City Living: Body Blitz East Launches with a Splash!

What’s better than *one* place where women can go to relax, enjoy a therapeutic water circuit, jump in a sauna and socialize, all the while enjoying a delicious fruity concoction of antioxidants? Two! Toronto’s women’s only, health-by-water spa, Body Blitz is a favourite social destination for women across the city and has become such a popular a haven of relaxation they are celebrating opening the doors of a second location at  497 King St. E. 


The spa’s first location at 471 Adelaide St. W. opened in 2005 and invites hundreds of women through its doors each week. Body Blitz is thrilled to offer another unique space where ladies can escape a little bit from the daily chaos known as life. 

Body Blitz (West).

Smack dab in the middle of Toronto’s beautiful Corktown neighbourhood, Body Blitz East is uniquely designed within 22,000 sq. feet of industrial space made into a buzz-worthy sanctuary. The five part water circuit relay includes a Dead Sea salt pool, hot Epsom salt pool, a cold plunge pool, an aromatherapy steam room and an infrared sauna; all with individual benefits that contribute to a better, more serene sense of well being. 

Body Blitz East Dead Sea salt pool 

Photo credit: Carlos Avalos

And what better way to celebrate the launch of something *so* cool than by hosting one kick-ass party? The highlights: a team of world-class synchronized swimmers from the Durham Synchro Swim Club performing two 10 minute routines, a gorgeous real-life mermaid, and the spiked detox drink. [Full disclosure: one of the spa’s juices got an adult twist. When in doubt, add vodka]. 

Image source 

Snacking on food provided by Jamie Kennedy, women scoped out their future hot spot, while men relished being allowed into such a forbidden space…October 10 was a guy’s one and only time to see the women’s spa. Their jealousy was apparent. 

Image source

More than 250 attendees celebrated the unveiling of the new space, including Jim Cuddy, Kathleen Edwards, 2012 Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden, actress Meghan Heffern, and dancers from the National Ballet of Canada, and Body Blitz friends and family. 

Body Blitz co-owners Rena (L) and Laura (R) Polley with Jim Cuddy.

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The official public opening for Body Blitz East is Monday November 12. For more images of Body Blitz and images from the launch party, check out our Flickr site. 

#TIFF12: Festival Music House

The place to be mid-TIFF? Festival Music House! We’re looking forward to being there for the next three nights, at this event that showcases live Canadian music to visiting TIFF industry folks.

One of the most sought-after parties of the festival, FMH is back at the Mod Club for its annual
three-night long concert, from Monday September 10 to Wednesday, September 12, at the Mod Club. This year features Canadian music
talent from a range of genres and it’s a pretty stacked lineup:


Monday, September 10:
Jeremy Fisher, Adam Cohen, Kathleen Edwards, Wintersleep and Monster Truck.


Tuesday, September 11:
Humans, PS I Love You, Hey Ocean!, Dan Mangan and Yukon Blonde.


Wednesday, September 12:
Shawn Hook, Jason Collett, Grand Analog, Young Empires and Down With Webster.


Yes, it is an intimate, invite-only event where directors, producers, writers and music supervisors rub shoulders. If you’re not a part of the industry, you can still get a sense of the nights that are about to unfold, with this playlist that we’ve put together. Put it on and it will feel like you’re there, almost.


Follow all the action at #FestivalMusicHouse and #rockitTIFF!

TIFF12: Behind the scenes at TIFF

On the eve of TIFF ’12, the busiest time of year on the fourth floor, the building is abuzz with phone calls, scheduling, organizing, and the inevitable rescheduling.  With visions of
red carpets and fabulous parties in our dreams, during the day, the rock-it promo team is running on pure adrenaline, and loving every minute of
it! Today, we give you an inside look at some of the awesome events that we’re working on for this year’s
festival because, as busy as we are, this is also the most
exciting time to be a publicist in Toronto.

On opening day, we’re starting off on the
right foot with a shopping event to coincide with Fashion’s Night Out.  RAC Boutique is hosting its second annual
Bazaar which promises an amazing shopping experience. Held in the historic Burroughes
building on Queen Street West, The Bazaar will feature vendors from across Toronto who
have joined forces to offer the best of the city’s fashions to the public. 

While some of us will be helping Toronto’s most fashionable, others will be at the
Drake Hotel to celebrate the launch of TIFF with a blow-out bash sponsored by Stella Artois and Sailor Jerry. Bring your
inner rock star and take advantage of free tattoos and hair cuts from the
Sailor Jerry Airstream and party along to performances by indie
superstars Still Life Still and Dinosaur Bones before The Darcys headline the main stage.

The Darcys Image Source

From
September 10 to 12, we’ll be working at the third
annual Festival Music House, a three night concert taking place at the Mod Club. This invite-only,
intimate concert series provides a platform for both seasoned and
up-and-coming Canadian acts including Kathleen Edwards, Wintersleep, Yukon Blonde, Young Empires and Down With Webster.

Down With Webster Image Source

We’re also representing some all-star Canadian talent, including Jian Ghomeshi, Emily Hampshire, Saad Siddiqui and Jonas Chernick.  We’ll be escorting clients down the red carpet at events while juggling with
interview requests, movie screenings and late-night parties.

The girls of the fourth floor will also be seen nightly at Soho House Toronto, as it acts as host to some of TIFF’s hottest parties. The evenings feature signature cocktails from Grey Goose, great music and a chill vibe, making it a hotspot for visiting talent.

With all this on the go (and more!), being a publicist  is kind of reminiscent
of being a Girl Scout; we always have to be prepared. There’s a constant checklist running through
our brains and here are some items/life-savers that you can find in our
cutest (yet most functional) purses (cross-strap, natch) at any time from September 6 to 16:

• A pair of squishable flats
• Pens/hi-lighters
• Cell phone and charger
• Extra cell phone!
• Vitamins
• Water
• Hair elastics
• Gum 
• Band-aids
• Energy bars, snacks and Redbull
• Lip gloss

Stay updated throughout the
festival by following our Twitter hashtag
#rockitTIFF. We’re ready for you, TIFF 2012! 
Here’s to the start of a wonderful 11 days full of hard work, a bit of glitz, a dash of glam, tired
feet, late nights, and a whole lot of fun!