SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Etandah Organic Day Spa has only been in its new location on Franklin Avenue since December, but the spa is already ready to get growing.

Meagan Peters, owner of Etandah Organic Day Spa, says her new, larger space will mean more organic, cruelty-free products available in Yellowknife. - Jessica Davey-Quantick/NNSL photo

Owner Meagan Peters says the new space is much larger than its previous spot next to Sunlines Alterations and Convenience, and they're already on the hunt for a new esthetician.

"The space we were in there was three of us sharing and so our hours were very limited," said Peters, who said her bookings have been piling up. "Actually it kind of sucks because every day I'm saying, 'Bye, money' because I can't accommodate people that need to get in right away."

The services she offers include facials, massage, manicures, pedicures and eyebrow maintenance.

Peters said she is committed to offering organic and cruelty-free products, which means there is some additional education involved when new people join the team. "What they're doing with our beauty products is very upsetting actually. They're putting chemicals in there that are carcinogenic, chemicals that cause disease and they're really bad for our skin and hair. So one of my roles here is I educate people in the chemicals that they want to avoid," she explained.

Top on her hit-list are the "dirty dozen" - 12 chemicals often added to products that can cause cancer or disrupt the endocrine, or hormone, system, among other potential side effects. On the list are chemicals like formaldehyde, parabens and petroleum products.

Peters says if people want to avoid these chemicals, reading labels is a start, but there are other things to watch out for. For example, companies can hide harmful chemicals by calling them something vague, like "fragrance" or "parfum" instead naming the individual compounds.

"You think you have all of these options when you go and look but you really don't. They're putting the same junk in everything," she said.

Peters said the new space she's in offers a large enough space for her to expand the retail end of her business as well as the spa services. This means she will be able to offer products such as natural makeup and nail polishes devoid of formaldehyde.

"There's people when they find out there's poison in their products, they throw it in the garbage and they've made that change. Those are the people that I attract to this business," said Peters.

She said many first-timers are surprised how well natural products work, or discover the chemicals in the products they use might actually be causing the problems they're making appointments to fix.

"We've all been conditioned to think that that squeaky clean feeling is what we're supposed to have, and that's not," she said.