Out & About #159 | Initium Co., Wooffles & Cream, and Gong Cha

I'd be lying if I said that my eyes don't light up at the sight of gimmicks. But even so, my brain still manages to function adequately enough that my reason isn't swayed, especially seeing that the consequences would include unjustified financial losses and decreased productivity.

Initium Co.'s extravagant cotton candy lattes were first caught sight of on a casual Insta-search (can that please be a term??!) for GTA eateries. Extensive research followed from that moment onwards.

The concept behind Initium and their spherical tangle of hot pink string (ie. their logo) is to provide a space where customers can enjoy themselves at any point of the day, and heightening the overall experience by likening visits to "a journey".

Situated in a quiet plaza just off the 404 at Woodbine, the self-proclaimed café/salon/lounge hybrid occupies the space of two shops, and provides even more parking spots.
The shop can be accessed via two entrances: one on the left enables one to directly enter their café/bar area, while the right permits allowance to the hair salon. Regardless, the two sides are connected, meaning that activities taking place in one section can also be observed with ease from the other.

In the middle of the shop lies the reception desk, which utilizes the same white-magenta colour scheme as their logo.

Half of the total area is allocated for the salon: a hair-washing station (capable of serving four guests simultaneously) and at least ten seats for open-space hairstyling. An abundant selection of magazines can also be found in the centre of this space, along with a rack of salon gowns situated not too far from the reception desk. As Initium also described itself to be a lounge, it was noticed a few large, comfy chairs were also situated at the centre of the floor, bridging the café/bar and salon.

Curious as to how such a creatively-defined hybrid would deliver their services, I booked a much-needed haircut some two weeks before I knew I was due for a trip to Markham. Their prices were not listed anywhere on their website nor social media accounts, but the man who picked up the phone was glad to explain their services and associated fees. I was originally scheduled for 11:00 AM, but later rescheduled for 10:00 AM, the time at which the shop would open.
 
This being my first visit, I had no designated stylist. However, customers had the option of choosing between members of varying levels of seniority: (from high to low) Director, Senior Stylist, and Junior Stylist. Of course, the prices of the services provided by each of these roles would also differ accordingly.

As the first customer of the day, my jacket was promptly hung up and I was escorted to a padded chair after being provided a salon gown. Several magazines were then placed on the elevated glass/wood platform beside me; a hook was spotted to the side of this apparatus, which I gladly hung my handbag on instead of attempting to place it in one of the open compartments.

The Senior Stylist shortly made his way over, donning a tailored, navy blazer and an overall tastefully-executed nautical/preppy ensemble, and then proceeded to ask about the manner in which I wanted my hair to be cut.
I questioned whether my hair would be washed first, explaining that the roots were on the greasy side. He gave no consideration to this and simply repeated his question, "How would you like it cut?", with a slight edge of arrogance. Dismissing it, I stated that I wanted a simple trim, approximately 1.5 inches, to maintain the current style, and void my mane of any unsalable split ends.

He got to work swiftly, smoothing out tangles in each section as he measured, cut, measured, and cut again. The process was quick, but far from hasty; even through moments of scrolling through social media feeds (they have stable Wi-Fi!), I was able to see that he worked with an incredible degree of precision.

Not too long after, he asked me to survey the results. It was at this point that I came to the realization that my hair length had been reduced a hefty amount – about two inches had been chopped off, making my hair significantly shorter. It was a shock at first, but I quickly came to enjoy the sight of split-end-free strands. After a few more bits of thinning, I was whisked away to the hair-washing station by a Junior Stylist. There, I underwent the most pleasing hair-washing experience of life.

Yelp reviews had grandly applauded the salon's "scalp massages", but the phrases had tended to go over my head until I found myself in the same position. Following the standard lather-rinse-repeat and conditioning cycles, I was provided a phenomenal scalp and neck massage. Every bit of it was tremendously relaxing, such that I had almost forgotten that I wasn't in a spa scenario until it was time to get up and dry my hair. It was the ultimate hair-washing experience, and, dare I say, even better than the neck massages from spas that charge double the price.

Returning to my seat, the Junior Stylist began to blowdry my hair, sans-diffuser, until the more experienced Senior Stylist came back to complete the finishing touches. He taught me a method of enhancing my natural waves that could be applied to blowdrying my hair at home – something that no other stylist has ever bothered to mention to me in all my years of salon-hopping (and stylist-searching).

When the styling concluded, I began to see the reason behind his arrogance: I looked like me, but better. He had met all the requirements, but had added his own spin to the finished product. The result was a clean, natural-looking cut capable of being maintained without the use of specific products or equipment. And for the first time in my life, my bangs had been trimmed to just the right length.
 
The change is stunningly noticeable, but it's been enough to make me giddy every single time I catch a glimpse of no-longer-frayed-ends and perfectly-cut bangs. Saying that I'm thrilled with this new endeavour is an understatement.

Following the retrieval of my jacket, I ventured into the café/bar section of the shop, snapping numerous shots of the décor along the way.

A young, grey-haired barista soon appeared; he provided me with the café menu: a booklet comprised of several sheets of canvas-like paper strung together with twine.

As I flipped through, he began to describe the origins of their most popular items, with one of them being their crepe cake. With a $12.95 price tag attached, I found it to be a rather steep investment for a snack. Either way, I hadn't planned to order any food items on this trip as I would be heading for lunch shortly afterwards.

I opted for their Green Tea Latte, which wasn't particularly wallet-friendly either at $5.45 before tax, but was glad I committed: it was smooth and extremely fragrant, exhibiting no signs of the flavourless, green substances found at coffee shops downtown (or maybe I just haven't found the right one?). Amidst the grassy scent and wonderfully vibrant green hue was embedded a soothing, mildly sweet concoction of optimal temperature.

View the full album HERE !

In addition, the barista was extremely friendly, and even went as far to explain the steps that he was taking to create my drink when I inquired. His patience and attention to detail was also displayed through the meticulous creation of my bear latte art, which, admittedly, required a greater number of tools than I initially thought.

Evidently passionate, he continued to describe the various functions of the espresso machine and coffee bean grinders even after the latte had been served; I also learned about how Initium came to forming their own unique blend of coffee beans. He was honestly a great pleasure to converse with!

To be frank, I had initially made plans to visit Initium's café section for lunch with a friend. Unfortunately, this plan failed to execute when I was notified of his car experiencing transmission issues the day before. Making attempts to contact another friend also resulted in failure, as she was out of the city. What a shame! Nonetheless, this now gives me reason to return and explore more of their menu options, and bring this strategically-executed salon/café/bar hybrid to light. (Hehehehe)
 
(Side note: I have purposely chosen to omit the names of the stylists/members that served me during my stay for privacy reasons.)

The remainder of the day was spent in obtaining Wooffles – the classic Lap Cheong 'n' Seaweed egg waffle and Green Tea Soft Serve combo never fails me! – accompanied with a refreshing cup of Kumquat Lemon Italian Soda, grocery shopping, a short visit to Pacific Mall, and grabbing Wintermelon Teas from Gong Cha before heading back.

< Pictured above: Lap Cheong 'n' Seaweed Wooffles + Green Tea Soft Serve, Kumquat Lemon Italian Soda >
​
View the full album HERE !

< Pictured below: Wintermelon Tea and Wintermelon Milk Tea >

I stand by my ​previous review: the teas are made poorly in comparison to the North York location and service is less than exemplary. Both drinks were sickeningly sugary, despite our request for 30% sugar; the Wintermelon Milk Tea also proved to be disgustingly milky this time around, which is a telltale sign of incapability to measure out the correct amount of milk powder.

Further expanding on their list of faults is a hideous and grimy washroom in dire need of maintenance, and failing to present customers with a cleanly-sealed drink.
 
(Side note: Remind myself to never return to this location out of convenience…)

But on a more positive note, the sunset was decently pretty, even if it lead to severe glares while driving.

I also picked up a few things at The Face Shop while I was it, especially since Black Friday sales are a tad too long of a wait to go without blotting sheets and shampoo.

---