The SPA Day Retreat

This is one of only 2 of my favourite locations in all of the Ottawa area to get a pedicure. So much so that I am quite surprised that I have never written a review for it! Therefore it is with great pleasure that I introduce my 250^th review! The Spa Day Retreat offers a wide variety of services, and they are exceptional at delivering them.
For those of you who love history as much as I do, this stone building on Castlefrank has some great history behind it. It was originally built around 1824 for one William Hodgins, and nearly 90 years later, it was purchased by George Henry Sparks (in 1912). The Sparks family lived in it until 2001 when the Quest Academy purchased it to convert it to a school. During that process, the building was damaged by fire. (Don’t quote me on this, but it may be that this fire put Quest out of business.) A short while after that, The Spa purchased the site, and restored the building to its current state and its former glory. And they stayed true to the original design of the building by reproducing the interior millwork based on the 1920 period of the house. It’s truly a gorgeous building, inside and out!
Please note that the Spa Day Retreat has 2 other locations as well as this one: one on Richmond Road also in an old refurbished building, and the Spa holiday retreat in Jamaica! However, for those of us who can’t afford to hop on a plane and take a vacation, this location in Kanata is quite heavenly, and a very large and clean facility. The staff is polite and really knows their stuff. They offer you free tea or coffee during your treatment. They also offer manicures, massage, and hair salon treatments. You can spend a whole day here, and get lunch included. This would make a truly marvellous gift for that wonderful person in your life!
My favourite spa treatment is a pedicure with hot wax. It took me a very long time gather up the gumption to let anyone touch my feet, as I’m fairly sensitive and quite ticklish. I thought I’d never be able to have a pedicure done! However, I also suffer from very dry skin, especially on the heels of my feet. The treatment really takes care of that, and I will never again let my feet get as bad as they were. Having the nails painted afterwards is simply icing on the cake. In the end, my favourite part is having my feet massaged. I’m relaxing, just by thinking about that!
This is not the cheapest pedicure you will ever get, but in my humble opinion, you get what you pay for. I’ve been to the «laundromat”-type places, where it’s fast in and fast out, and way cheaper than this, and for those too, I say you get what you pay for. I may go to the spa for a pedicure 2 or 3 times a year, and I love it. I will most certainly be back.