HALIFAX SPA - SPIRIT URBAN SPA
by Michele Sponagle
The Spa: Spirit Urban Spa takes a one-shop stop approach with a long list of spa treatments available, with finishing touches like hair and make-up application all under the same roof. There’s also a smattering of more serious, clinical, procedures like AHA and enzyme facial peels.
The Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia. As a gateway to the Atlantic, Halifax is a busy place, but you never get the overwhelmed feeling of other urban centres. It’s a city that works. Locals actually live and play here. It’s a laidback place where jeans and a designer top are acceptable, even for the most upscale restaurants. In the summer, the flood of tourists come, especially from cruise ship traffic, but the attractions are spread across the city so you don’t have to come nose-to-nose with anyone.
The Environment: Located in its new home on Salter Street, the spa serves as a chunk of calm in the centre of the city’s bustling downtown shopping area. It’s a restful space that looks sleek, not cold, with minimalist furnishings in warm blonde wood tones and creamy, tawny neutrals. The spa is easy to get to, by car or public transit and it’s equally easy to wile away the day in and around the spa.
The Distinction: A plethora of organic ingredients are incorporated into the treatments to create feel good and smell good treatments, Paprika, apple and almonds scrub away lifeless dry skin on the face, and a pumpkin-infused wrap saturates the skin with a a good dose of moisture. It’s hard not to leave without humming, “You make me feel like a natural woman.” It’s a natural experience all the way.
The Experience: I peeled off my robe and stretched out on the massage table. And to my (pleasant) surprise, it was heated so I didn’t experience that usual shock of cold that jolts you out of your bliss zone. As part of the Urban Rainforest body treatment, a Vichy shower was the star of the treatment. My therapist started me off with a good dousing of warm water to moisten my skin. Thoughtfully, she had pre-warmed the water so that I would be spared that unpleasant cold-to-warm stage. Is it just me, or do you also hate being chilly during a spa treatment, too. I feel at my most relaxed when I am cocooned in warm. My therapist gets more kudos for warming up the body scrub that came next. It smelled fresh, like the sea, and it was applied front and back, gently at first, then more firmly as I got used to the sensation. Another rinse, and then an all-too-short massage with a fragrant lotion with notes of basil, lavender and ylang ylang. Though I didn’t feel like I was in a rain forest, I was in a relaxed, happy place and my skin gleamed like butter, after all those dead, dry skin cells were washed down the drain.
Accommodations: Though there isn’t a place to stay that’s close enough to float back to post-spa treatment in a bathrobe, there are plenty of hotels, big and small, that are just a powder-puff throw away from Barrington Street. All the big chains are here – Delta, Sheraton, Westin. Marriott and more – but don’t forget about the chic and sleek B&Bs like The Halliburton and inns steeped in history, like The Waverley Inn (where Oscar Wilde once bedded down for the night).
Where to Eat: In the heart of downtown, you won’t find any shortage of eateries. Some of the highlights include: Mosaic, featuring small globally inspired dishes designed for sharing: Gio, arguably the city’s best restaurant; and Seven, renowned for its wine list boasting 500 labels and new age cuisine.
The Extras: There are plenty of reasons to linger longer. Splash or soak in the pool or hot tub before, or after, your treatment to milk every last bit of relaxation out of the experience. Another bonus: The reception area also doubles as a retail shop, featuring hard-to-find products from beauty brands such as Cake, Bliss, Freeze, Eminence, Pink Sugar, Phytomer, and Aquolina. It even has the Lug, the new “it” bag, as anointed by Oprah, which has been flying out of stores.
The Cost: My Urban Rainforest body treatment rang in at 75 minutes and $135 CDN. Packages give you the best beauty for the buck, with a trio of services starting at $155. Throw in a healthy lunch for another $20.
Beyond the Spa:
Though Halifax is famous for its history, quaint wooden houses painted in bright Crayola colours, there’s a modern spirit to the city that’s quite infectious. Over the last few decades, it’s been constantly adding to its list of attractions. On your to-do list include: shopping and dining at the Historic Properties, renovated warehouses from the 1800s; Pier 21 National Historic Site (the Canadian equivalent to Ellis Island), the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (where Titanic artifacts are exhibited). Whenever you go, check out the event listings. Halifax is festival central all year long, focusing on everything from buskers to gourmet food.
What I liked best: Though the spa was busy on the afternoon I visited, I never got the impression that I was in an assembly line, just another customer to process. They took the time to do those little things that make me feel welcome – hanging up my coat, giving me a brief tour of the facilities (always nice to know where the bathroom is), and pouring refills of herbal tea offered whenever my cup was running low.
Words to the wise: I found the spa slippers a little tight for my size 10, wide feet, so if you’re a big foot like me, bring your own flip-flops.
For more info: www.spiritspa.ca
For more on Halifax: www.experiencehalifax.com
Newly located in Paris, Ontario, Michele Sponagle is a prolific freelance writer and regular contributor to Travel to Wellnesss and Travel to Wellness Canada.