After two years of lockdown, it's fair to say we're all emerging a little worse for wear. Baking bread had its advantages, but it can only do so much to stem the anxiety we’ve been living with for the past two years. To help shake off the fear, isolation and disheveled appearances, Indigo comes to us with not only books, but balm too.

This weekend, Canada's largest books emporium launches its paean to all things beauty and wellness with a 1,300-square-foot boutique nestled within its Robson Street store in Vancouver. From skincare and makeup to fitness gear and curated books, the shop-in-shop offers the weary and the worn an assortment of essentials to stem their pandemic hangover stress.

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“Our beauty and wellness business has seen consistent, increased customer demand over the years and the self-care category has continued to grow throughout the pandemic,” says Pam McDermott, Indigo's merchant vice president of lifestyle. “Our Robson Beauty and Wellness shop was a natural progression in meeting customer demand and interest.”

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The initiative partners with The Detox Market, one of the world's largest online clean beauty marketplaces, with in-house experts on hand to help navigate their range of offerings. Or learn how to separate your Blume (vegan beauty all under $35) from your Bushbalm (Canadian skincare company that focuses on ingrown hairs and razor burn), two of the many other eco-conscious and cruelty-free brands also on hand. Mainstream staples like Shiseido and Origins are on the wellness ticket while Therabody and Bala shore up post-pandemic fitness goals. Classes are up next on the agenda: makeup workshops, mindfulness and meditation sessions and journaling workshops too.

Grand opening April 30th, 1033 Robson Street, Vancouver, Indigo.ca

Amanda Ross

Amanda Ross