In the waters with … three generations of women

One of our Spa Directors, Nikki, took the waters with her mother-in-law Carmel and her grandmother-in-law Nanny Mae, and asked them to share a few pearls of wisdom. Here is what three generations of women had to say about life, children and getting older …

Nikki & Nanny Mae

What do you love about being a mother? 

Carmel: Being able to be supportive to my children when they need it the most. I love knowing that they will always need me, even if it is just short spurts now and then.

Nanny Mae: I love that no matter how old my children get, they still treat me like a Queen; they mind their manners when they are around me always. I guess that comes from good parenting!

What did you find challenging about being a mother?

Carmel: Balancing their busy schedules as they grew up. It was very hard making sure all three children made it to all of their activities, and that I was able to be involved in all of them.

Nanny Mae: Having six children growing up under one roof with one bathroom!

What was something great and unexpected you discovered about being a mother?

Nanny Mae: I was really good at it. My kids have all grown up to be amazing, smart and accomplished individuals. I couldn’t be more proud.

How do you stay balanced with life, career, family, friends & health?

Carmel: Well, now that I’m retired the career part is real easy! I was a phys-ed teacher so I was lucky to have exercise as a part of my everyday routine. My family and friends have always come first, so I’m glad that I have even more time to spend with them.

Nikki: I keep a pretty repetitive schedule. It’s the only way I can fit it all in. Tuesday to Saturday is for body blitz, Saturday nights are for friends, Sundays are for family and Monday is for me.

What’s your favourite indulgence? 

Carmel: A great book with a big glass of wine. 

Nanny Mae: Traveling as often as I can. I enjoy it so much.

Nikki: Combining both Carmel’s and Nanny’s favourites.

Proudest accomplishment?

Nanny Mae: My kids, and their kids and hopefully soon, their kids too!

Who is your role model or mentor?

Carmel:  My mother of course. She was able to bring me, as well as my five siblings, up in the tiniest of homes and keep us all in line along the way.

The lessons I keep learning over and over again are …

Nikki: Moms are always right. They have the best intuition and know exactly what to say when you need to hear it.

My mom was right about …

Carmel: The importance of family. When growing up you feel like you are being dragged along to every birthday party/anniversary/celebration and although we always have fun once we arrive, we’d kick and scream before. Now, I can’t wait to celebrate the next big event; I really cherish each and every one of them.

What is the best thing about getting older?

Nikki: Feeling confident about the decisions I make every day.

Carmel: Having more free time. I am able to try new things that I would not have had the time to do when I was working full time. I now do yoga, and I’m on a curling team!

Nanny Mae: Senior Discounts! 

Tell us about your first experience with body blitz?

Carmel: My first experience at body blitz was wonderfully relaxing. I was hesitant about the waters and didn’t give myself enough time in advance to use them as it was all new to me. I was sure to make the most of the waters afterwards with the encouragement of my therapist. I have never had a better night’s sleep.

Nanny Mae: Carmel bought me a lovely gift certificate for the face and scalp treatment. When she came to pick me up for the day, she told me to make sure I had my bathing suit and to get ready to relax. I just loved the entire experience. My therapist was gentle and caring with me. I especially enjoyed when she massaged my calves during the treatment.  

Winner of 'the worst date ever' contest ...

Many congratulations to Dennie Theodore for sharing her 'worst date ever' story with us and winning a 90 minute the works treatment at body blitz. We hope she will be able to scrub away the memory of this date!
Be warned, if you have a fear of clowns, do not read any further ...

"Honestly – many times the dating experience is, basically, awful and horrible. I have dated where it has worked out… a guy caught my eye and we would go on to a lovely relationship. But this is the story of how once I dated a guy who hadn’t caught my eye. I didn’t know what he looked like because I’d met him at a kid’s party. He was the clown my friend had hired to entertain the kids. Big baggy colourful suit and a red nose. Nice enough. Seemed intelligent as we stood by my friend’s sink talking about life. He asked me to meet him for lunch so I did.

It’s not worth the risk sometimes because… EEEUUUWWWWWWWwww! He simply wasn’t fit for female company.

He happily told me his mother’s dream was to see him “out of debt before she dies” (she’s 88). He was incredibly touchy feely throughout our first and only lunch, especially on my legs and basically all of me - though he called it “affectionate”. The entire date was a 45 minute grope. Because that is exactly how long I could stand it.

And the worst part is he looked better as a clown. I wanted him to go home and put on the suit. It would’ve been less embarrassing! He fell madly in love with me and still tries to call occasionally - usually at midnight. If you want to call me, ring twice, hang up and ring back. Or I might not answer the phone."

Dennie Theodore

sharing the blitz ~ teenagers

Toni, who worked at our head office, gave her daughter our face products to help with her acne. It worked wonders on her skin and her morale. So we decided to do a test on a few teenagers and here is what their mother’s had to say…. 

“When my daughter was 13 her skin changed and she would break out consistently with pimples, they were quite red and angry looking.  We tried other products, both drug store and aesthetician recommended, and they had no effect.  After a few days on the body blitz exfoliating face wash there was a noticeable difference.  She can still have the occasional breakout but for the most part her skin looks clear, clean and lovely.  She is almost 15 now and is a daily user of the face wash, toner and moisturizer.” Janet

“My son has battled severe acne since the onset of puberty, and no skincare system had brought relief. While antibiotics and creams prescribed by a dermatologist healed the acne, they had unwelcome side-effects such as headaches and dryness. In the end, my son preferred to live with the acne rather than endure these side-effects. Through a friend, he was introduced to body blitz skincare products at age 21. Within weeks his complexion was transformed – clear, healthy and glowing. A year later, he still has occasional stress-related breakouts, but overall his skin looks great! There is no doubt that healthy skin gives him added confidence in social, school and work environments.”  Timolin

“My daughter began a struggle with acne from about 10 years old.  It is a heartbreaking journey for a mother to travel with her daughter.  I watched my girl suffer through painful eruptions, over her entire torso and face, along with the emotional trauma associated with the problem.   We tried all of the well-known skin care systems widely advertised and commonly used, experienced endless trips to the dermatologist, multiple medications, skin peels, diet changes.  Nothing offered relief.  When my daughter saw my body blitz skin care products she began using them, mostly because she liked the scent.  Within moments the inflammation and pain she felt was relieved and within 2 weeks her facial acne was drastically reduced.  She began experimenting with it on the rest of her body and we were both amazed as we watched her acne virtually disappear with her continued use of the products.  Now, after 7 years of traveling the acne road, my daughter’s skin is clear and fresh.  Yes, she still has stress related eruptions (don’t we all?), but the body blitz product continues to address the pain/inflammation associated with these and her acne is at last conquered.  Now if only body blitz could develop a product that will address the eruption of clothes on the floor in her room!”  Toni

Spa adventures

On our travels around the world sampling different kinds of spas, we have experienced all sorts of wonderful treatments but there have been a few unusual ones. We took the best from our experiences and created body blitz. The rest we left behind …

1. Whipped with oak leaves in a Russian Banya.

2. Pressure washed with a hose in Germany.

3. Thrown in snow from a sauna in Quebec. 

4. Scrubbed everywhere (and I mean everywhere!) on a stone slab in a Korean bathhouse.

5. Massaged by a nude woman in a shvitz while her large breasts slapped against our face.

6. Covered in oil and hair pulled (on the head and elsewhere) on a wooden table in India.

7. Getting a pedicure with flesh eating fish in South East Asia.

8. Massaged by a woman with hands like sandpaper, karate chopped in the neck, slapped by a towel, told the massage was over and to get off the table in a state owned spa in Eastern Europe.

Do you have any funny or bizarre spa experiences you would like to share?  If so, email, tweet or facebook us your story and we will choose a couple to highlight in our spa next month.

                                                                                                                                         blitz home

In the waters with...Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski

We sat down with our favourite publicist Debra Goldblatt-Sadowski, owner of rock-it promotions, (www.rockitpromo.com), and talked to her about work, love and loss…

1. When did you and your husband first meet?

We met in spring 2004. He hired me to do PR for a theatre show he wrote and was acting in. I broke my rule of not dating any clients for him. Turned out to be a good decision.

2. What do you think is the secret to a great relationship?

I don’t think there is one secret ingredient. I think you must, and this is a must, be on the same page with parenting if you choose to have a family together. We are really a team when it comes to our daughter and have rarely, if ever, disagreed when it comes to decisions surrounding her well-being and choices regarding her life. Other than that, I think you must have trust and honesty.

  

I also still think, after eight years, that he is the biggest babe in the room. I still get swept off my feet when he kisses me, he has the dreamiest blue eyes, is the best daddy, funniest person I know and even when we fight, I know I could never live without him in my life. It sounds so cliché, but he really is my prince charming.

3. What is the nicest thing you have done for each other?

There isn’t one ‘nicest’ thing that I can think of. We do things for each other all the time. There are materialistic gifts and trips that definitely have been really nice, but sometimes it’s him replacing the hard-to-find light bulbs under the kitchen counter that makes me reallllly happy. It really is the little things that count most of the time.

4. What is your career and what do you love most about it?

I own and operate a boutique public relations firm called rock-it promotions, inc. There are so many things I love about it. I get to work with really, really cool clients (like Body Blitz!), as well as work with an incredible team around me. It’s true what they say, find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.

5. Top 3 pieces of advice you would give to other women?

Always have somebody in your life who has your back and make sure you always have theirs.

Don’t lie – it will haunt you even if you never get caught.

Striving for perfection leads to misery, so stop it. You’re beautiful.

6. What is your favourite part of body blitz?

I love the Dead Sea salt water pool and the sauna the best. I get so relaxed, my mind gets mushy.

7. What’s your favourite indulgence?

Vodka martini with three big olives.

8. Proudest accomplishment?

Ask any mother and she will say her child. I also feel pretty damn proud of owning and operating a successful company for 13 years.

9. Early bird or night owl?

Night owl.

 10. If you could have lunch with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be and why?

That’s easy - my mama. I lost her to cancer many years ago. What I wouldn’t give to have lunch with her. Remember to love your parents. It hurts like hell when they are gone. 

To check out what the press are saying about body blitz, click here!                

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body blitz east opening Monday November 12th!

The body blitz team at 497 King St. East

with thanks ...

It was seven years ago this month when we first opened the doors to body blitz ~ health by water and introduced the concept of therapeutic waters to women in Toronto. It took a little time, but women eventually embraced the concept of social bathing and spread the word. Now we are thrilled to announce the opening of our second body blitz location on Monday November 12th! We have so many people to thank. First of all we want to thank you for your patience while we built body blitz east. It has taken us a little longer than we planned but it will be worth the wait.  We are excited to share it with you and to offer a convenient east end location. 

There has been a team of us working together over the past 10 months to make sure body blitz east has the same look, feel and high standard as body blitz west. A big thank you to our architect, designer, contractor and all the trades and crafts people who worked diligently to make this happen. 

When you visit us at body blitz east, you will see that it has the same warm atmosphere with our curved wall, boardwalk, stone waterfall, and other natural elements, retail area, juice bar and of course our water circuit – Dead Sea salt pool, cold plunge pool, hot Epsom salt pool, infrared sauna and aromatherapy steam room.  The entire second floor will be reserved exclusively for 20 treatment rooms for therapeutic massage and body treatments. 

We have made it easy for you to enjoy both spas - you will be able to use your membership, waters card, scrub card and gift certificate at either spa. We will also have the same hours and discounts at both locations.

We would like to give a special thank you to our Spa Director Sara deRuiter and the team at body blitz for all their hard work in putting together so many things and dealing with the myriad of details necessary in opening a second location. They continue to do an amazing job and they do it with grace and humour.              

Finally our biggest thanks goes back to you, our clients, for your loyalty, for your overwhelming support and for being a part of the body blitz community. We could not have done this without you!

Laura & Rena Polley

Owners body blitz spa

Body Blitz East Countdown Contest Winners!

We have been overwhelmed by the amazing response to our countdown contest for the opening of our Body Blitz East location.  We thought we would share our favourite responses!

Contest Q #1 Winner is Jill Bentley, this was her answer to our question of who she loves to get blitzed with:
"My Grandmother all the way. She is over 85 and an inspiration to every person and woman I know. She had 8 kids that she raised on her own for long periods of time because my Grandpa was away during WWII. At her age she is healthy as a horse and has a zest for life that one rarely sees in younger people these days. She had knee replacement surgery because the old ones "were slowing her down". If anyone deserves a day of being pampered, it's her!"

Contest Q #2 Winner is Rivanna Stuhler and this is what she had to say about her most memorable experience at BB:
”My first visit: a complete and utter revelation. Having just moved back to Toronto I was miserable and despondent. A friend suggested a bit of Blitz, and suddenly life looked pretty great.”

Contest Q #3 Winner is Tara Sachs and this is what she had to say about her favourite treatment at body blitz:
"a million bucks wishes it felt like me after the Morrocan Spice Body Glow. So relaxed, super soft and smelling good."

Contest Q #4 Winner is Catherine Everett and this is what she had to say about what she celebrated with us at body blitz :
"Body Blitz has amazing powers you know...I was undergoing fertility treatments and, in order to keep positive about life and my body, I promised myself that if I got a negative test, I would treat myself to an aromatherapy massage and a good soak in the waters. In April, after a few neg. home tests and while waiting for the results from my clinic, I had one of those massages. Later that day I got a (faintly) positive test!! I'm now over 5 months pregnant with my first baby!! Thanks BB for helping me stay happy, healthy and relaxed!!"

Contest Q #5 Winner is Veronica Barton and this is what she had to say about what she left behind after getting blitzed :
"My bra in the change room. The massage was so relaxing that it completely wiped away my memory of what I wore to the spa. Luckily the staff asked if the bra was mine so it wasn't lost. Phew."

Contest Q #6 Winner is Amanda Higgins and this is what she had to say about her favorite thing about body blitz:
"My fav things are the staff... from the moment I step inside I feel the friendliness exuding from the always smiling front desk staff, to the greetings, and always present at the right moment of the staff around the facility and the amazing job they do keeping the place clean, to the therapists, and managers who remember me and enquire how I am doing... They are the best things because they all make the experience amazing and make me feel at home"

Contest Q #7 Winner is Barbara Eddy-Holloway and this is what she had to say about what she loves to do post-blitz:
"My favorite thing to do post Blitz is to go home to my three children feeling refreshed, renewed and able to be the mother I really want to be. Thank you Body Blitz for creating a place that lets me fully sink into being me." Congrats!

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