With the holiday season upon us, if you are still looking for an amazing Christmas gift idea for someone on your list look no further. Instead of buying another boring gift basket, give them a gift they will adore, by picking one of the gift experience options available from Breakaway Experiences.
Available in Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and parts of Atlantic Canada there is something for everyone in your list from flying in helicopters, dog sledding to relaxing days at the spa. Earlier this year I had the most fantastic birthday flying in a helicopter over downtown Ottawa for the first time with two of my friends by trying one of Breakaway Experiences, and without question, it was my best birthday ever!
The Upkeep Shoppe
Excited to try a new Breakaway Experiences gift experience I headed to The Upkeep Shoppe on Preston Street in Ottawa to try the manicure, pedicure, shoulder and neck gift package available at Breakaway Experiences. The modern nail salon and spa was a delightful, relaxing experience.
Before my appointment, I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the Upkeep Shoppe Natalie Esau, who is a talented and extremely friendly woman. Her spa which opened in 2012, is a modern gender neutral spa, unlike many spas that cater more for females, this spa’s decor will appeal to either gender with its streamlined modern decor.
The main level of the shop caters to manicures and pedicures, but the expansion upstairs has a brow bar, along with two treatment rooms for services such as waxing or a massage.
Ready for my appointment I had fun selecting the color for my nails from the huge wall of choices. I decided to go with a classic red, perfect for the holiday season.
One of the features that set this spa apart from other spas I’ve been to, is the Upkeep Shoppe advertises itself as a nail bar, skin care, and tea boutique and it is additional focus on tea that I found helped to enhance the relaxation. While having my pedicure I was able to try the Upkeeps own delicious apple crumble tea, which they sell in the shop to take home.
I’ve had the pleasure of trying a variety of different locations throughout Ottawa, but I can say The Upkeep provided me with the best pedicure experience I’ve had yet. Unlike other spas I’ve been to, the hour long pedicure included an amazing foot massage, along with having your feet wrapped in a soothing warm towel that just helped me to relax. While getting my pedicure done, I saw one woman drift off to sleep from becoming so relaxed.
I, find mani-pedi days are best shared with friends, as there is nothing like chatting with your best friends while taking the time to relax and pamper yourself. This time I went with my friend, and the staff at The Upkeep Shoppe impressed me when it came to her manicure as they helped her test out several combinations of colors and glitter before picking this black-tipped nails with silver glitter that I think is perfect for the holidays.
Available for sale there is a variety of The Upkeep Shoppe’s Naturopathica spa treatments that you can purchase to treat yourself over the holidays. For myself, I picked up a bottle of the red nail polish used on my nails, as I fell in love with the shade or red on my nails which matched my skin tone perfectly.
I consider the price of $90 for a manicure, pedicure and a neck and shoulder massage that gives someone 90 minutes of pampering to be an absolute steal. If you are still looking for a gift idea make sure to pick up with Manicure, Pedicure, Shoulder & Neck Massage package from The Upkeep Shoppe which you can buy as a gift card via Breakaway Experiences. I promise whomever you buy this gift for will be super relaxed after they leave the spa, I know I was!
Also available through Breakaway Experiences are two other spa gift packages from The Upkeep Shoppe, including a facial package and group packages for 6 people which include mani (pedi too if you wish) along with high tea. As the front room of The Upkeep Shoppe can comfortably have you and your 5 friends sit directly across from each other while getting a mani or pedi, it would make for such a fun day with friends, and I’m excited to gather up my friends to have a girls day in the future including high tea.