A Touch Above Electrolysis & Esthetics

I’ve been coming to see Cathy for a year and a half now and she has been amazing at zapping the unwanted hairs from my face. I’m very particular with my eyebrows and Cathy listens to my concerns and is able to pull through.
The staff is very friendly and welcoming. I haven’t tried the other services yet but it sounds promising from the other reviews on here.

I love this place. So much so that I still go there years later even though I don’t live nearby. Usually when I visit, it’s for a brazilian with Emily. I like a combo of hard and soft wax because I’m a baby and this is WAYYY less painful.
Emily does a fantastic job and I love the atmosphere (and selection of gossip magazines)… Oh! And after 5 waxes you get a free one :)
Two thumbs way up!

So I go in for my very first brow clean up but I was still a bit nervous. However, when I walked in, I was immediately greeted by the homey atmosphere and the best part… not a lot of lace and pinkness! Definitely a place a guy can go to.
My esthetician was very patient with me and answered all my questions and addressed any concerns. The procedure was relatively painless and quick. I left there looking like a new man! I would highly recommend this spa and am now addicted to having well groomed brows.

Came here to get my eyebrows cleaned up. They are usually kinda bushy and I wanted them to look nice for a change.
Unfortunately, while the staff here were very nice, my eyebrows do not reflect that. At all. They were waxed unevenly, to the point where one looked about twice as big as the other. I mentioned this when the job was supposedly done, at which point I was told to lie back down and further repairs were completed. I got back up and looked in the mirror… they were still uneven. I told her this and so she tried once again. The third time I got up, they still didn’t look quite right but I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I figured maybe I was looking too closely, so I paid and left.
When I got home, my boyfriend started to compliment me on my eyebrows before stopping mid-​sentence to ask, «why is one of them shaped completely different than the other?»
At this point, I realized I should have trusted my own eyes. I thought I was paying an expert to do that for me, but I’m very sad to report that this was not the case. The fact that they were willing to let me leave the first time with my eyebrows looking absolutely ridiculous should’ve told me all I need to know about this place. If I hadn’t pointed it out to her, I would’ve left with one eyebrow being literally twice the size of the other. There is no way you can place your trust in someone like that.
The people here were very nice, but I will never go back. If you’re a guy looking to get his eyebrows done, you’re better off going anywhere but here.

I recently had a great experience with Emily. She was really fun and nicely explained the steps of the deep cleansing facial as she went. The results have been great and I’ll definitely be returning, maybe for a pedicure too!

Great place. Super cozy, very guy friendly and just a good place to be to relax and get whatever you need to get done without being in a super awkward ultra feminine environment.

I went there for the first time few days ago after looking on line for a pedicure in my neighborhood. I came in first to have a look and make the appointment. The girl at the front desk was very nice and smily.
Then it’s Stephanie who took care of my feet and for one hour she just did a really great job. My feet has been pampered like ever. It was a total relaxing time with slow music, quiet and cosy ambience…
I highly recommend this spot for a pedicure.

I’ve had a few things done here, but I’m giving them the 5 stars for their pedicures. This isn’t the assembly-​line variety pedicure you find at other places. For about $ 50 you get an hour dedicated to your feet! You get to be in a room by yourself, lying on a little bed, relaxing music playing, a foot soak, some scrubbing, massage, moisturizing, polish and voila! Perfect toes! Love it!

I love Touch Above. I started going here many years ago on the recommendation of a co-​worker. In the last couple of years I’ve been able to go more regularly, because I’m in a position to do so. The prices are reasonable for the services they offer, the facility is cozy; it feels like entering a warm, comfy haven… an escape from the real world. As for the services, I’ve had waxing done, including a Brazilian twice, what was I thinking!!! Seriously though, they did a good job. Also have had facials, manicures, pedicures, massage. It’s all good. Touch Above rocks!

I’ve been going here for about a year now and I definitely love this place. Though its in kind of a strange location, its worth going to and not too hard to find. I’ve gone here mainly for waxing and a manicure once. Emily usually does the waxing for me and she is really great, super helpful and knowledgeable. This is definitely one of my go to places and will be for a while.

I“m writing this review based on my experience today with a facial I had there. This is not the first time I have been here, having been there twice about 3 years earlier, for a mani or pedi. Each of my experiences fall between the 2-​star «Meh, I’ve experienced better» and 3-​star «A-​OK». I’ve err-​ed conservatively on the 2-​star rating.
Located inconspicuously in the South Cambie neighbourhood on Heather at W17th, A Touch Above is on the ground level of an apartment building. If you were walking by (and definitely driving by!), you’d be sure to miss the signs that a store actually resides here. Save some art-​deco type cartoons advertising a current special, you wouldn’t know it was a salon.
Once you arrive inside, you are greeted to a small but cozy waiting area, with some shelves full of products by Demalogica, Decleor, and Cell-​x (spelling?), among the ubiquitous O.P.I. nail colour vials you see in every salon.
I arrived 15 min early for my appointment, and was efficiently whisked away to the treatment room via a slight labyrinth of a hall (remember, this is an apartment building!). I had been there before, but since it had been a few years, my customer card had been discarded and, now that I think about it, I wasn’t really «assessed» for my facial prior to having one.
First up: back massage. They didn’t bother asking me to remove my necklace. Fine by me, but if you have a thing of protecting your jewelry, remove your necklace and earrings: you’ll get massage oil over them, and they won’t mention this unless you do.
I had a Deep Cleansing Facial, which is apparently supposed to utilize the Dermalogica MediBac system. Had I been asked to fill out some kind of skin care analysis review prior to my facial, perhaps it would have been useful for them to know that I’ve started using a topical antibiotic for my break-​out skin, containing benzoyl peroxide — which is apparently conflicting with salicylic acid used in much of the MediBac system.
My esthetician Alison (if she is an official esthetician… no confirmation on their website they only use certified estheticians), exchanged a few of the products she was going to use on me, hearing my 10-​second spiel on my skin hornonally breaking out and having to go get a facial based on «doctor’s orders».
Alison used mainly Dermalogica products, but did use a couple of Decleor products, namely the exfoliant and the moisturizer. She didn’t mention why she used them other than she likes them better. She, too, has oily skin, but she didn’t mention if she uses these products.
Skipping ahead to the samples I got at the end of the session, I only received Dermalogica MediBac samples, and no Decleor samples. I haven’t gone for a facial in years, but I assumed I would get some of the samples of the products I used, so I can see if my skin continues liking the results. Not in this case.
So, back to the treatment: it was alright. It was relaxing, for sure. My face was steamed, cleaned, massaged. Exfoliation was nice. As for the extraction: I thought she wasn’t so thorough. True, you could go to town, since she did say right away that my skin is congested, but as I felt she was wrapping up with the extraction, I decided to pipe up and mention the huge blackhead on my left cheek that is a noticeable mountain amongst my enlarged pores there. She attacked it for a while, not sure still if she managed to completely clear it, but with it being so large, I was really surprised she just about missed it!
My Decleor mask I had on for about 20 minutes. This was the only time I was left alone in the room. I don’t think my last facial at Spa at the Century did the esthetician leave me alone. I could be wrong, but I felt like I could have used some massage elsewhere, like a leg massage or something (don’t they do this as Skoah?)
I got a free brow shaping as part of their July special (book a facial, get a shaping). Since I had recently had my eyebrows threaded a couple of weeks ago, there wasn’t much to really wax off.
With having arrived early and having gone past closing time, my session was over 90 minutes long. Had I come on time, it should have only been 75 minutes. [Moral: head to spa early, and perhaps get extra time!]
I thought my last two experiences were «Meh». Add this third experience to that. They say on their website that they have what the downtown spas offer, without the price tag, being more affordable. At $ 80, it certainly is more affordable, but you definitely don’t get the white-​glove treatment that cost an extra $ 40+ downtown. If they did a proper skin assessment prior to their treatment, and adjust their services to reflect this (I just didn’t felt that my skin was given enough individualized attention), then the $ 80 is good value. But each facial should be assessed, regardless of price.
If I were in a pinch, I’d go back. Otherwise, I’m planning on hitting up a few other spas.