Let me introduce the Elizabeth Milan Spa

If the Royal York Hotel is an opulent playground for celebrities, the Elizabeth Milan Spa is their time-out. And I have a motto when traveling. If a spa is good enough for hotel guests like Oprah and Arianna Huffington, it's good enough for me.

During a recent trip to Toronto, I visited the Elizabeth MilanFairmont Royal York Spa. It's a small, boutique day-spa adjacent to the hotel, perfect for an afternoon refresher after a morning of shopping and before an evening of dancing. It might surprise you that a hotel as large as the Royal York doesn't have spa like the Scottsdale Princess, but that's actually what I love most about it. Small, intimate and the perfect getaway.

Tiara-worthy spa treatments...

Tiara-worthy spa treatmentsVisiting spas around the US and Canada, I've learned nothing defines the imagination of a spa as much as a custom-designed treatment. At the Royal York, my choice was obvious - the Royal Rose Dream. I have to admit, knowing the hotel reserves an entire suite for the Queen of England, I was more than a little intrigued to experience a spa treatment that suggested the same. Would I too feel like donning a tiara afterward...

A rose by any other name...

Scents awaken powerful emotions in all of us. For me, eucalyptus reminds me of my grandfather and his amazing hugs, lavender of rainy Sunday afternoons spent curled in my favorite reading chair and roses of being 17 and dressing in my first strapless gown. When I choose a spa treatment, I'm guided by an inner, highly emotional compass that defies logic.

Following that compass has never steered me wrong.

Along with our emotional responses to scent, many scents Eucalyptus, heal me...also have powerful medicinal qualities. For example, eucalyptus is a natural antiseptic and has been used to speed the healing of respiratory ailments while lavender is known for its sedative properties. Many people delegate the glorious rose to bouquets, but its medicinal properties run deep. Roses have been known to reduce depression, curb anxiety and can help temper inflammation. Taken internally, they're good for the liver, gall bladder and stomach. And, of course, a powerful aphrodisiac...

But what intrigued me about roses is that they may be the embodiment of the mythical fountain of youth we're all searching for. By contracting the blood vessels, rose oil tones and lifts the skin - and it's highly moisturizing. Rose oil is often used in pregnancy creams and scar-reducing creams to aide in the reduction of stretch marks, surgery and acne scars. What's more, it's leaves the skin and hair shiny.

Royal Rose Dream

The Royal Rose Dream treatment is a decadent 80 minutes long and includes a 20 minute soak in a whirlpool tub swirling with rose petals. It begins with a body scrub and wrap to Elizabeth's Royal Rose Treatmentraise the body temperature and help with natural detoxification. While cocooned, a mini facial and scalp massage release any remaining tension - I found it hard to stay awake during this part. The luxurious soak is followed by a full body rose cream application.

To say I had no coherent thoughts left in my head afterward would be an gross understatement.

For more information, please visit the Elizabeth Milan Spa or call them at: 416-350-7500. To read about other spas GoGirlfriend has visited, visit our Spa section.

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