Review of Aura Condos – Part 2: Aura Interior and Amenities

A grand entrance lobby

Whether you use the Yonge street entrance at 386-388 Yonge Street or the Gerrard street entrance on the north side of Gerrard between Bay and Yonge streets, you will find yourself arriving at an expansive and curved concierge pod that is reminiscent of the curvature of the Aura Condo tower itself. Also, large-scale sculptures can be found all around the lobby. At the Gerrard street entrance, a majestic gallery wall provides a sense of grander and spaciousness that provides residents and guests with an impactful entrance experience. In the seating area next to the concierge, you can relax while enjoying a cozy spot in front of a fireplace hearth.

You can also access the lobby area from two other less well-known entrances. One of them is the direct access from The Shops at Aura at the P1 concourse level, which also provides direct access to the subway underground and a potential PATH access in the future. The other is from the 777 Bay parking garage, which leads you directly into the parking access elevator at the lobby gallery. This is quite a useful entrance for visiting guests who park at 777 Bay, particularly in the winter. One thing to note, however, is that it’s tricky to find this entrance on your first try because of the hug size of the 777 Bay parking, and because the signs that direct to the Aura Residences are quite small and tucked into the south east corner of the underground parking lot.

Three banks of three elevators service the entire building to total nine elevators for the 79 floors. Out of those nine elevators, six service the lower part of the tower, which consist mostly of the “tower suites” of 386 Yonge Street, and

three elevators service the upper section, which is known as 388 Yonge street, or the executive suites.

World-class amenities

The 5th floor is home to just about all of the amenities at Aura Condo. It is located right above the four-storey commercial podium housing RBC, BMO, Marshalls, Bed Bath and Beyond, and Crunch fitness. While one half of the 5th floor has residential suites, the other half provides two party rooms that can be booked for private events, one board room, one theatre room, three lounging and computer rooms that can be accessed without a booking, a billiard room, and three guest suites to make your visitors comfortable during their stay with you.

In my opinion, one of the best amenities at Aura Condo is the extraordinary 5th floor terrace where any resident can go with friends or family to BBQ a meal on the patio. There are six barbecue areas, each with their own patio table set, where you can cook and eat right there with family or friends – all are available on a first-come-first-served basis. In addition, you can relax, sun tan, or read a book on a lounger next to the gentle sound of a waterfall on another part of the terrace. Lastly, three couch seating areas with gas fireplaces can be accessed for a relaxing evening next to the flickering flames of a fireplace.

Finally, all Aura residents have complimentary access to a 40,000 sq.ft gym on the 4th floor called Crunch Fitness. It was originally launched as Hard Candy Fitness and branded with the imagery of pop musician icon Madonna (who actually came for the grand opening to teach a class!), With time though, the management and branding has changed, but to this day, there isn’t any other condo in Toronto where residents have access to a state-of-the-art 40,000 sq.ft. gym facility. Just about any type of equipment you can imagine can be found here! There are also lots of classes available to try, and services like personal training and physiotherapy (at an additional cost of course) that residents can have access to without ever having to leave the Aura Condo tower footprint. It’s a gym-buff’s dream come true!

For more reading and learning, you can also get more details on the history of the Aura tower and its status as the tallest residential condo in Canada right here.

Information on the sizing and layout of residences at Aura Condos in the lower tower suites and the upper executive suites can be found right here.