8 Experiential Gifts to Give the Beauty Treatment Lover in Your Life

If you’re currently tasked with finding the perfect gift for a beauty-lover in your life but don’t want to go the traditional route and buy them a gift set of skincare, makeup, haircare or nail products, you’ve come to the right place.

Experiences and treatments are a great gift-giving option, as they provide more opportunity for customization and personalization, allowing your loved one to choose the type of treatment or experience they’d most enjoy.

Continue reading for our picks of the best beauty experiences to gift this holiday season.

Lip Lab

A forever hit, Lip Lab provides customers with the opportunity to create their very own custom lipstick shade. With a just-opened second location in Toronto (you can now visit the Queen West location or the new Distillery District location), gift your beauty-loving bestie a chance to meet with a professional trained Colour Artist who will walk them through a truly collaborative journey. It begins with a one-on-one consultation to discuss personal style, preferred shades, and the desired finish—matte, satin or gloss. Finally, participants can select a scent and even name and engrave their creation.

The Ten Spot

Earlier this year, everyone’s fave multi-service beauty bar The Ten Spot added skincare treatments—such as peels, dermaplaning, and customized traditional facials—to their menu at all 45+ locations across Canada and the US. All facial treatments use professional sonic technology and professional products from Dermalogica. The best part? They all require no down time! A perfect gift, if we do say so ourselves.

Village Wellness Spa

Located in Mississauga, Village Wellness Spa celebrated its 35th anniversary this year and it’s easy to see why it’s a long-standing favourite. Offering a tranquil and luxe atmosphere, each client receives a personalized experience. What makes this a perfect gift is the range of services offered at the spa, from multiple types of facials to manicures and pedicures, to lash lifts and tints. Get your beauty bestie over to Village Wellness Spa — stat.

Three Ships

If plant-based, natural skincare is the name of your beauty bestie’s game, look no further than gifting them a Three Ships facial at The Detox Market. Our pick is the Custom Glow Facial featuring a sonic vibrations cleanse followed by a treatment mask and stress-dissolving neck massage.

Bota Bota

If your bestie is located in Montreal, you must give them the opportunity to visit Bota Bota, a unique river spa. Located on a ship anchored in the Old Port of Montreal, Bota Bota offers its passengers the healing benefits of a spa while simultaneously being peacefully lulled by the natural movement of the St. Lawrence River. Even cooler is the fact that the spa uses geothermal-type energy to heat and cool its indoor space and thermal baths. The energy is extracted directly from the St. Lawrence River, so it’s eco-friendly and renewable. We’re truly living in the future.

Stillwater Spa at Park Hyatt

Looking to gift a full day of wellness? Why not a spa staycation at Toronto’s Park Hyatt? Located in Yorkville, the hotel’s Stillwater Spa was recently re-designed by world-renowned creative Alessandro Munge for a landscape that draws inspiration from Canada’s changing seasons. Amenities include an aromatic steam room and sauna, and treatments range from full-body massages to manicures. Afterward, enjoy a deluxe afternoon tea experience at the hotel’s Joni restaurant. Even if you’re not staying the night, you’ll leave feeling thoroughly pampered.

Trove Wellness

Kombucha on tap, a serene salt cave, IV therapy — if your bestie loves the finer things in the wellness world, Trove is the place to take them. Drawing from experiences of burnout, founders Zoë Paliare and Tanya Kololian left their corporate jobs to establish this calming oasis amid the chaos of living in a city. From Reiki sessions to sound baths to a facial that will leave your whole body feeling rejuvenated, Trove — located in the heart of Toronto’s Fashion District — is focused on holistic healing, starting with its futuristic design.

Tonic Spa

If the friend you’re shopping for happens to be a fitness enthusiast, Sweat and Tonic’s Sonic Spa at The Well in Toronto is the perfect experience to gift them. Tucked away across from HIIT, ride and pilates studios, the 10,000-square-foot space is a wellness retreat hidden in plain sight. Think: a pool deck with a saltwater lap pool, a hot and cold therapy suite and 12 high-tech rooms where you can get massages, red light therapy and facials. Best of all? You can hit a cult-favourite workout class afterward.