BEST SPAS CANADA
We travel the country coast-to-coast and monitor the spa scene on an on-going basis to make sure this list of Canada's Best Spas is current and reflects the best of what's available on the Canadian spa scene. The list is reviewed and updated each year, and new categories are added, old ones deleted as we see fit. This is an editorial list compiled by Travel to Wellness founder/editor Anne Dimon. No spa has paid to be included. Below - the Travel to Wellness list of 24 of the Best Spas in Canada for 2008.
Enter our Win a Couples' Spa Day Contest and win a spa day for two at Toronto's Elmwood Spa, our pick for the best Couples Suite 2008.
BEST SPAS IN CANADA FOR....
1. Couples Suites, 2. Romance, 3. Water Therapy, 4. Ayurveda, 5. Gourmet Cuisine, 6. Mountain View, 7. Ocean Front Location, 8. Mother/Daughter Getaway, 9. Historic Resort, 10. Fitness, 11. Tea Service, 12. Medi/Anti-aging Treatments, 13. Hammam, 14. Outdoor Experience, 15. Spa Quickie, 16. Weight Loss, 17. Spa Detox Program, 18. Most Exotic, 19. City Wellness Spa, 20. Local Flavour, 21. Most Innovative New Treatment, 22. Little Extra Touches, 23. Mud Bath 24. Spa Cafe
We'd also like to hear what YOU have to say. As a spa-goer, you tell us YOUR "best spas in Canada" and why. We'll post your comments. Please send to editor@traveltowellness.com
BEST COUPLES' SUITES
Elmwood Spa Toronto, Ontario New for 2008
Downtown Toronto's landmark spa, Elmwood Spa has been recently upgraded and their two couples' suites - the Royal and Sapphire Suites both have two treatment tables, fireplaces and in-room showers under gabled ceilings. The décor and mood lighting is oh so conducive to romance.
Spa at Fairmont Chateau Montebello Montebello, Quebec
Ideal for romance or girl time, the spa’s spacious doubles treatment room is classically decorated with a gas fireplace, Japanese soaker tub, multi-jet rain shower and side-by-side beds perfect for chit chatting (or hand-holding) through treatments ranging from the yummy maple sugar scrub to a full-body massage. If you’re feeling peckish, there’s room for private fireside dining with Bento Box selections, champagne and wine available.
Spa Utopia Vancouver, B.C.
Spa Utopia's large and beautifully-decorated suite is one of the signature features of Vancouver's largest downtown spa.
BEST FOR ROMANCE:
Wakefield Mill Inn & Spa Wakefield, Quebec New for 2008
Romance, of course, depends more on who you’re with than the setting, but the intimate (just 27 rooms) and historic Wakefield Mill, is mightly conducive to romance.
Sitting like a little gem next to a 28-foot waterfall in Gatineau Park, the Wakefield Mill offers guests fine dining, an outdoor spa lounge with a great view of the falls (so close you can feel the spray), and beautifully decorated guestrooms – some with fireplaces and exposed beams, brick and stone from its days as a mill. About 75 percent of leisure guests visit for birthdays, anniversaries, engagements and honeymoons or simply a romantic getaway.
Millcroft Inn & Spa Alton, Ontario
Amerispa at Le Chateau Bonne Entente Quebec City, Quebec
BEST FOR WATER THERAPY:
Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
BEST FOR AYURVEDA
Veda Spa at Fairmont Whistler Whistler, B.C.
Elemental Embrace Brighton, Ontario
BEST FOR ONSITE GOURMET CUISINE
The Inn at Manitou McKellar, Ontario (about a two-hour drive north of Toronto)
BEST FOR MOUNTAIN VIEW
The Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Banff Springs Banff, Alberta
BEST OCEAN FRONT New for 2008
Wickaninnish Inn & Ancient Cedars Spa Tofino, B.C.
BEST FOR MOTHER/DAUGHTER GETAWAY
The Briars Jackson’s Point, Ontario
BEST SPA AT A HISTORIC RESORT
Fairmont Algonquin St. Andrews by the Sea, New Brunswick
BEST FOR FITNESS
The Spa at White Oaks Resort & Spa Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
BEST TEA SERVICE New for 2008
Away Spa at W Montreal, Montreal, Quebec
The spa is intimate - just five treatment rooms - and the tea service is impressive. A menu of exotic teas, prepared and served by an attendant on small silver trays, in china cups and with honey pearls to sweeten is what makes the service special.
BEST MEDI/ANTI-AGING TREATMENTS
Sante Spa in Calgary, Alberta and at Bear Mountain, Vancouver Island, B.C.
Both Sante Spas have resident doctors to administer anti-aging treatments including Botox and fillers. Both one-stop shops for "time management."
BEST HAMMAM
Ten Spa Fort Garry Hotel, Winnipeg, Manitoba
A chic, modern interpretation of the Turkish-Roman hot-air bathing ritual, which was done regularly in ancient times to detoxify the body, strengthen the immune system and encourage wellbeing. Here, the mosaic-tiled, indigo-hued bath is kept at a toasty 45 degrees with a light mist of steam hanging in the air. Heated stone platforms are reserved for individual treatments, such as the traditional olive-oil soap scrub. The hammam is co-ed and can also be booked for private groups.
BEST OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE New for 2008
Le Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain, Ontario
It doesn’t get much better than when you’re taking in fresh air and great views while up to your neck in therapeutic waters. The outdoor water circuit is a collection of Scandinavian baths and water features that takes you from hot to cold to hot (and repeat), which can be as stimulating as climbing Blue Mountain itself. While you’re there, also try: The saunas, steam rooms and relaxation solariums to enhance the experience. Extend the value of the visit with a leisurely bistro-style lunch enjoyed fireside in the lounge.
BEST SPA QUICKIE New for 2008
Holtz Spa Ottawa, Ontario
Downtown Ottawa’s grand dame day spa serves up healthy and delicious Thai cuisine in an elegant space that’s more upscale condo than spa lounge. Book the Spa Express and choose from a 30-minute massage, mani, pedi, facial or hair treatment and also enjoy lunch from the in-house Santé Restaurant. After your quickie, Parliament Hill and the shops and galleries of the Byward Market are all a short stroll away.
BEST WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM
Hills Health Ranch B.C. Interior
A variety of weight-loss and fitness programs – from six to 30 nights and longer – make success almost guaranteed. An extensive staff of medical and wellness professionals, including MDs, nutritionists, a kinesiologist, certified behavioral counsellors and personal trainers, allows for total program customization. The full-service spa, horseback riding, mountain biking, canoeing and nature tours with a microbiologist are just a few of the activities on this 20,000 acres ranch.
BEST DETOX PROGRAM New for 2008
The Millcroft Spa Centre for Well-Being Alton, Ontario.
The four-night, naturopathic spa detox getaway at the Millcroft Inn & Spa in Alton, Ontario, means never having to say, “I’m starving.” There’s a growing number of detox programs available through spas and many of them encourage guests to fast on soups and juices. This one is a little different. Not only is it designed and managed by a local naturopathic doctor, but you get to eat. Meals and snacks are of the gourmet variety – but no wheat or refined sugar. Spa detox programs are considered good for those who want to cleanse the body of environmental pollutants, toxins and chemicals. Along with accommodations and gourmet meals, spa treatments and a one-on-one with the naturopath are all part of the deal.
BEST STRESS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM New for 2008
The Hillcrest Valenova Inn & Spa Port Hope, Ontario.
The intimate Hillcrest Valenova Inn & Spa in Port Hope is one of the few spas in Canada that offers a stress release retreat. Called Strength Through Wellness, the three-night program includes workshops, a private consultation and a personalized action plan to take home with you. The program deals with helping participants understanding their personal stresses, how they deal with stress, and how to learn to manage it. Meals and spa treatments are also included.
MOST EXOTIC New for 2008
Sunmore Ginseng Spa Kamloops, B.C.
In addition to it being the only ginseng-based spa in Canada – perhaps on the continent – it also holds the distinction of having the most spacious treatment rooms.
There are just five treatment rooms here and each is beautifully decorated with Asian furnishings and artifacts. Ginseng, grown locally, is used in a selection of spa treatments. The spa's Tea House includes exotic teas as well as a dishes made with gensing.
BEST WELLNESS SPA IN A CITY New for 2008
Health Winds - The Health & Wellness Spa Toronto, Ontario
Located on the lower level of a medical building in uptown Toronto, Health Winds gets the nod because of its 15-year foothold in the spa business and the services offered beyond the treatments include health assessments, and wellness and nutritional counseling. Of course, the spa also offers facials, wraps and mani-pedi but that’s a bonus. Eighty per cent of clients who book Health Winds do so initially in response to a health condition or stress.
BEST FOR LOCAL FLAVOUR New for 2008
Relais Sante Le Baluchon, Auberge Le Baluchon Saint-Paulin, Quebec
Traditional French Canadian country. That’s the flavour you get from the moment you drive up to the collection of manoir-inspired buildings of Auberge Le Baluchon. The inn’s full-service spa has a signature cherry treatment (using local cherries) and spa guests slip their feet into slippers made with buckweat grown in a nearby village. Adding to the sense of place, the inn makes their own maple syrup, and the eco-café serves local products. Fine French Canadian cuisine in served in the dining room.
MOST INNOVATIVE NEW TREATMENT New for 2008
Susurrus Spa at Poet's Cove Resort & Spa Pender Island, B.C.
Yes, it’s a facial…..butt….with a new spin. The Fanny Facial is for the skin on your derrière. In an industry where too many of the treatments are the same, same, same, how brilliant. Former spa manager Alana Delcourt created the 45-minute Fanny Facial because she wanted something new to offer her clients. The skin on the butt is often overlooked but it needs TLC, too. As with the traditional facial, the Fanny Facial includes cleansing, exfoliation, a mask and moisturizing. Feels so good you’ll want to rush out and buy a thong.
EXTRA LITTLE TOUCHES New for 2008
Fox Harb’r Golf Resort & Spa Wallace, Nova Scotia (Closed January to mid May)
The most luxurious spa on Canada's East Coast, the spa at Fox Harb'r offers clients so many little extras that’s it impossible to list them all. Here’s what impressed us most: The professional comfortzone products available in the locker rooms, personal CD players in each of the eight treatment rooms so clients can choose their own type of music, special red lighting in each treatment room for warmth and enhance the look of skin, electric fireplaces in several treatment rooms, fibre-optic starlit ceiling in the manicure room, ice-cream scoops to dish out mani-pedi exfoliation products, self-help and inspirational books (like those written by Wayne Dyer) to flip through in the lounge and during a pedicure, complimentary professional makeup application after each customized facial (yes) and free shipping for any retail products purchased.
BEST MUD TREATMENT New for 2008
Ste Anne's Grafton, Ontario
The Moore Mud Bath at Ste Anne's is the real thing - thick, rich, earthy mud from Castlefield, Ontario. You feel as if you're wrapped and suspended in a mud coccoon.
It's the perfect signature treatment for this beautiful country setting.
BEST SPA CAFE New for 2008
Treetops Tapas & Grill at Grotto Spa, Tigh Na Mara Resort Parksville, British Columbia
Serving a selection of tapas - the Spanish word meaning "little dishes" - Tree Top's is exclusive to spa guests and really does overlook the tree tops as well as a collection of log-framed spa bungaloos. The food is fabulous - healthy, delicious and beautifully presented. Lunch here is a wonderful treat before or after any treatments or a bit of hydro therapy in the indoor water circuit.
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Want to know more about Canadian spas? Browse the stories about Canada in our section on Spa & Wellness Travel Articles or read 101 Reasons to Spa in Canada.
