold or feel like you’re coming down with one.
Next, I move on to the fig enzyme facial.
Here’s a fun fact: figs contain an enzyme 20 times more powerful than papayas (though I have no idea what that means).
Also, the fig enzyme mask loosens the “glue” that holds skin cells together, allowing for a thorough cleansing. Oh, OK.
Before the mask, I get a facial scrub of dates, brown sugar and honey that is handmade at the spa (And sounds great on toast!).
This is the spa’s most popular facial, and I love that they make the masks themselves. (It’s kind of like going to someone’s house for a good home-cooked meal.).
I can’t help but wonder about those who want a quick fix, those who want to use chemicals at highend spas because they may be more focused on getting rid of wrinkles. Going organic is good, but isn’t it all about the results?
Aside from feeling completely relaxed, I’m not sure if my skin is looking any younger. The detox steam does make me feel lighter, cleaner and, dare I say it, healthier.
“Going organic is better in the long run,” says Shulman. “Sure, there are spas out there that will plump up your skin temporarily, but they are damaging it in the long term.”
It’s something to think about, but right now I smell delicious, and I’m making myself hungry. Of course, I could snack on Elixir’s own product line. But I’m not that organic … yet.
 

GOLD-MEDAL MAITRE D’: Roberto Bustamanti of Il Piatto Vecchio (pictured)

Most maître d’s these days seem to lack the professionalism and charm that the role demands. Thankfully for 905 diners, Roberto Bustamanti brings some Old World class to the role, although he ought to — he’s been at it for a while. Guests in town from out of the country? No fear: our man’s multilingual talents (five and counting) mean he can say “cheers” in as many ways as you can count.

FIVE-STAR SERVICE: Cynthia’s Chinese Restaurant

You’ll come in contact with at least four members of Cynthia Lam’s crack service squad before your meal is out: hostess, candle lighter, drink taker and waiter, then Cynthia will stroll by to make sure you enjoyed your meal. It’s not the friendliness of the service that stands out (though they are cheery) but rather the professionalism of the operation. You’ll love servers’ resplendent traditional outfits. Go for the food, go back for the service

BEST WINE NOSE: Michael De Tomasso of Terra

Finally! A sommelier who’s not a wine snob. Lucky for diners at Terra, genial sommelier Michael De Tomasso gives unpretentious wine advice, and he’s a pretty nice guy to boot. Informed, sophisticated and down-to-earth: qualities that allow him to cater to oenos wanting expert analysis on, say, tannin maturation — and to those who simply want something delicious to slurp.

Tim Klassen has a mantra that motivates him to hop on his bike and train, even when the weather outside is, well, frightful.

“Even a bad day on the bike is better than a good day in chemo,” he says. “It is nothing in terms of what these kids are going through.” 

All the training and weather- braving is in preparation for June 13, when just a few weeks shy of his 60th birthday, Klassen will be a national rider in the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride, a 12- day cycling fundraiser that raises money and awareness for childhood cancer.

The ride kicks off in Vancouver and ends in Halifax, making it the longest event of its kind with a focus on kids’ cancer.

“We’ve all been touched by cancer,” says Klassen of his motivation to participate in the ride. “I had a nephew who died of childhood cancer and a father who died of cancer.”

The local resident started training for this adventure on Nov. 1, 2008, and plans on spending 600 hours on his bike, covering 15,000 km, before it even begins. That’s not to mention the decades of preparation he has from competing in two Ironman triathlons, 17 marathons, and four Tour For Kids rides — another cycling fundraiser in support of childhood cancer.

Klassen says he joined the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride because, in contrast to some other charities, “One hundred per cent of the money raised goes straight towards the cause.”

Alongside the time each rider dedicates to training and fundraising, they also pay a $3,995 registration fee to cover the hard costs of the race, and are expected to raise at least $25,000 towards this year’s collective goal of raising $2 million.

When the campaign comes through Toronto on June 20, local residents will have the opportunity to get involved by riding along with the cyclists for anywhere between 15 and 200 kilometres, to raise community involvement and as a fundraising initiative.

Other fund-raising efforts have included riding on site at local Sears stores, where the GTA riders set up their bikes and ride on wind trainers, to raise money and to promote Sears’ involvement as the major sponsor of the race.

For Klassen, who is a manager at the Ontario College Quality Assurance Service, the most challenging part of being a national rider is the time commitment. “With the training and fund-raising it’s like having three full time jobs!”

Thankfully, he has the full support of his wife Anne Sauvé, an avid cyclist who has also participated in the Tour For Kids rides, currently acting as his campaign manager.

The ride covers a total of 6,800 km, with each rider cycling between 2,500 to 2,700 km. Having conquered training sessions during which he faced howling winds and heavy rainfall, Klassen says he feels prepared for the upcoming ride.

“It was a great challenge and a neat feeling,” he says about a particularly epic trip in April, during which he and his fellow GTA riders rode all the way to Newcastle in a storm. “Now there’s nothing this ride can throw at us that we haven’t been through.”

Post City Magazines salutes Tim Klassen for biking to make a difference in the lives of children diagnosed with cancer.

REPORT CARD

STUDENT Marni Wasserman
GRADUATED York Mills Collegiate, 2000
BEST SUBJECT Biology
WORST SUBJECT Math
CURRENT JOB Holistic nutritionist and personal chef

THERE YOU ARE at the local supermarket, full of healthy intentions. No cookies, chips or sweets and as many green things as possible, but beyond that, you’re lost. What’s spelt bread? Rice: good or bad? Low carbs, high protein — or is it the reverse? When it comes to healthy eating, there’s no shortage of motivation; quality information, or a lack thereof, is often the culprit.

Luckily, Marni Wasserman, holistic nutritionist, personal natural chef and longtime Bayview resident, is here to help.

Wasserman, 27, has been back in the neighbourhood for only a year. Before that she was earning her chef stripes at New York City’s Natural Gourmet Culinary Institution where the focus is on cooking for health.

That stint came after she graduated from Toronto’s Institute of Holistic Nutrition.

Now, back in her Bayview neighbourhood, she has set out to bring healthy habits to her hometown through her company, Delicious Knowledge.

“I do a whole food makeover for clients. I’ll go into their kitchen and change over all their ingredients and take out all the junk and make everything natural and teach people about eating whole foods,” she says.

(“Whole foods” are those items that are closest to nature, such as apples instead of apple juice, whole grains instead of refined flours and so on).

Wasserman also hosts cooking nights, where classes of four to eight gather at her place to learn about healthy cooking, socialize and chow down.

Each night features a different theme, such as alternative sugars or Mexican cuisine.

Eating right has been a focus for Wasserman since her days as a student at York Mills Collegiate. She always brought a nutritious lunch to school and was an active kid, she says. She was an “avid student” — who worked hard and studied hard — and was generally health-conscious.

With Delicious Knowledge, she’s bringing that perspective to a city in need, she says. For all of Toronto’s charms, the city and its restaurants fall behind other cities when it comes to sensible eating.

“New York is 10 times further ahead. Toronto is getting there, but there aren’t enough resources or enough stores for people who are interested in getting involved with this, and I’ve met quite a few people who wish there were more of that,” she says.