Swanky spa announces it'll be shutting down Toronto location after 10 years
A Toronto spa that was hugely popular thanks to its luxurious offerings just announced that it'll be closing its doors in the new year.
A downtown staple for me-time, bachelorettes and special occasions alike, few spaces in Toronto compare to Majesty's Pleasure.
First opening its doors in 2014, the space bridged the gap between the relatively inaccessible luxury spas most could only spring for once in a blue moon and the average, frequently lacklustre nail salon experience — and, judging by the business' near-instant success, Toronto was ready for it.
The utterly Instagrammable spot offered those seeking an extra bit of pampering the perfect place to fulfil all of their beauty needs — from mani-pedis to massages — while soaking in the serene ambiance and sipping on chic cocktails.
In the years that since, an additional Toronto location landed in Yorkville, followed by the company's first venture south of the border, with a location in New York City, but, at least for now, their ranks are about to fall.
After a decade holding court on King West, however, the spa recently took to its Instagram account to announce that it would be shutting down for good as of Jan. 1, 2025.
"This has been a place of joy, beauty, innovation, celebration and connection, and we’re so grateful to have shared countless memories with you all," Majesty's Pleasure writes in the caption of the post.
According to co-founder, Jeff Armstrong, the closure ultimately came down to the fact that King West is a completely different market today than it was a decade ago when the beauty bar opened.
"The pandemic was a very difficult period for our industry to survive, and only the strongest survived," Jeff tells blogTO.
"It took a lot for our company to get through that."
In spite of the business' ability to weather the storm that was months of unanticipated closures during the Covid-19 pandemic (no small feat, I might add), Jeff notes that, upon things returning "to normal," nothing was actually really the same, particularly when it came to the new standard of hybrid or remote work keeping Majesty's Pleasure's young, professional clientele away from the neighbourhood.
Reaching the end of their lease term — they rent the space from Wilbur Mexicana — Jeff tells blogTO that he ultimately had to take stock of whether the King West neighbourhood was still the right one for the business.
Spoiler alert: it's not.
"You know, the neighbourhood has changed in terms of the demographic," he tells blogTO. "The downtown financial core, which were our core customers for the most part, doesn't necessarily shop for beauty services on King West anymore, so we had to take that into consideration."
"I think when you make a decision as a business owner, you have to consider market, demographic demand, future and economics, and all of those factors just suggested that the best thing to do was to allow the lease to expire and move on," he adds.
On the contrary, however, while King West faltered in the wake of the pandemic, the Yorkville location soared, and is continuing to grow in terms of clientele and profitability to this day, which is perfect compliment to the positive reception the Manhattan location has also received.
It's not all doom and gloom for Majesty's Pleasure fans, though; while both the Yorkville and NYC locations of the beauty bar will still be operating as usual, there are also plans in the works for new locations of Majesty's Pleasure to pop up in the city and beyond in the future.
"We continue to be excited about our Yorkville location, and the strength of that business just further strengthens our belief in Toronto as a market," Jeff tells blogTO, noting that, while he can't dive into the specifics, the company has investigated potential spaces in a number of new neighbourhoods in the city.
"And then in New York, we've opened to much success there, and we're currently looking at leases in Brooklyn, SoHo, Washington, DC, South Florida and other East Coast markets."
Majesty's Pleasure is located at 556 King West.
Jesse Milns
