Clarins Skin Spa: No Pain and Much Gain, Toronto

Clarins Canada Skin Spa, which opened a little more than a year ago in Toronto, is a sleek red-and-white emporium where treatments given in luxe comfort can painlessly turn back the clock. Forget those excruciating extractions associated with most facials, the face (and body) treatments here are marked simply by a feathery, light, signature massage, paired with gorgeous, botanical Clarins products.

“Estheticians undergo rigorous in-house training, the most important of which is the 80 hand movements developed by Paris founder Jacques Courtin-Clarins,� explains Regine Perron, the company’s coordinator/national trainer.

Originally a medical student, Courtin-Clarins switched to physiotherapy after the second World War and developed a massage technique that helped circulation problems by improving blood flow and lymphatic drainage systems — an added bonus was the resulting glowing, healthy skin.

His skin treatment institute eventually evolved into one of France’s biggest cosmetic companies, plus a handful of exclusive day spas around the world.

Clarins Skin Spa, Toronto.
T: 416.924.9124.