ELMWOOD SPA, TORONTO
by Anne Dimon
The Spa: Elmwood Spa located in Toronto's downtown core, is just a few short blocks from major shopping at the Toronto Eaton Centre. From here, it's also a quick cab ride (or 20-30 minute stroll) to the Art Gallery of Ontario and the downtown theatre district.
Environment: Housed in a landmark heritage building, the spa - with its 34 treatment rooms plus mani-pedi areas - spans four floors including a large retail area on the first floor and a dining room on the fourth. It's the largest and - with its subtle and elegant Asian decor - most certainly one of the most beautiful spa environments in the city.
Points of Distinction: What sets this spa apart is its size and in-house features including a juice bar, full-service dining room, a good size pool area, plus a variety of small lounges and seating areas. The spa also has two beautifully-decorated couples suites each with rich wood panelling and trim, fireplaces and in-room showers. They are the Travel to Wellness picks in the category of Best Couples Suite in our Best Spas Canada 2008.
Spa Menu/Signature Treatments: Elmwood offers an extension array of treatments and therapies the most distinctive being the Li'tya Healing Rituals - native Australian rituals that incorporate Aboriginal medicines, spirituality and healing. These body treatments range from 60-minute to three-hour options. The newest edition to the menu are the treatments using the Sea Flora products made from Canadian westcoast seaweed.
The Experience: The spa's large and elegant lobby and retail area mixed with the sound of trickling water eminating from a water feature, combine to create a pleasant sense of arrive, but what impressed me most was the hot towel offered on a wicker tray at the check-in counter. It's the perfect welcoming touch.
I arrived early to take advantage of the water therapies - pool, sauna, whirlpool. A spa attendant escorted me to the locker rooms - nicely layout with teak lockers, several nicely-appointed vanity areas, flavoured water on-tap and a large mosaic-tiled whirlpool at the centre of it all. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take a soak because it was closed for maintenance. A spa representative did, very considerately, call to tell me about this prior to my visit. It wasn't a problem, however, since there is also a co-ed whirlpool on the wet floor a short elevator ride up.
In the treatment room booked for my Sea Flora Detox Wrap, I enjoy fifteen minutes of relaxation in a cozy, cedar-line infrared sauna which warms and relaxes the body in a gentler way than traditional saunas which are typically too hot to linger in for any length of time.
I selected to try this treatment for a couple of reasons - one, it's new to the Elmwood and two, it incorporates heated shells as a massage tool - something I hadn't tried before. Following an exfoliation, shower, wrap with the seaweed product and another shower. The smooth and polished shells open to insert heated herbal bags which keeps the shells warms. They work very much like heated stones but stay warmer longer, and you don't get the clanging sound of colliding stones. The shells are actually very nice. I'd definately have this again.
One of the newest features at Elmwood Spa is a Light Therapy Room. A small room, located in a corner just a few steps from the swimming pool and whirlpool, is set up with three comfy chairs and flooded with natural light. The room is offered to spa-goers spirits and the energy levels of those who get the blues due to Seasonal Affective Disorder, jet lag or shift work. Read more about Light Therapy.
Accommodations: The nearest hotel is the neighbouring Delta Chelsea. The mega hotel is, in fact, so close the two buildings are almost connected. There are also a number of other hotels in Toronto's downtown core including a Fairmont, Hyatt, Sheraton and several boutique hotels, the closest of which is Pantages about a 10-minute walk from Elmwood.
Where to eat: For a snack or lighter lunch, there's the Juice Bar nicely located on the second floor just around the corner from the locker room or, for something more formal (yes, it's elegant even if you're dining in your robe)head to the Terrace Restaurant on the forth floor. Here you can enjoy an appetizer or a three-course meal for the flat rate of $25 (at time of our visit.) I tried the Arugula Salad with goat cheese, almonds and balsamic vinaigrette, followed by the Vegetarian Risotto. Both were delicious. For dessert, the Fresh Fruit plate with sorbet is a good choice if you're watching your waistline but chocolate is another option. In the Juice Bar there are freshly squeezed juices, smoothies, sandwiches, fruit, muffins and the like.
Other Facilities/Features: The third floor has a heated indoor pool area with a pool-side lounge, sauna, steam rooms, whirlpool and a new Light Therapy Room.
The Cost: Facials start at $90, a 50-minute Swedish massage is also $90. You can book a mani-pedi for about $100. The more exotic treatments - Li'Tya Healing Rituals, for instance run from $126 to $360 for a three hour treatment. You can treat you and your sweetie to a three-hour couples' package for $287, or indulge in a seven-hour day of treatments for $444. A day pass to use the pool and facilities is $20.
Editor’s note: Please note prices, in Canadian dollars, reflect the time of our visit. Please contact the spa for updated pricing.
What I liked best: I liked how visitors are welcomed with hot towels at check-in, the extra facilities such as the juice bar, dining room and swimming pool, plus the various small lounges and seating spaces scattered thoughout. Having an attendant on each floor so guests don't get lost or confused is a very thoughtful and helpful touch. Overall, a good place to treat yourself to a spa day - either solo, with girlfriends or significant other.
Anne Dimon is a spa and wellness travel writer and founder/editor of Traveltowellness. Comments are always appreciated. Please send to editor@traveltowellness.com