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Float rooms, spas, barbers and suits
make men marvellous by LUCAS AyKROyD
Vancouver regularly produces superstar heartthrobs like
Ryan Reynolds, Jason Priestley and Michael Bublé, and
that makes other men in this city aspire to look and feel
their very best. Fortunately, manly pampering options
abound downtown.
Feeling stressed from your latest corporate merger or
the eternal gong show that is your favourite pro sports
team? Head to Pure Float, a utopian sanctuary steps from
Vancouver’s business district. Choose from five private
float rooms and lie back in a deliciously warm and buoy-
ant Epsom salt bath beneath a starlit ceiling. (Floating
neckpads and earplugs may enhance the relaxation for
dudes more used to headbanging to Metallica.) An hour-
long treatment whisks by like a shapely, spandex-clad
jogger on the Stanley Park Seawall. Combine this with
a 30-minute Neurospa session in an enclosed, vibrating
recliner, and you’ll emerge both cleaner and wiser:
“I Zenned out pretty good there, bro.”
With your mental game in order, enjoy the Absolute
Man package at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver’s luxurious
Absolute Spa to get your body up to speed. This four-hour
odyssey can make a 42-year-old sage feel like a 32-year-old
stud all over again. The signature massage with white-
grapefruit lotion loosens up those residual knots from your
recent half-marathon, followed by a soothing, hydrating
facial. Watch hockey highlights on TV while getting your
pedicure on, and then man up for an expert manicure. In
the spacious, tranquil lounge, nosh on banana bread and
mango yogurt between treatments. Notably masculine spa
patrons include Ben Affleck, Chris Rock, and NHL scoring
champion Daniel Sedin.
At the Man Cave Barbershop, the Royal Treatment pack-
age includes a customized haircut, shave, shampoo and
styling. This converted Yaletown warehouse space has a
testosterone-friendly ambience of black leather couches,
vintage sports-car photos, and old-school Eminem and
Pharrell Williams tunes. No appointments required —
just slide into one of the 10 available chairs. “We use good
old barbering methods,” says manager Eddie Herbert,
pointing out high-end Edwin Jagger and Truefitt &
Hill products for sale. Soccer stars from the Vancouver
Whitecaps frequent the Man Cave, and bachelor parties
here are a can-do proposition.
To wrap up your total package, Leone offers custom-
tailored suits for savvy sirs. Celebrating its 30th anniversary
in 2017, this locally owned, 25,000-square-foot (2,232-square-
metre) clothing boutique and its service-oriented staff will
help you make the tough decisions: Armani, Dior or Versace?
Sip a cappuccino from the in-house coffee bar as you prepare
to rival Ryan, Jason and Michael with your sartorial style.
The great English writer Samuel Johnson wrote, “When a
man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” Surely he meant
“Vancouver,” because it’s a great lifestyle for men out here.
If You Go Pure float 1197 Howe St. 604-559-3999. purefloat.ca Absolute Spa 900 W. Georgia St. 604-684-2772. absolutespa.com
Man Cave Barbershop 1018 Mainland St. 778-379-3365. mancavebarbershop.ca Leone 757 W. Hastings St. 604-683-1133. leone.ca
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