NEW BRUNSWICK SPA HOPPING

By Anne Dimon

It seems fitting that the first stop on this New Brunswick spa hopping excursion should be the historic Fairmont Algonquin in the seaside town of St. Andrews by-the-Sea. In the late 1800s one of the most sought after features of this Tudor-style resort was the ‘cure all” salt water baths. Saltwater was drawn from PassamAquoddy Bay and held in water tanks in the hotel attic. Guests would immerse themselves in the therapeutic solution in bathtubs designed with four taps – two for fresh water and two for sea water. Today, the spa is no longer in the attic.

My therapist tells me all massages here are customized and “we almost never do the same therapeutic massage twice” she says. It all depends on the individual client and his or her areas of concern she says. One of her favourite treatments is the myofascial release massage. This isn’t a treatments you often see on spa menus. It’s something the therapist has to be specifically trained for. Despite the sound of the word "myo-fascial” (you’ll find a definition in our Glossary) it really has nothing to do with the face but the tissue that surrounds the muscles and all the organs of the body. I’m told the technique works to lengthen the muscles, increasing range of motion and flexibility. I wouldn’t say it’s the most relaxing massage I’ve ever had – definitely more therapeutic.

About an hour’s drive along the Bay of Fundy is the city of Saint John and the Inn on the Cove & Spa. I didn’t have time for a treatment here but I did have the time to sit with the owners Ross and Willa Mavis and enjoy a lovely cup of tea and homemade cookies. The dining room overlooks a garden, terraced lot and the Bay of Fundy with steps leading down to shores. The famous Bay is known to have some of the highest tides in the world. At the time of my visit, it was the only inn and spa in New Brunswick with direct water access. Fittingly, the signature treatment is the Hot Stone Massage using stones that have been smoothed by the world’s highest tides. They are said to have their own inner energy.

When it comes to esthetic services, Willa says, “you haven’t truly given your client your full service if you haven’t educated them and offered them the products to continue using at home." She says she loves the Phytomer line because it is fragrance free (the whole inn is fragrance free) and is a marine-based product so it’s ideally suited to the location.

Opened in 2004 by family physician Dr. Natalie Cauchon, Spa Eau Vive at Auberge Vallee in Bathurst offers a totally different feel than Inn on the Cove. Instead of a sea shore setting, you have more of a country-in-the-city feel. Located on 13-acres of property that was once home to a monestery, Spa Eau Vive is one of the few full-service spas with accommodations in Northern New Brunswick. While the brochure says “world-class inn” we say there is more of a rustic, country feel here. There’s the main log-cabin-style building housing the spa, a good size indoor swimming pool, two inter-connected massage rooms for couples, guest rooms and four spacious country cottages connected to the main building by walkways. Great for girl getaways. The inn also has a dining room featuring local fish and seafood.

One of Spa Eau’s signature treatments is the floating bath called Float Away. Think of an egg-shaped canister that allows users to literally float in 10 inches (254 mm)of water and about 600 pounds of Epsom Salts for the thirty-minute treatment. As a body floats and becomes almost weightless in this salt-infused bath, it is impossible not to feel relaxed. It is said to help eliminate stress and muscle pain. Spa director Marie Lise Boudreau tells me that a one-hour snooze in here is equivalent to eight hours of sleep. She says it’s good for jet lag and pregnant women. The Float Away canister is made locally and Spa Eau Vive was one of the first spas in Canada to make it available to guests.