The Healthy Bug Natural Health Shoppe

Great staff, wonderful service, expert advice. They offer lots of vegan options and it is only going to grow. They offer lots of products you can’t find anywhere else in HRM at awesome prices. Lots of great vegan specialty items such as Dandies marshmallows, Coconut Bliss, Sol Cuisine meatless chick’n, local business Rawkin’ Cakes and Creations, cruelty-​free brands, supplements and much more.

This store is the closest natural products store to me, and has a great selection. The prices are on par with or lower than anything else you’d find in the store, and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable.
However, I am only giving this store three stars because they frequently allow vendors to have promotional staff set up tables inside the store. Not just one at a time, but several. The store honestly doesn’t have the space for that type of thing, and the promo people are always very aggressive. It is really annoying to pop in to quickly grab something and be inundated with people trying to sell you a different brand.
If I see they have the promo people there, I head to other natural products stores or come back at another time.

I definitely have to DISagree with the reviewer who said this store is «packed» with every product you can think of. I actually came here to write about how this is a pretty solid supplement store, but certainly lacking in terms of natural body care, cleaning supplies, etc.
YES, they do sell these things. But with minimal selection. Perhaps that’s because the owner curates the selection to only the best products. I’d like to believe that: that is a nice way to think of it.
Prices are pretty standard and certainly lower than the gougers at Super Natural in the Hydrostone.
I am not sure exactly how to describe my experience with the help/​service. So maybe a few stories will help.
The one time that i asked for assistance was a few months ago. The woman who helped me was knowledgeable enough, but didn’t seem to share my idea of appropriate boundaries. I felt that she was (because she WAS) sizing me up and blatantly judging my exterior appearance to come to the conclusion about what she could «tell» was ailing me.
I don’t care to give examples of what was said, but it would have really upset someone with a thinner skin. No idea what her qualifications are, but it definitely wasn’t appropriate.
Other times I’ve been here I’ve noticed the staff have very loud, opinionated (to put it mildly) conversations about health and wellness issues, sometimes with customers… and are perhaps not aware that there are other visiting customers in the store who may be offended or alienated by their views.
So, while I have reservations about the staff, I would recommend The Healthy Bug for a good supplement selection and some limited body/​home options.

This is one of my favorite health food stores, because the staff are highly knowledgeable. Lou Libratore is the owner & Go-​to guy. He knows more than any one I’ve met about supplements and nutraceuticals. I also like the feeling of not being «sold» something. They do not press me to buy something I might not need, but rather steer me in a sensible direction. I like the new layout and the location is convenient. The people there are down to earth, sensible and above all… the don’t pimp the highest priced stuff.

I visited this store for the first time this weekend. I had assumed from the storefront that it was basically a supplement shop. How wrong I was! This store is jam packed with not only supplements but also just about every other product you can think of.
I was having trouble finding a reasonably-​priced non-​dairy protein powder in Halifax; this was one of the last places I checked. Mike and I were greeted at the door by the owner. I showed him what I was looking for from their flyer and as it wasn’t in stock, he steered me towards a better product also on sale. The store was abuzz (no pun intended) with customers and this guy still made each person seem important; everyone was greeted, all questions answered, and a friendly good-​bye on the way out.
The clerk at the cash was also a well of information and also very friendly. Prices are what one would expect at a health store: more than the grocery stores, but far greater selection and so many products you can’t find anywhere else. I’ve just learned about the Mad Mondays; I know when I will be shopping there next!

I discovered the Healthy Bug a few years ago and have been going back ever since. I love the Mad Mondays discounts and I have always found the staff to be especially attentive and helpful. The owner Lou is always friendly and seems to be a wealth of health info. I would recommend the Healthy Bug to clients at my massage therapy business and i always have a stack of Healthy Bug cards to give them. Definitely a good store to get your supplements and advice in.

I love Salba!
No, Salba isn’t some religious leader I have become his disciple to or anything. Salba is a wonderful, amazing health food product that is sold at The Healthy Bug in Halifax! Other places sell it, but Healthy Bug has so many deals at their store including a 90 day money back guarantee policy, its hard to even think about shopping anywhere else.
This store really knows how to stand out as far as Health product stores go. They work on having new product lines, all geared towards healthy living and sell the same, time-​proven products that I want. Lets also not forget Mad Monday. Basically the first Monday out of every month, they offer 15% and higher off their products.
So yes, this place has deals. But their customer service is also really good. I wouldn’t say they are the best but definitely worth a star on their own. They know the product and are happy to talk to you about it.
The store itself is sort of in an area I like to refer to as purgatory. It isn’t close enough to the downtown area or to the residential area of Clayton Park. Its in between. But it is on a lot of bus routes and if you have a vehicle, its about a ten minute drive or less to get there from downtown.
I love this store, and if you are a health product fanatic like myself, this store will help keep that addiction going.