meet: THE TEN SPOT®

THE TEN SPOT® is the original anti spa® beauty bar. on a mission to make everyone #FeelLikeATen.

on the menu:

  • manis (maybe you have 15 mins, maybe you have 55. however long you’ve got, we have a mani for that)
  • pedis (including gel – hello instant drying!)
  • brow + lash tinting 
  • waxing – above the belt, below the belt + everything in between. we’re famous for our signature brazilly® wax* (everything off or almost everything off, you decide!)
  • threading (*available at most locations)
  • laser! yep, that’s right. we’ve got the safest, fastest, most pain-free machine on the market. amazing af results + you can pay as you go, on the go. we’ll get ya in and out in a cool minute!

what does it mean to #FeelLikeATen? we think everyone deserves to feel like a ten all the time. it’s all about confidence. a confident woman can do anything: nail her work projects, be a domestic goddess, and look fabulous doing it.

read on to find out more about how THE TEN SPOT® grew from a single salon on queen west in toronto to be the biggest and best in the beauty biz.

*please note: we don’t perform any specialty waxing or laser services on men (sorry, fellas!)

we exist to make everyone feel like a ten.

ever since the first 10spot® opened in 2006, the goal has been simple: bridge the gap between upscale spas offering over-the-top services and at the other end of the spectrum, the cheap and oftentimes questionable salons. this niche has been the sweet spot for THE TEN SPOT® for the past decade.

a little real-ness on why we’re different (and better!) than any other player in the biz:

THE TEN SPOT® created the “anti-spa” beauty bar concept in 2006. as the first on the scene to offer efficient yet impeccable services. executing literally thousands of impeccable services ever week. you might say we’re are really, really good at what we do.

we’ve put an incredible amount of effort and investment into making sure that our nail, waxing and facial services are the best around, so it’s no accident that we’ve been racking up “best of” awards in every city we land in.

we adore the beauty biz, and we are pioneering the industry. it’s no wonder that we get so many competitors ripping us off – waxing pun intended!

we never stop innovating and expanding on our expertise, whether it’s in our travels around the world, or being in tune to (and creating) upcoming trends. we’re dedicated to growing and refining our practices so we can be THE best of the best beauty bar worldwide.

no one wants to spend half the day getting monthly beauty maintenance services. thats why THE TEN SPOT® focuses on efficient services, while maintaining service excellence.

today’s lady wants to be in + out, and leaving looking awesome.

walk in…strut out.

THE TEN SPOT® is not the kind of salon that cuts corners or hits you up for every single extra. we welcome anyone to pop into any of our locations for a complimentary skin analysis or a lash consultation.

our services are peppered with little extras (like a complimentary toe wax with each pedicure and make-up touch ups after brow waxes!).

the goal: everyone should leave feeling like they got some mega bang for their bucks!

waxing isn’t typically top of the list when you google “fun way to spend an afternoon”.

THE TEN SPOT® goes the extra mile to make it as pleasant as possible. private waxing rooms are super-comfy and we’ve equipped them with netflix so you can catch up on friends or house of cards while taking care of your bikini line. netflix + chill anyone?

some locations have a liquor license, too, so you have have a quick vino moment while getting a mani!

THE TEN SPOT® is never going to be the cheapest place to get you mani/pedi on, but will always be the best. its not just impeccable service quality, we’re also really proud of our business practices.

we pay our esthetic experts a livable wage and commission, and we give all our employees proper breaks, overtime pay, paid vacation time and benefits. we also invest significant  money into training our staff and offering additional education allowances per year. most importantly: we don’t re-use materials from one person to the next and we only use the best products on the market.

sounds basic, but unfortunately it’s not standard in the industry. the sad truth is that often the salons offering extreme bargains can only discount to such crazy rates because they are employing poor labour standards and taking avoidable risks with your health – all just to get you in the door with their lower prices. that’s why you’ll never get a $30 mani/pedi at THE TEN SPOT®. sorry, not sorry!

most wax bars or spas hire and put their newbies on the floor right away. at THE TEN SPOT each of our esthetic experts goes through an intense amount of re-education (since they are always already certified estheticians) in our 10Spot U curriculum before they can ever be approved to perform services on our guests. which means our ‘newbies’ are not newbies at all. yay for perfect services every time!

toronto born in 2006.

THE TEN SPOT® was conceptualized + created by kristen gale over a slice of pie with her friend craiggie (craig) one night in ‘06.

with a burning desire to start her own business and perceiving a gap in the current spa/salon service offerings in Toronto, specifically the need for services offered in an environment that combines the efficiency of low-end nail salons with the quality standards excellence of high-end spas, she opened up toronto’s first niche beauty bar and “anti-spa” on queen west.

she wrote a business plan overnight (till 6am to be exact), submitted it for a loan, signed a lease two days later, started on construction + the rest is history.

three months later, kristen opened her doors of their now flagship location at 749 queen st west in toronto. THE TEN SPOT® quickly gained a cult following and amassed recognition in every national beauty publication within its first year of operation. during the next four years, kristen opened three new corporate stores. the concept was just as popular in every neighbourhood market it entered, she entered the wonderful world of franchising to give budding entrepreneurs the same rush and freedom that only small business give. (pssst, check out the franchising section to learn more!)