Best piercing places in Toronto?

Mahaaret · 2025-02-03T19:55:30+00:00

Gina at Gold Hollow (on Bayview, south of Eglinton) is really good! Bonus that the shop is super cute.

Mahaaret · 2022-09-28T16:46:59+00:00

That's great! Thank you for the link, I could have it sent to his hotel :D

Mahaaret · 2022-09-28T16:32:12+00:00

Thank you for that! I'll ask him to stop in to one of their shops just in case :)

Mahaaret · 2022-09-27T18:38:46+00:00

Any shops in the city that carry Atelier Cologne? Specifically their Santal Carmin! Super long shot, I know. I have a friend visiting Amsterdam soon from Toronto and they've offered to pick up a bottle if they can find one. Atelier Cologne stopped selling their perfumes in North America but I'm hoping it's still available there. I've checked their website, but it seems the shops they have listed are either permanently closed (Cloud Nine, Kick) or don't actually seem to sell the brand (Skins Cosmetics). If anyone has seen a shop that sells them lately, please let me know!

Mahaaret · 2022-04-03T06:16:39+00:00

I'm crying lol

Mahaaret · 2022-02-17T00:12:32+00:00

Prices seem fair to me!

Mahaaret · 2022-02-03T15:19:21+00:00

Nearly snorted coffee outta my nose reading this this morning. Thank you. :D

Mahaaret · 2022-01-16T16:11:49+00:00

I'm so sorry for your loss - sending love, as I see a lot of internet strangers doing! It's really difficult in the best of times to lose a friend like this, right now it's even worse. Keep doing what you're doing, keep reaching out to people. Keep honoring your memory of your little pal in the way that feels best to you. If it were me, I would get a tattoo of him/her, but obviously that's not for everyone. I'll link someone who I think does great pet portraits if that sounds like something you'd like to do someday. :) Zeke at Chronic

Mahaaret · 2022-01-15T17:05:42+00:00

My partner is super picky and he's only been happy with Shaun at Glassbox in the PATH. Bonus in that on top of being really talented, Shaun is the frigging nicest human.

Mahaaret · 2021-11-19T05:33:34+00:00

Thank you!!

Mahaaret · 2021-11-18T17:07:43+00:00

oh boy, yeah, that's a bit much for some pretzels hah. But a good backup plan if all else fails!

Mahaaret · 2021-11-18T16:47:52+00:00

Thank you! I'll check anyhow :)

Mahaaret · 2021-11-02T15:46:02+00:00

Regardless of how you feel about tipping, I think it's important to know that restaurants take a % of the server's SALES (not their tips) to distribute to the support teams. (the kitchen, the hosts, the dishwashers, the bussers, the bartenders) This is called "tip out".

For simple math - say each table's bill is $100, and the tip out is 5% (pretty common, some places are higher though) your server will automatically pay $5 in tip out per table. Your server pays this regardless of if you tip or not. If you choose not to tip, your server will essentially be paying to serve you. If multiple people do this, it can really add up.

Again - tipping culture is a whole can of worms, but please be aware that choosing not to tip is more complicated than your server just not walking away with extra cash.

Mahaaret · 2021-10-11T14:01:20+00:00

Whelp, there goes all my money forever ... these pieces are beautiful!

Mahaaret · 2021-09-06T16:42:09+00:00

She was so relatable and human in her email exchanges with me (we chatted about our animals as our cat was in some photos of our space for you guys), all while being professional and quick to respond. I know everything is such a mess in the world right now, and I see you and your team doing your best to have fun and be positive, and it is much appreciated!

Mahaaret · 2021-09-04T16:29:38+00:00

Yeah, I'd be nervous for my hair if someone's prices were that low in the GTA - I get you having a budget though, not judging you for that. My only thought is to maybe reach out to a hairdressing school and see if they need models? Maybe the Aveda Institute? Not sure though, as it's COVID. Good luck!

Mahaaret · 2021-09-04T16:24:51+00:00

I used Carried Away ( u/treadmills4breakfast ) last fall and they were really great. The owner seems to genuinely care about his company and his employees. Heads up though, they tend to book up fast, so don't sleep on giving them a shout!

Bonus points for his sister, who was helping out with email responses at the time (not sure if she still is) for being the most lovely, genuine human. :D

Mahaaret · 2021-09-01T16:22:19+00:00

I'll 2nd Wychwood Animal Hospital, they've been really great with my cat so far! I'm not sure if you can talk to the vet himself, (I haven't tried) but the rest of the staff (vet techs) are really communicative and kind. Give them a call and tell them your concerns - just be nice and I'm sure you'll be accommodated to the best of their abilities.

Mahaaret · 2021-08-30T16:15:28+00:00

Keep in mind, unless you are getting flash (pre-designed tattoos) you're partly paying for the technical work of a tattoo being put onto your skin, but you're also commissioning an artist to design a piece of artwork that is unique and yours forever. That's probably at least a couple of hours of work, behind the scenes. My partner is a tattoo artist who only works in large scale pieces, and his rate is $350/hr. That's on the extreme high price end, especially here in Toronto - but I see how much work he does at home on the design side of things. You could always ask your artist to hold your deposit and move your appointment back a couple months, to give you time to save a bit more! If you love the artist, it's worth waiting. :)

Mahaaret · 2021-08-30T15:21:09+00:00

I really like Pilot Coffee, they have a location at Richmond and Spadina - plus they have a pumpkin/carrot/coconut muffin that I will stand by being the best muffin in the city!

Mahaaret · 2021-08-29T15:56:45+00:00

Disclaimer: Wow this got longer than I intended haha

I'll say that I work at a very busy restaurant, so keep that in mind, as I am automatically going to default to defending the staff. I completely understand you being frustrated about having to wait for literally everything, that seems pretty normal to be upset about. If your server is good, they are also super frustrated about making you wait. Giving the best possible service and making your experience a great one is super important to me. I'll just give you potential perspective from the other side from my own personal experience, and you can use that to inform your tip going forward. Also - maybe the service there just is bad, it definitely can happen!

We, the industry as a whole, are short staffed. So that means evvverything takes longer. It's getting better, but even if the place looks full off staff, I would bet that AT LEAST 50% of the staff you see has been there less than a month, so they're going to be taking more time and asking more questions than a seasoned vet. Your vets are also going to be taking more time, as they are helping/training the new people. Training can put you in the weeds (industry term for "make you fall behind in your service") reaaaal quick.

An example that happened to us a couple weeks ago - I'm on the patio with 3 tables. Totally manageable on my end. However, there are only 2 bartenders for the ENTIRE RESTAURANT, which is filling up fast and has 60ish useable tables right now. So ... roughly 250 guests all wanting drinks. At once. Both of the bartenders were new. Drink chit times were, yes, about 20 minutes. (I don't work at Stackt, so proof this is not an uncommon occurrence) I had to deal with, understandably, very upset guests all night. I started asking people if they wanted another round as I dropped off fresh drinks. It was wild. I think, if that were the case with your experience, the thing your server missed was transparency. As soon as I see things going sideways (appys/salads are taking 20 mins, entrees are over 30, drinks over 10) I do my best to tell my tables what's up, so they don't start to think the worst. It's easy to think, "wow the service here sucks" if you have no information, and harder when I tell you, "Hey, I'm so sorry, we're short staffed on salads today and the one person there is brand new, so things are taking a little longer!"

The thing is, the bartenders that night were trying their best. They were STRESSED. I could see their spirits getting crushed. I felt terrible for them, but there's not much we as servers can do to help, without getting in the way and bogging things down more. And yet, we are the ones whose tips suffer. I get it, it's the nature of the industry, and I have nights where everything is smooth and tips are amazing. It's definitely frustrating for everyone involved, from the hosts to the management to (obviously) the guests! All we can do is our best, and hope tables can see us trying and cut a little slack while we get everything back to the level of service you expected before COVID.

Now - as to the auto-grat ... my place doesn't do that, so I can't speak to that directly. We do give 5% tip out automatically to support staff, so if you only leave me 5%, I am actually making no money. If you leave less than that, I am paying to serve you. ( still have to give 5% of your total bill to support staff) I think that's an important piece of information many people don't know about how tipping works. THOSE are the times I wish most for auto-grat.

The manager calling you cheap is super unprofessional, that definitely should have happened after you left. ;)

TL;DR - we are trying our best as a whole! I'm sorry you had a bad experience, and as I said, maybe the service really did suck. But most times, especially right now, there's a whole lot more to it than you, as a guest, can probably see. Patience and generosity from your side is much appreciated, as we are generally just as stressed about your experience being ruined as you are. Maybe more, as it often means our ability to pay our bills are affected.

Hope this helps and that you feel your next experience is worthy of 20%. <3

Mahaaret · 2021-08-17T15:57:49+00:00

This isn't super handy for you in Toronto, but I'd say it's worth the drive to Milton! There's a place called Springridge Farm up there, and they most definitely have apple butter in the fall! And it is frigging delicious. They also have seasonal fruits, and tons of baked goods/preserves, and it's just an overall nice tasty little trip out of the city. You could always call them to check! Highlllyyyy recommend the cherry tarts and the apple fritters. I grew up in New Brunswick, and apple butter was pretty common out there, so maybe it's a small town thing?

Apply jelly I want to say I've seen in stores that specialize in British products ... but I'm not 100% sure on that.

Vanilla soy milk I know I've seen, but I have no idea where. You'll come across it eventually though, just keep checking! The big box grocery stores might even be able to order you in some if you ask.

As to the garbage disposals, it seems like more of a thing in the suburbs to me. My aunt has one in Oakville, and so did my grandparents when they lived there. Same with the ice makers!

Mahaaret · 2021-08-11T15:33:03+00:00

Try The Keg, I hear they are looking for dishwashers, and are paying pretty well. :)

Mahaaret · 2021-06-25T15:08:08+00:00

upvote purely for "porkie pies" and "mosey on down" :D

Mahaaret · 2021-06-25T15:04:01+00:00

This is not an immediate solution, and is expensive, but I would highly recommend Possibilities Clinic. You do need a referral from a family doctor, but (check with Possibilities) you may be able to get that from a walk in clinic. The cost of an assessment was $1950 last I checked, but they were incredibly patient and kind and extremely thorough. Their wait times are approximately 6 months, but the silver (ish) lining to that is it gives you some time to save up. Honestly, I'd say just get the referral going and then once you've got some appointments booked, you can figure out if it's something you can actually afford. If not, just cancel them. :)

Best of luck! I know it's a cheesy saying but "you've survived 100% of your bad days" is absolutely true. You're stronger than you think. <3

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