4 Chic & Unique “Friend Date” Experiences In Toronto

Looking for something cool to do in Toronto? We’ve rounded up chic and unique experiences for an unforgettable “friend date” that will have you posing and posting to lock in and share the memories. —Lauren Walker-Lee

An Elevated Piercing Experience @ The Blumz

The recently opened Blumz House of Fine Jewelry and Piercings on King Street West is a gorgeous piercing studio and jewellery boutique that is more luxe suite than piercing parlour. With piercing parties and highly stylized multiple pierced ears taking adornment to a whole new level in recent years, co-founder Anna Blum along with her husband Ion saw a gap in the market for an elevated experience to not only feature fine jewellery for piercing but a retail boutique selling lines like Anzie, Maria Tash and Anita Ko, for further shopping. “Just like our studio name, we wanted to offer a blooming and elevated experience combining fine jewelry and piercings. Buying jewelry for your piercings can be frustrating as most places don’t understand the anatomy of the body and will just sell a creation that only looks good but doesn’t quite work with your own piercing,” says pro piercer Anna. The Blumz believes that elegance is a journey and jewelry has an intimate and sentimental connection with the body that wears it.

The days of the sterile stainless-steel piercings have made way for the stunning and sparkly options available today. Allowing guests to leave with a perfectly placed “ear party” from the get go, all while in the surrounds of an luxurious designed and inviting space you wont want to leave. The Blumz offers an unrivalled experience if you’re looking for something unique to do with friends; and if piercing is not your thing they also offer permanent bracelets and ear styling sessions if you’re simply looking to update your look or shop necklaces, rings, and bracelets brands sourced worldwide. 343 King Street West, Toronto

Luxe Candle-Making @ Kandl Artistique

This is not your kitchen table crafting set up. Kandl Artistique has created the most perfect candle creation experience in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Complete with drinks and charcuterie for a fantastic date night or friends get together. The Lab at Kandl pulls out all the stops in a beautiful setting complete with a bar serving wine and an extensive tea list and other soft drinks. With a few session types on offer, you will have a full candle creation experience within 90 minutes. The session includes an education on scent and the creation of a fully customizable candle. Guests choose a vessel, and combine their favourite fragrance notes to assemble a custom fragrance complete with personalized name and label for your candle. Manager Louise walked us through the scent selection process combining, top, middle, and base notes to create the custom piece that we would go home with. The scent families include varieties like warm and earthy to fresh and clean with lots to choose from in between. This is a winning combination of chemistry and style, resulting in a truly fun and elevated experience for those looking to do something memorable with friends.

Various parties and events have been celebrated in the lab from date night, to team building and bachelorette parties. The room holds 12 people and Kandl is also available for off-site sessions if you wanted to book a an experience in your own space. Their retail offering is also chic featuring brands like Byredo, Dyptique and Boy Smells that you can smell and shop on your way out the door. 88 Avenue Road, Toronto

Go Permanent With Friendship Bracelets 2.0

Mark any occasion with a little spark of a permanent bracelet. The quick and effortless permanent bracelet experience is a totally unique way to celebrate friendship and less permanent than a tattoo. From its origins at the uber hip Cat Bird in Brooklyn, these infinity bracelets caught on quickly as it’s not everyday you get welded via a delicate machine creating a dainty bracelet sans clasp. These sparkles of permanence have made their way to the wrists of celebs like Jasmine Tookes, and Emma Roberts amongst many others, and eliminate the pesky problem of trying to clasp your own bracelet with your wrong hand. The delicate chains are measured to fit you perfectly, and  then are affixed permanently to help in creating the perfect wrist stack. Chains come in a variety of styles and weights from gold, rose gold and sterling silver to create something unique to you that won’t fall off. The chains used are delicate enough for the welding process which is a quick painless zap and nothing to shy away from.

Jewelry designer Leah Alexandra created her boutique and Spark Studio in Vancouver before opening her Toronto location at the Shangri -la Hotel on University Avenues. Her 14k gold or sterling silver chains are fastened via a delicate flash of a micro laser to create a permanent seal, welding a chain around you with just a quick zap offering a permanent weightless shimmer to be with you always.  If you are on the west side of Toronto, Melanie Auld on Ossington offers permanent bracelet appointments as does Gemlet with locations in the Greater Toronto Area.

Mobile Facials Straight To Your Door With Faceology Spa

Faceology’s facial bar on wheels is the ultimate in treating oneself.  This pioneering enterprise from founders Tina Griffin and Aaryn McInnes-Riccadonna, embraces a new era of wellness transforming the traditional facial experience. With an innovative mobile model, Faceology Spa has created a sophisticated, convenient, and uniquely personalized spa journey delivered directly to your doorstep. “From our tranquil oasis, we promise a unique, elevated experience delivering spa quality services with a personalized touch, right to your door,” says Tina.

The pair have created an aesthetics service to suit the needs of those looking for efficiency and efficacy, engaging busy individuals anywhere from the workplace to personal residences. Offering upmarket vegan skincare products from Verso and Colour Science, the treatment menu also doesn’t skimp when it comes to the offered services with micro-needling, peels and microdermabrasion all available. Plus guests can benefit from the added convenience of a membership plan for regular skin health. The mobile spa has also made its way to golf courses, Muskoka cottages, retirement communities, and corporate events. Meeting clients at their preferred location where up to two expert aestheticians, skilled in delivering a curated suite of 10 luxury treatments, arrive in this Nordic-style mobile spa to create a tranquil haven.

As part of the brand ethos Faceology promotes collaboration and community, curating event experiences for groups that include anything from securing cupcakes to a nurse practitioner for injectables, and supporting local small business’ whenever they can. Faceology is often the star of the show at friend get togethers, where guests take turns socializing inside their homes and getting pampered out in the sprinter van. If accessibility is a priority the services can be completed inside the location for a tailored and flexible experience if needed. Serving the GTA and beyond.