Tea has been classified as a superfood for thousands of years. The high level of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants found in tea have anti-inflammatory properties and fight off disease and cellular damage to the body. Different types of teas have different health benefits.

Black tea is said to reduce cholesterol, while green tea has been shown to be the best tea to aid in weight loss, and white tea has been shown to have strong anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties. Depending on the type, herbal teas can assist in detoxing the body, promoting sleep, calming the stomach, and helping reduce cravings. Tea is also known to reduce the risk of heart disease, have anti-cancer properties, and boost immune system and brain function.
If you choose to go with a caffeinated variety of tea, a cup of tea still has less than half the caffeine as a cup of coffee and is gentler on the body. Black tea has the highest concentration of caffeine, while white tea has the lowest. There are also many varieties of caffeine-free herbal teas. While tea may not give you the immediate burst of energy that coffee does, the detoxing and immune system boosting properties of tea can contribute to a long term boost in overall energy.

There is most certainly a reason why tea is the world’s most popular drink next to water. Just be sure when choosing your tea to avoid sweetened or watered-down varieties in bottles, and look for fairly traded teas wherever possible. Happy tea drinking!

While monthly facials may seem ambitious due to time and expense to the majority of us, we strongly believe in the importance of facials with the change of seasons. Many of us do a “refresh” and prepare ourselves for the next few months at the beginning of a new season by reorganizing, cleaning, and resetting our goals. In the same way we need to refresh in other aspects of life, our skin needs the same attention. After the Winter, skin is dry, flaky and wrinkles have wreaked havoc on our skin over the winter. Dead skin needs to be sloughed away, pores need a deep cleaning, dry skin needs to be hydrated, and skin needs a chance to breathe and get its glow back.

Facials are an excellent way to give your skin the TLC it deserves. Whether your main concern is clearing clogged pores, anti-aging, detoxification, calming irritation, or deep moisturization, a facial can help solve the problem. Treating your skin to a facial even a few times a year gives the skin on your face a chance to start with a “clean slate” for the next few months.
Before the fall and winter months when the cold weather often leaves skin dry, flaky, and irritated, a facial allows for freshly cleaned pores to absorb moisturizers and calming facial products more efficiently, and better combat the environmental stress of the winter months. On top of that, at this time of year, it’s an hour to relax and recoup after the stress of September has finished. Really, we believe it is a win-win situation all around!

If you’re in need of energy and adrenal support (adrenal fatigue will result in a weakened immune system), try our Holy Healer. A delicious and powerful healing infusion of blend of Holy Basil (tulsi herb), lapacho bark,
lemongrass, lemon peel, calendula & safflower petals and pink pepper result in a blend that is a natural immune, metabolic and energy booster. Tulsi herb is known as “The Queen of Herbs” – the most sacred herb of India.

You can try either of these teas, along with many more, anytime at Alma and we always offer complimentary tea

Valentine’s Day Gift List

Flowers
Some people think flowers are over-rated especially for the increased prices around Valentine’s Day, but their beauty always speaks to the heart.  But, let’s put a little twist on the typical gift this year and try:

Eco Stems – http://ecostems.ca/
Why we love it:  What’s not to love?!  Everything is local, fair-trade or organic and they have attempted to green their business from top to bottom!

Dinner
Spending time with your loved ones over a nice meal is a great Valentine’s Day gift!  For something healthy and unique try one of these:

Camros Organic Eatery – http://www.camroseatery.com/
Why we love it:  all-organic Persion-esque vegetarian meals near Yonge & Bloor.

Live Organic Food Bar – http://www.livefoodbar.com
Why we love it:  Vegan restaurant with cooked and raw options.  95% of the menu is local or organic – plus they have fun, nutritious drinks as well as organic beer and wine!

Fresh – http://www.freshrestaurants.ca/
Why we love it:  There are several locations throughout the city which makes it easy to enjoy this approachable vegetarian restaurant with amazing juices!

Chocolate
Need we say more?
Sweets from the Earth – http://www.sweetsfromtheearth.com
Why we love them:  they are an egg & dairy free bakery who uses all natural, 100% plant-based, GMO-free ingredients.

Chocosol – http://chocosol.posterous.com/
Why we love it:  This isn’t your traditional truffle but the chocolate is producted from organic cacao using power generated from people peddling bikes.

Coco Chocolates – http://cocochocolates.wordpress.com/
Why we love it:  certified organic and fair trade and super fun! They even make chocolate shoes (size 6!).

Health/Relaxation
Try something really unique but exquisitely rejuvenating – how about rock bathing?  Check out:

Iyashi Bedrock Spa – http://www.iyashibedrockspa.com/web/
Why we love it:  This place is seriously rejuvenating.  The infra-red heat is amazing for clearing toxins, relaxing, & loosening tight muscles and would make a really unique gift!

Something fun to do together
How about a cooking class?  For a unique spin check out:
Delicious Knowledge by Marni Wasserman – http://www.marniwasserman.com/
Why we love it:  Marni’s classes focus on using whole foods to create nutritious meals and are a ton of fun together!

For other great ideas check out our website for Valentine’s Day specials and gift cards – healthy pampering is a gift that is always in style!

We hope all of you have wonderful, love-filled Valentine’s Days!

Love from,
Alma Natural Spa

So here goes… As much as I support and encourage the use of natural personal care products, the one product I have never been able to switch to a natural option for is deodorant. I’ve tried what feels like hundreds of alternatives to aluminum-based antiperspirant and have even made my own. But NOTHING really works. I sweat too much and I smell a few hours into the day. It has been a struggle for me because I feel like I’ve found an alternative for basically every other product but not deodorant/antiperspirant which could be extremely toxic – and BO is a touchy subject in our world. I wondered if that made me inauthentic in my push for for non-toxic personal care products, and have continued to try everything I could find. It’s been an internal battle for me.

I’m so happy to announce that I’ve found a product that really works for me (and everyone I’ve given it to to try). All day! And is completely natural and made here in Toronto. It contains baking soda, cornstarch, glycerin, and essential oils. That’s it! It is truly an amazing find. I’m buying it for all of my friends for the holidays (sorry to ruin the surprise everyone!) It’s called Purely Great and is available now at Alma in 4 different options – Women’s Citrus or Lavender, Men’s Citrus, and Teen Lavender for $12.99. Stop in today and try it out. It’s already flying off of our shelves because it really truly works!

I know you will love it!
Katie

A HUGE thank you to everyone from near and far who has helped to make this come to life – from your support to your countless hours of work sewing, reviewing, providing input, ideas, leads & contacts, painting, building, assembling, plumbing, planting, testing.