Photo meetup groups shift what is often a purely solitary pursuit into a community social experience. And since Toronto is brimming with amateur and professional photography talent it's no secret that photo meetup groups are thriving here. Regardless of their specific spin, photo meetup groups encourage image-makers of all ages and skill levels to network and socialize, improve their skills and capture the city's architecture, people, landscapes and street life.

Here are 5 photo meetup groups in Toronto worth checking out.

Toronto Photo Walks
Every second Saturday these popular walks are held in various neighborhoods around the city, rain or shine. Organizers aim to accommodate the mixed interests of the group's members with a range of locations featuring architecture, graffiti, wildlife and people. The group occasionally ventures outside city limits to explore smaller cities and rural wildlife. Toronto Photo Walks has held over 100 events and recently celebrated its four-year anniversary.

Instameet
This relatively new meetup group is centred around, you guessed it, Instagram photography. Meetups are held monthly on weekends, with ad hoc mini-meets held in between. Though smartphone cameras rule in this group, DSLR and point-and-shoot cameras are most welcome. Recent Instameets have taken place at the Harbourfront ice rink and Ripley's Aquarium.

Toronto Photography Meetup Group
This group focuses on developing the skills of its members through organized studio shoots, free photo walks, and print swap critiques. The group has an average of three events per month held in various locations in the city. The Toronto Photography Meetup Group splits the cost of studio shoots among participating members. The group's active online forum has discussions on technique, gear and mentoring opportunities.

500px Meetup
Toronto's favourite photography startup hosts occasional photography meetups for its members and those curious about the 500px website. The informal meetups encourage members to put a face to a username and shoot in neighbourhoods around the city. 500px meetups are currently on hiatus for the winter and will resume in the coming months.

Flickr Meetup
Toronto members of this globally popular photo sharing site have been organizing monthly meetups since 2005. Primarily a social get-together for Flickr users, Toronto's monthly Flickr meetup is typically held in a pub or restaurant. Shooting happens informally, and group members skew toward the baby-boomer demographic.

What did I miss? Give props to your favourite Toronto photo meetup group in the comments below.

Writing by Emily Baillie. Photo by Tyler in the blogTO Flickr pool

This casual Italian eatery near George Brown might not get a lot of attention, but with a menu devoted to house made fare, it hold its own against many restaurants with more fanfare. Try the excellent pizzas, homemade pastas and all Italian wine list.

Read my review of Mangia & Bevi in the restaurants section.

The top 15 new pizza joints in Toronto are welcome additions to the city's pool of pizza players. Whether hankering for a quick slice or a premium personal pie, there's a slew of new ovens all fired up and ready to deliver some seriously satisfying pizza.

Here are the top 15 new pizza joints in Toronto.

Enzo Pizza Bar
This casual pizza parlour on West Queen West doesn't do slices but can flash-bake personalized pizzas on chewy thin crust to order. The traditional pizzas here are killer, but the real standout is the Americano a.k.a Big Mac pizza.

Napoli Centrale
The menu at this newly opened pizzeria in The Annex majors in Neapolitan style pizzas characterized by a thin, blistering wood-fired crust with soupy cheese and sauce bubbling in the centre.

Pizzeria Via Mercanti (Elm St.)
The Kensington Market pizzeria branched out with this second location this year. The menu boasts over 20 traditional pizzas plus a signature two layer pie that sees a Margherita pizza sandwiched on top a fully loaded ricotta, cured meat and mushroom-topped pizza.

Sud Forno
There's plenty to celebrate at this Terroni bakery on Queen West, but the oblong, Roman-style pizzas are possibly the highlight. Topped with simple combinations of delicious fresh ingredients, slices can be ordered by the square for swift grab-and-go snacking.

THR & Co.
While the menu doesn't deal exclusively in pizza, the straight-from-the-oven pies are worthy of note. Served to the table with scissors, the pizzas here come topped with combinations like dandelion and ricotta or fresh mozzarella with white anchovy.

Sip Wine Bar
Located north of Eglinton on Yonge, this newly opened Italian trattoria upholds authentic Neapolitan recipes and pizza-making traditions. The menu lists over twenty thin-crust, char-flavoured pies topped with fresh ingredients.

Sagra
Situated on a sleepy stretch of Annette St., this casual Italian cafe builds hearty pizzas over a base of house-made red sauce or pestos. Toppings include house-made fennel sausage and ultra fresh ingredients like roasted peppers and fior di latte.

Luce
This casual neighbourhood joint on King West offers nine different pizzas billed simply by a list of toppings. Expect to find delicious assortment of toppings like roast beef, onion and mushrooms variation as well as am anchovies, capers and onion topped pie.

Destingo
The menu at this casual restaurant on West Queen West boasts a line-up of homestyle Italian standards including half dozen basic thin-crust pizzas. Best bets here include the traditional Margherita, four-mushroom with prosciutto or vegetable studded Primavera.

Big House Pizza
Located on the Danforth this pizzeria offers build-your-own-pizzas along with a selection of carnivorous creations and vegetarian specialties. Try the Rob "The Jerk" Ford pizza loaded with jerk chicken or the "steak dinner" that features shaved top sirloin, blue cheese and sliced baked potato.

King Slice (Queen St.)
This take-out counter keeps the menu simple specializing in oversized slices of the absolute essentials. Deluxe, Margherita, Pepperoni and Arrabiata slices are billed alongside fresh salads and hot Italian deli sandwiches.

Vita Sociale
This upmarket Italian restaurant replaced the venerable Centro restaurant at Yonge and Eglinton this year. Along with elegant takes on Italian staples, the menu offers eight specialty pizzas like the Bianca topped with rich mascarpone, prosciutto, arugula and balsamic or the unusual Uovo topped with egg, basil and cured fish roe.

Forno Cultura
Pizza al taglio baked in trays and sold by the square is available at this Italian bakery on King West. Just save room for dessert because this charming spot is also serious about its sweets.

Drake 150
The Financial District spin-off pf The Drake Hotel makes stone-baked pizzas with a hand-formed sourdough crust. Keep with tradition and try the Margherita or go all out with toppings like luxe chunks of lobster meat and truffle puree.

PizzaWorks
[edit] Apparently these guys could've made our list: The 10 biggest Toronto restaurant flops of 2013.

Queen Margherita Pizza (Baby Point)
These purveyors of Neapolitan pies are well loved for for top notch wood-fired pizzas. This spin-off spot back opened back in the spring and QMP continues to tease Dundas Street West with an imminent opening at the corner of Markham.

Photo from our review of Sagra

Quirky neighbourhood maps have gotten a whole lot more popular in recent years, as Toronto has experienced something of a swell in urban pride (Rob Ford notwithstanding). Along with the ever popular Ork poster and Dave Murray's word cloud offerings, there's a mini map making industry devoted to charting Toronto in new and unique ways. I haven't, however, seen local maps to rival the stature of these laser engraved offerings from Ottawa-based company N-Product. Etched on reclaimed wood, the Urbanwood line is an elegant example of modern cartography.

The company started by mapping neighbourhoods close to home, but has branched out into other cities. As far as Toronto selections go, there are currently templates for The Annex, Distillery District, Junction, Kensington Market, Leslieville, Parkdale, Trinity-Bellwoods, and Wychwood. In addition to these stock offerings, N Product also makes custom maps for just about anywhere they can source map data.

"Our process is quite straight forward,co-founder Dominic Coballe explains. "We use Google map data to identify the 'hood. Simplify it with line weighs and icons for parks and waterways, and then add in a unique typeface for each locale. It takes about six to eight hours for each map."

Prices range from $100 to $300 depending on size and the nature of the order (custom or otherwise), and there's also a "poster" version on regular wood that comes in at $150. More details and custom order options are available on the N Product website.

Toronto Public Library is working on a deal to offer a digital streaming service similar to - though quite as comprehensive as - Netflix. An agreement with Hoopla Digital, which is currently still under discussion, would allow card holders to stream movies, TV, and music to home computers, cellphones and tablet devices.

The free service would work via the Hoopla application, which supports pushing audio and video to Apple TV boxes. Titles are automatically returned without incurring late fees and there are no holds or waiting lists for popular rentals, the company says.

Hoopla Digital currently provides streaming services for 40 North American public libraries. In November, the company signed deals with Universal Pictures, MGM, National Geographic and BBC America, adding to existing agreements with PBS, NBC, Warner Brothers, Paramount, Scholastic, and National Geographic. In Canada, the company is already operating in Edmonton and Hamilton.

Users borrow content for a fixed period via the Hoopla iPhone, Android or computer application. Using Edmonton's service as a guide, videos can be viewed for three days and music for seven before the app automatically hands the material back.

TPL already has an audio- and e-book contract with Overdrive, a distributor based in Ohio, and it's not clear at this stage whether that would change.

Don't expect brand new Hollywood titles; a quick browse of the Hoopla library reveals "new and notable" movies such as Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow (2004,) Johnny English (2003,) Angela's Ashes (1999,) and The Mummy (1999.) There's a decent selection of 90's classics, documentaries, and educational shows, however.

Music comes via Universal Music and Warner Music. Drake's Nothing Was the Same is one of the more recent titles that stands out among the offerings.

TPL hasn't announced how it will fund the planned deal. Hoopla's promotional material touts a pay structure that charges libraries only for the content users actually use - "there are no setup fees, subscription fees, annual fees, or long-term contracts," it says, which could be a boon for the cash-strapped Toronto library system.

According to a library spokesperson, an agreement could be signed as early as this week.

What do you think of the planned deal - will it be a win for Toronto's library service? Will you register for a library card to get access to Hoopla?

Chris Bateman is a staff writer at blogTO. Follow him on Twitter at @chrisbateman.

When it's minus 20 degrees outside you know it's soup weather. It's a good thing, then, that out latest contest is all about soup - soup for you and up to 50 of your fellow workmates. It's all courtesy of Happy Planet, makers of some of the best soup around. Want to get your fill?

Get all the details on how to enter this contest here.

Photo by jnbc_ in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Tonight, you can be entertained by "words" at either The Garrison, for True Stories Told Live, or the Queen Gallery Poetry Night. Lula Lounge has an interesting and global-leaning lineup up with Lenka Lichtenberg's Fray, and an opening DJ set by Eccodek, whose remix of one of Lichtenberg's tunes is being released tonight. You can also check out a couple of clows tackle John Steinbeck, as the opening night of Of Mice and Morro and Jasp goes down at the Factory Studio Theatre.

• Lenka Lichtenberg + Eccodek (DJ + Live PA set)
• Queen Gallery Poetry Night XIV
• True Stories Told Live January
• Of Mice and Morro and Jasp in Toronto!

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly

The streak of no red cards continues on DineSafe this week, though Mr. Congee racked up a whopping nine infractions to earn its yellow card. In other news, a couple Kensington Market spots were cited for insufficient pest control, but the sight of a public school cafeteria on this list is just... bleak.

Here's this week's round up.

Dolce Camerata Dessert Caffe (6464 Yonge St)
Inspected on: January 21, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 3 (Minor: 1, Significant: 3)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Our Spot (180 Baldwin St)
Inspected on: January 22, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 3 (Minor: 2, Significant: 1)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Central Technical School (725 Bathurst St)
Inspected on: January 22, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 2, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Operator fail to ensure food is not contaminated/adulterated

La Prep Daily Fresh (2 Bloor St E )
Inspected on: January 22, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 1 (Minor: 1, Significant: 2, Crucial: 1)
Crucial infractions include: Employee fail to wash hands when required

Patty King (187 Baldwin St)
Inspected on: January 23, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 2 (Minor: 1, Significant: 1)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Mr. Congee (2900 Warden Ave)
Inspected on: January 24, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 9 (Minor: 5, Significant: 4)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

Master Mix Hot Pot (261 Spadina Ave)
Inspected on: January 24, 2014
Inspection finding: Yellow (Conditional)
Number of infractions: 5 (Minor: 2, Significant: 3)
Crucial infractions include: N/A

This Playter Estates detached home at 1 Hurndale Avenue has been carefully staged from top to bottom, inside and out, but don't consider it a dupe. The house has been thoughtfully renovated and has a lot of attractive new features, including bathrooms with heated marble floors, a fully rebuilt cedar and slate front porch, and a surfeit of pendant lights. In a barren, bidding war-filled winter real estate market, this place won't be a hard sell.

The house is within sight of Broadview Station (got you covered, TTC access) but it does back right onto Danforth Ave (enjoy sweeping vistas of the LCBO's yellow brick butt). The small building in the backyard was probably a crumbling storage shed in a past life, but is now a finished, heated studio. It's being billed as an artist/music/yoga studio, but it could really be used for anything: ballet/painting/séances, scrapbooking/30 Day Shredding/meltdowns, meditation/dog mansion/life-sized board games.

A large master bedroom retreat can be found on the third floor. This might not work for parents who want to be close to their kid's rooms, but the solitude and space can't be beat. The renovated bathrooms are especially nice--heated towel racks sound at once indulgent and totally amazing--but those sliding glass bathroom doors might be a turn-off for people who like their private time to stay private.

SPECS

• Address: 1 Hurndale Ave
• Price: $1,589,000
• Lot Size: 25 x 100 ft.
• Bedrooms: 4 + 1
• Bathrooms: 4
• Parking Spaces: 1 according to the listing, but all signs point to street permit only
• Taxes: $6,918.00 (approx.)
• Walk Score: 95

NOTABLE FEATURES

• New AyA kitchen with quartz countertops
• Quarter sewn white oak floors throughout
• Newly built back deck with glass and aluminum railings
• Large wood-burning fireplace

GOOD FOR

Taking in stellar views of downtown while tobogganing down Riverdale Park, a quick 200m walk to the subway, picking up a bottle of wine after work. The Playter Estates neighbourhood is known to be tight knit, friendly, and full of nearby amenities. There's a grocery store just down the street, and the high-ranked Jackman Public School is only a short walk away.

MOVE ON IF

Parking might be an issue here (including overflow from Danforth Ave), so buyers with multiple vehicles should exercise caution. Although the house is fully finished and looks great on film, some cosmetic changes might be needed. The oversized, dark fireplace doesn't really suit the front room, so consider shelling out to have it repainted or refaced. Also take note of the lack of curtains and blinds--staging strikes again--and prepare to outfit most of the windows if you want to retain some privacy.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS

Read other posts in this series via our House of the Week Pinterest board.

Loblaws is on its way to Kensington, or, more accurately, to College St. just north of the Market. Despite a hefty dose of neighbourhood protest and general disapproval of the idea, the chain grocery store is due to arrive on the site that formerly housed the Zen Buddhist Temple as part of a 15-storey development from Tribute, which will also feature other, as yet to be disclosed retail. At an estimated 20,000 square feet, the store won't be huge by Loblaws standards, but it'll be big enough to test out concerns that big retail will have a negative impact on the Market's independent shops.

So how will Kensington fare once this major grocery store opens so close by? I'll go on the record as saying that I suspect not much will change. Yes, it's big news, and entirely understandable that neighbourhood business owners and residents show concern over the store's pending arrival, but doom and gloom narratives regarding the encroachment of chain retail in the area surrounding the Market imply that the neighbourhood's retail viability is dangerously tenuous.

I don't think that's true. Kensington Market, as whole, offers a different product than Loblaws, even as you can buy bread, meat and cheese at both. Corporations like to spend a lot on what's called brand identity, some set of characteristics that will foster customer loyalty. This, as it happens, is precisely what Kensington already has without anyone having to invent it. While the Market serves nearby residents, it's also a place that people choose to shop, and that's not going to change with the arrival of Loblaws on College.

What do you think? Will the arrival of Loblaws harm Kensington Market?

Musician Paul Rose comes in many forms. Widely known as the driving force behind Hotflush Recordings - a label that's been pushing the boundaries of electronic music since its founding in 2003 - Rose also reigned over Berlin club Berghain with his residency set SUB:STANCE, and has a release in the famous DJ-Kicks compilation series.

Yet it is for his alias, Scuba, that Rose is most recognized. He will be attacking Coda (formerly Footwork) under this name, in a can't-miss stop on his North American tour that opened with Mexico's BPM Festival on January 5th.

Leading up to the show this Friday I chatted with the UK-born DJ to get some perspective on his musical roots.

First things first, where did you grow up?

In north London.

How did you get into DJ-ing?

I got into techno when I was 15 or 16, having played guitar and been in bands since I was really young, and part of that was going to record shops and spending all my money on vinyl. I didn't get my first set of decks (which I still have) until a bit later though, and my first paid gig was a year or so after that.

Who were your major influences starting out?

Carl Cox's FACT 1 mix was a key thing for me early, but there were so many different things happening back then and being in London most of the good stuff was right on my doorstep. So I went to a lot of jungle nights where Andy C and Mampi Swift were the stand out DJs for me. Techno was the main thing for me though, there were two shows on Kiss FM (Colin Dale and Colin Faver) which I used to record and listen to on the way to school.

How did you start Hotflush Recordings? What has your favourite release from the label been thus far?

Hotflush was a complete DIY thing for ages, we didn't even have proper distribution for the first 4 or 5 releases. The label has gone through various different musical stages, obviously it was a big part of the early dubstep thing, and then the "post-dubstep" thing happened with Mount Kimbie, and in the last 2 or 3 years we've been much more focused on house and techno. So it's difficult to pick any one release because there's been so much different stuff.

You moved to Berlin in 2007. How does the German music scene compare to the UK?

Well, Berlin is very different to the rest of Germany and the same applies to the music scene. The UK generally is incredibly forward thinking, and since 1990 every important new thing in electronic music has basically come from there, and actually you could make a reasonable case that it's all come from London. Berlin is probably the best western city to go on a night out, and Berghain is still probably the best club in the world, but generally I wouldn't say that cutting edge music is something that I associate with Germany or even Berlin.

There were some amazing selections on your DJ-Kicks album. Did you have a theme or tone in mind when you chose those tracks? What was your experience like making that album?

The mix I did for DJ-Kicks was an attempt to condense the longer sets that I was playing at Berghain around that time, where I'd start off at around 135bpm and gradually slow down over the course of 3 or 4 hours to something around 122bpm. So there was a concept behind it, and listening back to it now I'm not sure if I completely succeeded in what I was attempting to do. It feels a little rushed to me, but the music is great...

I think if I'd had another 30 minutes or so to play the same number of tracks in the same order the result might've felt a little bit more natural to me now. It's a long time ago (nearly 3 years) that I did it though, and quite a lot has changed in the way I approach things in that time.

What's in your headphones when you aren't onstage?

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History Podcast.

What's your favourite thing about playing live?

The opportunity to test out music that I've spent the whole week working on in the studio. Of course it doesn't always work out well, but the instant feedback is crucial.

RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS

Favourite song?Darling Nikki by Prince

Favourite venue?Arsenal Stadium, Highbury (RIP)

Favourite food?Jamón Ibérico de Bellota

Favourite beer? Anything flat, not too cold, served in a pub in England.

--

Scuba plays Coda on January 31st for the official Brrr Festival pre-party.

Follow Adam Golfetto on Twitter

For all the development in Toronto, there are still plenty of under-thought spaces with untapped potential. Case in point: Victoria Lane. Running parallel to Yonge between Dundas and Gould, the nondescript alleyway is a drab space that's only noteworthy attribute is that it's home to Ryerson's bike storage area. Acknowledging the missed opportunity to turn this space into something more pedestrian and, fittingly, bike-friendly, the AIAS REvitalization Group has launched a design competition to rethink the lane.

It's a modest competition -- only $30,000 is earmarked for materials -- but one that could have a positive impact on a downtown campus that faces challenges in establishing a unified identity. Eight designs have been submitted to the competition, most of which play up the presence of the bike storage facilities. While some are clearly stronger than others, each take on Victoria Lane would represent a vast improvement over the current space. Voting on the designs is open until February 5th.

If there was a glory period for print journalism, it would likely be the years captured in this photo collection recently posted by the Toronto Archives. Forget Twitter, this was a period before SLR cameras, when press photographers would cart around large format Speed Graphic cameras secured to unwieldy tripods all about town in search of the next big story. Newsrooms were smoke-filled places occupied almost exclusively by tie-clad men furiously typing away in an effort to hit hard deadlines.

As popular as it is to bemoan the state of journalism nowadays -- an act that always involves some underlying and tortured nostalgia -- another way to approach the subject is to track the various ways in which the enterprise has changed over the years. Toward that end, here's what it used to look like (the first part of the story).

These photos offering a fascinating if altogether brief glimpse into the newsrooms of the past, which are visually alluring at the very least. There's a certain unspoken optimism on display here that's easy to spot if you look at the expressions on the faces of the reporters and photographers captured below. The changes on the horizon don't exist in these men's minds, and their enthusiasm for the profession appears unbridled.

PHOTOS

Toronto Star city desk, 1908

Photographers at Queen's Park, 1914

Reporters waiting for a story, 1915

Press members crowd into a Chevrolet, 1919

City Hall on election night in 1926

Fox News truck, 1929

Toronto Star newsroom, 1930

Hemingway at the Star, 1930

At the track in 1935

Lord Bessborough and press, 1933

Photographers at the track in 1946

Press room in 1957

Toronto Star newsroom, 1964

Photos from the Toronto Archives

Jay Z is so secure he doesn't need security guards.

As the rapper/mogul/world's most famous Grammy-winning daddy launches into the climax of his 120-minute, hit-laden performance at Air Canada Centre Monday night, he instructs the yellow jackets patrolling the front of the stage to "take three and half minutes off."

The security guards oblige - Shawn Carter gets what he asks for, y'know - and slink off to the wings as the Brooklyn emcee encourages the crammed hockey arena to get up on their seats for "Niggas in Paris," the Kanye West-assisted juggernaut from pals' Watch the Throne.

It was that kind of night: living legend Jiggaman running the town with slam-dunk hits you know are coming but still sound fresher than his crisp sneakers.

Dressed in all black everything and backed by a minimal supporting quartet - a DJ, a drummer, one guitarist/bassist, and superproducer Timbaland(!) on keys - Hova mixed in the best of his 12th album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, with safe, surefire crowd-pleasers such as "99 Problems," "Big Pimpin'," and "Dirt Off Your Shoulder."

If you hadn't caught it on television, you wouldn't know that Jay Z had just flown in from Los Angeles, where he made everyone jealous of his drunk-in-love wife, scooped up his 19th Grammy and turned it into a sippy cup for his two-year-old.

The rapper-businessman has been on the road for the 52-date Magna Carter World Tour since Oct. 3, a tour he kicked off on the heels of another tour, Legends of Summer with Justin Timberlake. And the dude is 44. Yet he still strolled the stage with the dependable demeanour we expect from our experts: relaxed, charismatic, confident, playful, and forever in control.

The whole operation - an industrial, bare-bones set, a few video splashes of red and blue, no hypemen, no dancers, no cameos, no gimmicks - stands in sharp contrast to his friend Kanye's current tour, an elaborate and expensive theatrical experience. Jay Z narrows his focus to the songs, delivering what the people want to hear with economy and precision.

Jigga's breath control on the rapid-fire "Jigga What, Jigga Who" is flawless, and his rare rendition of 1996's "Dead Presidents" brought back a flood of memories for the older heads in attendance. (If there is one complaint about a Jay-Z show, it's the lack of surprises in the set list.)

So when it came time for the encore - led off, predictably, by "Encore" - it felt like a lay-up. The crowd, some of whom had seen him just six months prior, had already nestled into his palm. "Empire State of Mind" gave way to "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)" gave way to "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)" gave way to a lighters-up "Young Forever," dedicated to Nelson Mandela.

I love Mondays.

SET LIST

Higher (Intro) / U Don't Know
Crown
On to the Next One
Holy Grail
FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt
Beach Is Better
99 Problems
Picasso Baby
Dead Presidents
Pound Cake
No Church in the Wild
Somewhereinamerica
Big Pimpin'
Jigga My Nigga
Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99)
Dirt Off Your Shoulder
I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)
Niggas in Paris
Tom Ford
Public Service Announcement
Clique
Run This Town

ENCORE

Encore
Empire State of Mind
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
Young Forever

Writing by Luke Fox / Photos by Tom Pandi

Manscaping services in Toronto are a lot more common than you might think. Many spas and salons that handle body hair removal extend their services to men as well, and a few gents-only barbershops and spas have even folded waxing, sugaring or body shaves into their services.

Back when it was first popularized, manscaping used to only refer to the guy equivalent of the bikini wax, and the smirks that usually accompanied the term (usually, right after someone said metrosexual) seemed to cement it as unnecessary or even taboo. Not so in today's Toronto - the term is bandied about when discussing procedures as innocent as an eyebrow wax, and even the dreaded manzilian is available alongside its female counterpart in plenty of salons.

Whatever your hair removal needs, these spots will have you looking like a smooth customer in no time.

Allure Body Bar
The Danforth's Allure Body Bar is focused on all-over body care, including waxing and skin care services, with a specialization in brazilians for men and women. They offer some of the lowest prices on this list, with last-minute and 'name-your-price' deals as well. If you're a waxing newbie (particularly a male brazilian first-timer) their site is packed with plenty of tips to ease you into the experience.

Bode Spa
Billed as a 'medi-wellness spa for men', Bode branched out from their Ottawa spa to open a second location in Yorkville. The spa's overall vibe is soothing, calming and very posh (though they still crack "This ain't the 40 Year Old Virgin!" in the manscaping section of their website). They offer the option of waxing, shaving, or body sugaring services for various body parts, including several 'brozilian' options. If you're serious about keeping up your hair-removal regimen, you can get a deal on repeat treatments.

Eye Love
Eye Love's business is in brows and eyelashes - waxing, tinting, shaping, even lash perming (which is a thing, apparently). The shop caters primarily to women, but fellas are welcome; a first manscaping brow consultation and grooming will set you back $30, while follow up visits are $25. Bonus: Eye Love shares space with Lebel and Crowe, so you can turn right around afterward and get a haircut, too.

Fuzz Wax Bar
Waxing and waxing and nothing but waxing: Fuzz's stock in trade is hair removal for folks of any gender. The Queen West salon will take hair off pretty much anything for a reasonable price - one that gets even more reasonable if you commit to a monthly membership. In terms of the more sensitive treatments, they offer a manzilian (just what a Speedo wouldn't cover), a mankini (everything goes), and a combination mankini and buttock wax (for people who really hate being able to sit down).

Image Makeover
This Queen West salon does it all: hair styling, makeup, manicures, massages, facials. Where waxing's concerned, they can do it from head to toe; if it's a brazilian you're after, waxer Perla has a reputation for being very, very thorough. Or spring for the 'Men's Day Off' package, which features a haircut, manicure, pedicure, a one-hour massage, and $50 worth of waxing.

Mankind Grooming
Mankind approaches male grooming with a sense of fun; how often do you see a grooming service called the Gandalf? (It's a beard trim, in case you were wondering.) The pair of salons (one at Eglinton and Mount Pleasant, the other at Richmond and Spadina) aim to bring back an old-school barbershop vibe, but they also offer some very modern services, including hair removal options from a $15 brow wax to a $50+ mankini.

Novo Spa
If you're really looking to get away from it all, Yorkville's Novo is a day spa that offers a glut of services, including specialty grooming for men. Their waxing services for gents focus mainly on the chest, back and abdominal areas, and prices are reasonably low for the location and atmosphere, though you may not be able to resist tacking on a massage.

Shelly's Beauty Studio
A stone's throw away from North York Centre station, Shelly's Beauty Studio caters to the grooming needs of north Toronto. Everything's on the menu, from ears and toes to full back waxes. In case you're wondering, a "Brazilian/Hollywood" wax for men is $65. (They also advertise the option of adding a design to your wax for $20, or neon dye for $45, but don't specify whether those are available to women only...)

Sugarmoon
Sugarmoon does something a little different: Instead of relying on wax to get the job done, they use a paste of lemon, sugar and water, which they then yank off with cloth strips, in a process known as body sugaring. The menu of men's options at the salon's three locations (Dundas West, College St. and the Danforth) includes arms, legs, brows, chest and back options, and a first-time brozilian starts at $85, while subsequent return visits are cheaper.

Waxon Wax Bar
I predict a lot of dudes will come in the door just for the Karate Kid reference alone, but instead of being kitschy and ironic, Waxon has a modern, upscale vibe suited to its Summerhill location. They split their services equally between women and men; guys have options from a between-brow wax all the way to a $175 full-body treatment. (Add a full monty manzilian for $55!)

What did I miss? Add your favourite manscaping spot to the comments below.

The best custom, art and picture framing stores in Toronto will help you perfectly preserve and display that favourite painting, photo or print. They're also the people to call if you want a custom shadow box for that jersey or childhood toy, a little help wall-mounting a large item, restoration services for damaged artwork, or even new prints and original works (if you don't already have something worthy of a custom frame job). Ready to graduate from IKEA frames? Get ready to see that concert poster that's followed you through five apartments in a whole new light.

Here are the best custom, art and picture framing stores in Toronto.

Photo by Michael Mitchener in the blogTO Flickr pool.

Tonight, Rancho Relaxo hosts a veritable psych night, led by Brooklyn trio Woodsman with two supporting local acts and vintage visuals, but if you need more bottom end than you can handle, Thymeless across the street has Build, a Wednesday event taking over Dubslingers' former spot. Some scary viewing is an option, courtesy of Rue Morgue's Little Terrors screening series, and some "scary good" hot sauce can be sampled at a special tasting taking place at Hi Lo Bar.

• Dog Gone Presents: Woodsman // Zacht Automaat // Glass Tomb
• BUILD - Marcus Visionary & Freeza Chin
• Rue Morgue & Unstable Ground present Little Terrors
• HomeEc 25: Hot Sauce Night
• Wearable Wednesday Toronto
• Queer As F*^k - Character, Sketches, & Stories, Oh My!

Have an event you'd like to plug? Submit your own listing to the blogTO Toronto events calendar or contact us directly

This Week in Fashion rounds up the week's style news, store openings and closings, pop-up shops, sales and upcoming fashion and design events in Toronto. Find it here every Wednesday morning.

EVENTS/PARTIES

Pay no mind to the cold and grey winter; Shop for Jayu is launching Fresh - their Spring 2014 collection - tonight at The Fifth Cafe (225 Richmond St W). Drop by between 5pm and 9pm to peruse a whole slew of new statement jewels over cocktails and good company. Plus, snag 'em for less with the event's social media discount.

From Geisha to Diva: The Kimonos of Ichimaru opens at the Textile Museum of Canada (55 Centre Ave) today (January 29). Explore the life of Ichimaru - a 20th century musician famous for performing in full geisha regalia - through a collection of her exquisite, handcrafted kimonos and other personal items. The exhibit is organized by the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria and is only in town until April 11, 2014.

Spread the love this Valentine's Day with Over The Rainbow (101 Yorkville Ave). From February 1 - 16, the Yorkville boutique will be collecting denim to donate to United Way as part of their #LoveDrive. And, if you wish to replace your pre-loved jeans with a new pair, you'll receive 20% off on some jazzy J Brands or nifty Nudies.

the Drake Hotel (1150 Queen St W) and Toronto Fashion Incubator are teaming up once again to host the 10th annual Guilty Pleasures brunch this Saturday (February 1st). Along with a mouth-watering three-course meal of Drake Hotel favourites at 11 am, guests can also delight in eco-friendly fashion from 2 pm until 4:30 pm through two floors of local vendors, informal fashion shows, and a silent auction. Brunch tickets are $49 before tax and tip - so call 416-531-5042 (ext. 1) or email specialevents@thedrakehotel.ca for reservations.

This Sunday (February 2) from 11 am until 6 pm, 2nd Floor Events (461 King St W) will be home to wedding expo Perfect for Gathering Here Today. Curated to be a one-stop shop for hip and with it downtown couples, the event will showcase local florists, photographers, bakers, caterers, DJs, and pretty much everything else you'll need for the big day. Plus, admission is completely free!

SALES

Rosie The Rebel (961 Bloor St W) is hosting their first-ever sample sale this Saturday (February 1) from 2 pm until 5 pm, featuring local brands Ashtiani and Peach Berserk. Meet the designers and shop their quirky pieces marked at up to 75% off - with a drink in hand, no less!