Styled Spaces: Pamper your body, reinvigorate your senses, and nourish your soul.

Published in Dote Magazine’s Issue #8.

Text version of article below // 📸 by Jamie Anholt.

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With the turn of the season, it’s a common practice to purge the clutter and take a moment to hit reset in many aspects of our lives. It’s both a therapeutic and refreshing process that allows us to make a shift and reengage in our homes, work and close personal relationships. What this looks like varies by individual, but the concept essentially remains the same: establishing certain practices that leave room for rituals that invoke a sense of relaxation and joy, while managing the relentless routines and countless deadlines that often have us operating in a constant state of overdrive.

But what about ourselves? We hear it and preach it all the time, this concept of ‘self-love,’ yet somehow we stubbornly lack in our execution to practice it. We pour ourselves into everything around us, but for some reason, the most important relationship in our lives seems to always take a backseat on our priority list.

Taking the time to look after our bodies, relax our minds, and feed our souls is so important for growth and our mental and physical health. Luckily, there are timeless spots that adorn the city, such as Butter Beauty Parlour, that give us a place to escape the hustle and pamper ourselves in a quintessential stunning environment.

Opened in the early months of 2017, Butter Bankers Hall strives to take it one step further and not only give their guests a “treat yourself” moment but provide a space where you can feel as though you’ve truly been taken care of.

“From the moment you walk through the door you’ll be greeted with a smile, offered a beverage (including a caffeine fix from Phil and Sebastian) and the opportunity to browse through the latest fashion and beauty mags while waiting for your treatment to begin,” says Trent Warner, Marketing Lead of Hedkandi.

Born out of the well-known local salon, Hedkandi, Butter Bankers Hall will transport you to a luxurious ocean hideaway with its Malibu-inspired décor and eclectic vintage accents. Think Danish Modern meets California beach design. When creating the inspiration for the interior, the Hedkandi team worked very closely with the designers at the local boutique interior design firm, McKinley Burkart, whose creative touch is known for bringing spaces to life around the city.

“We have been working with McKinley Burkart for the past 6 years now, so we have a very close, fluid and collaborative relationship with their team,” says Warner. “They have helped design spaces for all three of our brands (Hedkandi, Johnny’s Barber + Shop, and Butter) so together we were able to achieve the ambiance we were going for.”

The space is designed to rebel against the traditional cramped and noisy nail salon. Many visual aspects reflect this, such as “the pedicure sinks which are totally custom and the waxing rooms are sound-proofed. We also used glowy lighting to give clients a break from the harsh fluorescents of the office and lined lights around the make-up bar as an abstract reference to Hollywood mirrors,” says Caelan Tatz, Interior Designer at McKinley Burkart. “We wanted their guests to feel like movie stars while avoiding anything that felt too clinical or typical.”

“Our original Butter Mission location was inspired by a wealthy woman’s home that you’d find in Palm Springs,” noted Warner. “In that vein, Butter Bankers Hall is her sister’s laid-back, relaxed, yet refined beach home.”

When designing this location, the largest challenge was space. “We chose this particular spot due to its proximity to our Hedkandi Bankers Hall location,” says Warner. “It offers fashion-forward and diverse retail spaces while remaining connected to other important areas of the downtown core. We’re proud to be one of the only spots in this area that offer guests a unique service to leave them refreshed and revitalized when they leave.”

However, from a design perspective, this restriction meant the team had to get extremely creative. “Butter has a very robust selection of services that they wanted to provide in a small space so we had to be efficient to achieve the functional goals of the space, while also making it a luxurious sanctuary that would allow guests to feel as though they are on vacation,” says Calen. “We did this by eliminating the need for private hallways by placing the waxing rooms around the perimeter and focusing on the other services in the middle. We used various levels of furniture and screening to portion areas off, rather than walls, to create privacy but save space.”

To create a space that encapsulated a beautiful, modern and timeless spa, they used some very unique design elements and stylish accents. “We try to have several WOW moments throughout the spa,” says Warner. “Most clients are enamoured by our pink onyx whose home is at the front desk welcoming them as they enter the spa.”

To make this space truly unique, McKinley Burkart used mid-century patterns and motifs and combined them in abstracted elements, such as the breezeblock screen, a crisp gold pattern on the doors and star-shaped rosettes on the doorknobs. “We modernized the space by incorporating white oak, rather than walnut, lighting the palette and playing off the beachy vacation vibe that Butter strives to give its guests within their services,” remarks Calen. 

“The wood panelling and pops of rich blue hues that are found throughout the area are inspired by the oceanic photos that adorn the walls, done by photographer Joshua Jensen-Nagle (via NewZones Gallery),” adds Warner. These accents anchor the space and tie all of the elements together, making this spa a truly “grammable” escape that is both relaxing and fun for those in need of a moment to take their mind off the daily routine.

Not only will the atmosphere of this spa make you feel like you’re on vacation, but so will the services that they offer. From a brow shape to lash extensions to a perm to waxing or even sugaring, they offer the whole gamete to treat you from head to toe. Their team is extremely passionate and works hard to build strong relationships with every client that walks through the door. “We want them to feel like they are visiting a friend and being welcomed into the space, not just getting a service done,” notes Warner.

It’s obvious that the team at Butter goes the extra mile for their clients, even just in their simple interactions over the phone, or before or after your service. They practice what they preach is through ongoing education and training so that their team is always up-to-date and even ahead of the current industry trends and techniques.

“Soon we will be adding both ‘dip’ and ‘putty’ nail services, which are two very exciting new technologies that will make our guest’s manicures last longer while minimalizing the harmful effects that it has on their natural nails,” says Warner.

Power outlets are also available at every station so that guests have the opportunity to feel comfortable bringing their phone and laptop in to get some work done while they experience their services. It’s not always possible to completely unplug, and that’s ok. It’s the opportunity to find moments for yourself that is most important.

Making time to grab your metaphorical feather duster to pamper your being, embrace a slower way of living and find ways to reinvigorate the spark that truly drives us will lead you in the direction of becoming the very best version possible of yourself. Just as our home needs a refresh to continue being a comfortable sanctuary, so does our mind, body and soul in order to thrive. It’s amazing the shift in confidence and perspective that a little RNR can truly uncover, simply like reorganizing a room to get the most out of every inch of the space.