(photo by: Will Pursell Photography)

 

Valentine’s Day is next Wednesday.

We’ve put together a petite list of gifts and experiences for lovers to indulge in. In Gastown, you’ll find the usual and the extraordinary along with the classic and the nouveau.

Whatever you fancy, make it special and celebrate the day in style.

Chocolates

Clichéd perhaps for some yet imperative for others; giving chocolate on Valentine’s Day is as classic to the holiday as cards and roses. If you like gifting sweets to your sweet, check out East Van Roasters and Rogers Chocolates – both shops craft their own sugared wares exclusively with fair trade certified cocoa.

  East Van Roasters

Cinnamon Hearts. Available only until Valentine’s Day. Free from refined sugar, gluten and soy.

Equally as desirable is EVR’s Dark Milk Chocolate Bar – 60% Guatemala with organic milk powder. Lightly sprinkled with candied violet and hibiscus to enhance the floral and fruity notes of the chocolate (gluten/soy free).

 

Rogers Chocolates

A milk and dark chocolate collection including a Mocha Truffle, 72% Dark Chocolate Truffle, Salted Empress Caramel, Raspberry Caramel, Sea Salt Caramel and two milk chocolate hearts.

 Dessert

Mosquito

Dark, subdued, and dreamy – Mosquito is for lovers. Masters at the art of plated desserts, each of their sweet creations demand time, both in construction and admiration. The hideaway boasts an impressive champagne list along with a fine selection of sparkling, red and white wines.

Current dessert menu includes: Venezuela Chocolate Soufflé, Thai Basil & Raspberry Chocolate Bar, Key Lime & Coconut, Candy Cap Mushroom & Praline and Grand Marnier Saffron Crème Brulée.

 

Skincare

An alternative to the usual love day gifts, good quality skincare can awaken the senses and nourish the soul. Aveda and Aesop create oils, balms, and creams that are made only with naturally sourced ingredients.

 Aesop

Breathless – A Vitamin E-rich hydrating massage oil enhanced with nut oil extracts, to nourish, soften, and replenish dry skin – made from Blood Orange, Jojoba Seed, Laurel Leaf.

 

Aveda

Aveda Love Composition Oil – Certified organic nourishing aromatic oil for body, bath, hair and scalp with a sensual aroma from pure flower and plant essences. Made Aveda’s own pure-fume aroma with indigenous-collected Australian sandalwood and certified organic jasmine, vetiver and frankincense.

 

Massage and Float

Massage before dinner? Why not?! Float after dessert? Certainly. Experiences like these are often unexpected and can keep the fun and excitement alive in your relationship. Book a pair of massages and indulge in deep restorative bodywork.If you haven’t experienced floating, it’s something that should be tried at least once.

 

Vancouver School of Bodywork & Massage offers some of the city’s most affordable massage services. Students of all levels perform a thorough assessment and practice various techniques including shiatsu, hot stone massage, and reflexology.

Check yourself and your love one into the Float House for some serious sensory deprivation and relaxation. The tanks are filled with 10” of warm water with 800 lbs of dissolved Epsom salts. Free from light and sound, you float for up to 90 minutes and sail away into blissful nothingness.

 Dinner

Gastown is one awesome place to go out and have dinner. Our community of restaurants are vibrant and diverse with  cuisines and styles that are as unique as the neighbourhood.

There are a number of establishments offering special Valentines Day menus:

Water Street Café

Bauhaus

La Casita

Jules Bistro

 

Things for lovers

Honey Gifts is the neighbourhood’s primary source for sex toys, oils, lubricants and lingerie. Among other things, you’ll find a special curated selection of holiday gifts and Valentine’s Day essentials.