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Arvella’s Spatique offers quality spa, makeover services in Hockley Village

February 22, 2024   ·   4 Comments

By Constance Scrafield

Arvella Giesbrecht, founder and owner of Arvella’s Spatique in Hockley Village, claims for sure that their regulars saw the business through the tough times of COVID-19. As a combination of “the relationship between us and our clients and the quality of the services we offer.

“This is a private atmosphere,” she commented. “It’s their space when they’re here.”

In fact, the “Magnificent hair dresser, Salon Shae-Lynn,” as she said, “started in during Covid. We were really intermittent and made the most of what we could when we were allowed to be open.”

Salon Shae-Lynn is receiving a stream of praise online for her beautiful work in the Spatique.

Arvella’s Spatique has undergone some changes since COVID-19. There are no more massage therapists, nor body wraps, but she is happy to report, “it works well, with manicures, treatment for brows, lash and facials.”

This is a cozy and inviting space. She has streamlined it for the best for her clients, whom she regards as friends. Treatments are offered for the head, hands and feet, giving massages on heads and feet, and hot towel massages on the arms.

For all the services at the Spatique, Ms. Giesbrecht told us she has had very good feedback. Male clients come regularly too for manicures and pedicures. They are more than welcome.

“One person moved to Toronto,” she related, “but she still comes back because she says I’m the best. So does another who comes from Kitchener.”

Do things properly and it makes people happy, is the recipe. Coming to a spa is a matter of taking care of yourself. 

Ms. Giesbrecht has been working in the area, in different locations for 25 years. She came to Hockley from St. Thomas to join Dave and start a family and stay with him and their boys.

New to the area, she began building a clientele, saying, “You do what you have to, until you can do what you want. So, I had many little jobs.”

There have been developments in Ms. Giesbrecht’s professional life. As an

Educator for OPI Brand, one of the most well-known nail products, she travels to different towns. Thrilled to get the position with OPI she informed us it is a product “right up there at the top.”

In her travels for OPI, she introduces the new lines each season, meaning four times a year, showing new colours within the year. OPI is specific to different polishes and a nail enhancement treatment, taking nails “from no nails to long stiletto.”

“I’m trying to organize my schedule in the spa from Wednesday to Friday,” she explained, “I bounce with how I need to be here and travel.”

New as well is Seint, an “amazing, revolutionary, innovative makeup,” which comes on one magnet palette that has it all. 

This new pallet carries everything you use in makeup for a makeup design. Being a cream assures it is “very mature skin friendly” and versatile, whether full or sheer.

A lot of her guidance for makeup design is virtual. People send her a selfie; she does the colour tones and they order online. Some do this online buying. 

“I’m blessed that I have the spa so I can show them how to use it,” she said.

As a business owner for this new product, she is called a Seint artist, of which there are currently only 3,000 artists in Canada and only 30,000 in all of North America.

Ms. Giesbrecht praised the line, “Superior few ingredients and maximum high quality listed on everything. There are no unregulated claims.”

The convenience of the one palette makes it good for travel because it’s also a solid cream.

Additional to Salon Shae-Lynn and Arvella Giesbrecht herself is Christina Barrett, H.D. a Homeopathy doctor.

As explanation, Dr. Barrett’s website says, “Homeopathy says your body, mind and spirit are all connected and when one is out of balance your body will try to tell you what you need to bring balance back to the system.

 “So my job is to help bring balance.”

Talking about the Spatique and Hockley Village, she said, “What I like is the people in the area, the camaraderie; what we work off is referrals. A lot of my appointments are virtual. Here, we all support each other as a little family, a group of female entrepreneurs.”

Commenting on the excellence of Ms. Giesbrecht’s work, she added, “’I used to come from Hamilton to get my manicure.” 

Dr. Barrett noted that anybody who has been to the Spatique will tell their friends and family. 

She too has progressed in her profession of Homeopathy, as a medical director for digital Orange Naturals. With that company, she is teaching treatments for children’s health; also forming products for children and travelling Canada, educating health food businesses.

Orange Naturals is “a local company, a family business, great to work for,” Dr. Barrett told us, assisting also with women’s fertility and stress.

We asked Ms. Giesbrecht about the 15 years she has run her Spatique in Hockley what keeps her at it and she was clear, “I’d rather do this than anything else. The relationships are the people I want to be spending my time with. People keep coming to look good, feel good and for self care.

“It helps people take time they might not normally, just to take time for themselves. Sometimes, they’ve been organizing a funeral or shopping, they’ve been dashing and they say ‘I needed this, I just wanted to take the time.’

“It’s a lot more than changing from red to pink…”

She defined it: “We’re on Spa time here – there’s no stress.”

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