Who loves treating themselves or a loved one to a luxurious and relaxing experience where you can leave all your worries at the door for a day and get back to feeling like yourself? Introducing: Go Place! The most extravagant and luxurious spa near Toronto. And in no way is this an exaggeration. With over 68,000 square feet of space to get pampered and truly be able to unwind by yourself, with friends or a significant other, this affordable but lavish 5 star leisure club and spa that is opened 24/7 is a must-visit.
And after almost 2 years of mostly staying at home with a limited amount of things to do, and with most people doing the same thing day in and out with their home and work life, it’s nice to be able to get out and do something to rejuvenate yourself. And Go Place provides the experience we all need.
Disclaimer: Effective September 22, 2021, the Government of Ontario requires guests to provide proof of vaccination and ID proof to be able to access the premises.
When Go Place Opened
Go Place opened in December 2019 but has been opened off and on ever since the pandemic hit. As things are starting to somewhat get better, hopefully this spa stays open!
Where Go Place Is Located
Just about 20-30 minutes from Toronto, Go Place is located in the First Markham Place plaza (an Asian outdoor mall) in Markham. It is now in the location of what used to be a large Cineplex Theatre that I used to visit often when I was young, so you can imagine how large this place is.
Price Of Admission To Go Place
When Go Place first opened, the price of admission started at $55 CAD. Now they are charging $59.95 CAD. You’ll also have to pay 13% tax and 12% gratuities that is non-negotiable. This admission fee allows you to use all the facilities on site and allows you unlimited use for 24 hours.
Without paying this admission fee, you won’t be able to access any of their massage, facial, or body treatment services. This is because you will basically walk through the entire facility to even get to the beauty center to get your treatments. For the majority of this, there will be no supervision and you have free roam of the facility. But this also means that you can just pay the fee to use the facility, without having to purchase a spa treatment.
What Does The Admission Fee Cover?
At first I thought the admission fee was a little pricey until I realized just how many amenities you’re able to use, or how big the place actually is.
Bath House
Jacuzzis Bath
Women and men will have access to their own jacuzzi pools. If you come with the opposite sex, you will not be able to enjoy the pools together. The reason for this is because clothing is optional. There are 3 jacuzzi pools for men – I heard it’s so that they can attract more male clientele. And there are 2 jacuzzi pools for women.
Steam Room
By each of the pools for women and men, there is one large steam room. It smells like eucalyptus to me and it’s actually pretty comfortable and invigorating.
Therapy Rooms (Saunas And Ice Room)
There are 7 different types of therapy rooms:
- Salt Room – at 64 degrees Celsius, the saliniferous rocks from Malaysia are known for strong absorption and constant temperature. They are rich in various trace elements necessary for humans and at a high temperature, can improve organ function.
- Volcanic Rock Room – The energy released from the mineral substances in volcanic rocks after being heated can soothe sore muscles, accelerate metabolism, and eliminate toxins and help with circulation.
- Ice Room – at 4 degrees Celsius, the ice room helps with removing dirt from pores and keeps the skin healthy. The cold will help with immunity and skin elasticity. It’s also good for your body and really refreshing to go between the hotter rooms and the ice room.
- Jade Room – at 68 degrees, the energy released from these minerals after being heated can help with relieving headaches, replenish blood, and protect the skin.
- Agate Room – helps with harmonizing the body and mind. The energy released from these heated stones is beneficial for the disorders of the eyes, stomach and uterus. It also helps with strengthening blood vessels, improving skin problems, and cleanses the lymphatic system.
- Amethyst Room – this stone is believed to help purify and reduce stress and anxiety. This room is also supposed to aid in relaxation.
- Far Infrared Area – this room is to help with lumbago, spleen or kidney deficiency, sciatica and other pains. The amount of heat released from this room can penetrate deep into the body and helps with accelerating fat burning and weight loss.
Now, as good as this all sounds, I’m not sure exactly how much of it you need to do in order to feel or see a beneficial difference. But I do believe spending any amount of time here to relax and give yourself time away from everyday stresses, can really help relieve your body and mind.
Fitness Center
The fitness center is opened from 11 AM to 12 AM daily. There is a variety of cardio machines and weight lifting equipment as well as shoes available for you to use. And there is even a pool table here.
Business Center
There are computers available for you to use or even play games on. As are VIP rooms that can be used for business meetings, group events, and dinner – but you will need to book these.
Lounge Areas
The amount of places to lounge here are endless. This leisure club is just so large that there are literally lounge chairs all over the facility. And whether they’re in a more open space or a private dark room for you to sleep in, there’s plenty to choose from depending on your mood and the level of privacy you want.
Other Go Place Services
Beauty Centre
On top of paying the entrance fee, there is a beauty centre where you can choose from massages, facials, and body treatments.
Price Of Treatments
As of now, they have 5 types of regular massages, 5 types of Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) massages of which you can claim under your health benefits or insurance, and 6 Go Place Journey sessions. A Go Place Journey is provided in semi-open treatment rooms and massages will be applied on top of your clothes without massage oils. Also, I want to note that the gender of the massage therapist is not guaranteed. You will be asked to fill out a form before your session and they do have the option for you to tick off if your therapist is allowed to touch your chest or groin. Do they read your intake form though? I’m pretty sure mine didn’t since he came in my room a second after the beauty manager left.
There are definitely more facial and body treatments available than there are massage therapy options. Whatever your needs are, I’m pretty sure there’s an option for everyone.
My Take On The Prices Of The Massage Therapy And Facial And Body Treatments
I think the massage therapy prices are very competitive and are actually much cheaper than some fancier spas I’ve been to, considering what a nice place this is. If you know you know – but the prices are very similar to many Asian spas. For RMT massages however, it is about $20 more than a regular massage, which is also sometimes the case at some spas since they have a license and you can remit the receipt to your insurance company and write it off basically.
The facial and body treatments have a range of prices and selections you can choose from. The basic facials, facial peels, and add-ons are pretty much what a lot of reasonably priced spas offer. There are a few options for performance face treatments in a multi-sensory spa experience by 111SKIN that are priced on the upper end of $235-405. Other facials range from $80-$150 which I think is still cheaper than a lot of other high-end spas.
Go Place Restaurant
Of course, to make it an all-inclusive experience, Go Place has their own restaurant. They claim to have some of the best chefs with the freshest and finest ingredients. The restaurant is mostly of Japanese and Chinese cuisine. I didn’t get a chance to eat here this time, but the menu looked really good and I was surprised as to how affordable it is as well.
Can You Bring Your Own Clothes, Robes, or Sandals?
The answer is no. As soon as you enter Go Place and ascend the escalators, you will be brought to an area of lockers where you will be requested to remove your shoes. You will also be given a pajama-like ensemble to wear for when you’re in the common place, for which you don’t have to pay for. You can wear your own bathing suit but if you didn’t bring yours, you can purchase a set at Go Place. In regards to sandals, you’re not allowed to bring your own but you can purchase a pair for $3. Towels, however, are provided.
Socks, bath robes, and underpants are also available for purchase.
My Experience
Entrance
I came to Go Place for my appointment an hour before my 7:15 PM appointment on Thursday (it wasn’t busy at all) so that I can enjoy their amenities. My first impression was that it looked really grand and fancy. The décor is all dark and gold colors. Also, it really smells like those high-end hotels with their jasmine-like scent which I absolutely love.
Checking In
When you check in for your session, you step up to the front desk which kind of reminded me of those fancy bank tellers in movies. There’s a full barrier, most likely because of COVID protection protocols. You will need to scan the QR code at the front and fill out a disclaimer regarding COVID and getting your second vaccine shot. They will also ask you for proof of identification and the COVID vaccination record. While checking in, they will also remind you that you will need to pay an admission fee and provide you a rubber bracelet with your locker number on it, as well as a swipe card to insert into a machine before getting access through a turnstile to the escalators to go upstairs to start your spa experience.
Ascending Into Bliss
As soon as you reach the top of the escalator, there will be a staff member waiting for you. Right away I was told to sit down and remove my shoes and take them in my hands to put them in a locker that’s designated to my bracelet number. This area is not really monitored by anyone and there are no locks on these lockers, so I highly suggest not bringing shoes you love. I doubt there will be any theft, but since it is open 24/7 and you never know who is there, I’d rather be safe than sorry.
After I put my shoes away, I walked passed the restaurant and was brought to the women’s change room. There will be another staff member here who will take you to your locker and then you can change and start your spa experience. Beside the locker room are a row of showers stocked with L’Occitane products to use (I didn’t expect anything less). There are also 3 bathrooms and 3 change areas for you to change. Then you immediately enter into the jaccuzi bath and steam room area.
The Jacuzzi Baths And Steam Room
They were actually not as big as I expected them to be, and can only fit several people at a time – if you want a decent amount of personal space around you. There were 2 different temperature pools – the one on the left was 39.2 degrees Celsius and the pool on the right is 37.6 Celsius. There are different buttons you can press around the jacuzzis that set off the jets and even spray water around the pool. Let me warn you, they are pretty strong!
Right after I spent some time in both pools (I liked the hotter pool better), I entered the eucalyptus steam room. There’s no light in there so you can’t see much with the steam anyway. It didn’t feel very hot, but it was comfortable and the room was quite large.
Entering The Common Area
Before you enter the common area, there’s a small area with vanities where you can do your hair and makeup, and are provided some beauty products to use if needed. No fancy brands, but it’s nice that there is something available to use if needed. You can also dry your hair with one of their Dyson hair dryers. It was actually my first time using one, but for some reason I don’t get what the rage is all about. There was no strength to it and it didn’t get really hot. At the end of my experience after showering, I ended up putting my hair in a bun and opted to dry it at home instead.
Now the experience really begins. As you exit the womens’ change room, the mens’ is on the left and there’s a long corridor to the right with a really large library full of books if you want to read while you’re at Go Place. I mean, I can read 1 to 3 books in a day, but I don’t think I’ll finish even 1 book while I’m at this luxurious spa, so it’s a shame that I couldn’t bring any of them home because I was really excited when I saw this!
The Grandeur Of Go Place
Right after the library, there’s a large open space with chandeliers, lounge chairs and tables, and the different saunas. There’s also another floor above with a double staircase and that’s where the beauty center is if you have a massage, facial or body treatment.
This place is just so large and there’s just so much to see that if you don’t really take your time, you can miss quite a few things! Because I’m pretty sure I did. I spent 4 hours here and I definitely could have stayed longer. It’s basically room after room, lounge area after lounge area – and it can be overwhelming especially for your first time visiting this spa. Luckily, there are maps on the walls around the area and you can choose which rooms you want to visit or just know how to get around.
The Service
The staff were helpful and polite in all the areas I’ve bumped into them throughout the club. I actually had an RMT Deep Tissue Massage so I checked in at the Beauty Center and was told to fill out 2 more forms with their QR codes. This is just to disclose your experiences with massages before, why you’re doing the treatment, any health concerns, and what you’re comfortable with.
Like I mentioned above, I’m not sure that anyone actually read my intake forms as I was quickly brought into the room and less than 10 seconds later, my masseuse came in the room. He talked to me about the treatment I was getting that day, which was originally a Lymphatic Detox Massage, but since my back is always in a lot of pain, I opted for the Deep Tissue Massage instead.
My masseuse was very professional and nice. We even chatted about his love for sports and my love for traveling. He addressed my painful shoulders and back pretty well and I actually felt comfortable. Since I’m sure you may know, there are times when a session can make you count down the time until you can leave and never come back.
At the end of the session, I got my RMT receipt at the beauty center’s front desk. Then I went on to put it in my locker and really make use of the amenities and get my money’s worth! I went through all the saunas again and even met a new friend. It was actually really nice and relaxing and I’m glad that we have as much time as we need within 24 hours because sometimes I don’t really know how to relax and I needed time to ease myself into it.
When checking out, they will just give you your bill to review and make sure you’re paying for what you got and then go on your way back into the real world.
Verdict
Go Place is the definition of a luxurious spa day and although it may be intimidating the first time you visit, you’ll quickly find your way around and really get into the relaxing atmosphere. They really bring wellness and self-care to the next level and you can really spend all day here. I do recommend visiting at least once because there are no other spas like this one.
I had a great experience and I would visit again as I absolutely loved the therapy rooms.
However, because it is 24/7, I would caution you when going late and in the middle of the night. To put it nicely, let’s just say the crowd there and in the area isn’t always the best at that time. And after 2 AM, you’ll also need to pay an additional $15 entrance fee on top of the $59.95.
If You Love Go Place, Here Are Similar Spas
Like I said, there is no spa that’s like Go Place, but there are a couple that have a variety of saunas and different temperature pools.
I enjoyed my time at Body Blitz Spa in Downtown, Toronto by Portland and Adelaide. This spa caters to women and have a therapeutic waters circuit. There are also different facial and body treamtents available too.
There’s also a Korean Sauna called Zimzilbang in North York that is opened from 9 AM to 12 AM. There are a variety of saunas as well as body scrub services and lounge areas.
If you love self-care experiences, here are more information on how skincare can help with that!