NIAGARA SPAS: OSpa - OBAN INN
Spa and Cycling Go Together Like Wine and Cheese
in Niagara-on-the-Lake
by Anne Dimon
In keeping with the boutique wineries that Niagara-on-the-Lake is famous for, the recently upgraded Oban Inn has opened a “boutique spa.” But the new OSpa is no strategic attempt to simply jump on the spa bandwagon. Hotel and spa manager Celia Liu says owner Siwai Lai simply wanted to create a space that reflected some of Ms. Lai’s personal tastes, style and interests – and that includes a spa. Guests who appreciate a sophisticated but comfortable design and décor will love the historic inn’s new look and ambience – earth tones and textures, offset by rich, mahogany furnishings; object d’art that reflect an international feel; and clean, uncluttered lines. It’s obvious that everything in both the hotel and the spa has been carefully chosen to create the desired effect.
Steps from the hotel reception (which is also the spa reception) glass doors separate the hotel sitting room from the spa. Offering just four treatment rooms, a lounge and a mosaic-tiled, co-ed steam room, the spa is as intimate as the 26-guest room hotel that embraces it.
I’m booked for the signature Aromatic Body Treatment by [comfort zone.} The all-natural product line from Italy is a perfect pairing with OSpa. Both offer the feeling of stylish comfort mixed with exclusivity. The 90-minute treatment includes an exfoliation, wrap and therapeuty massage plus there’s the added bonus of a mini massage for both head and feet all delivered via the hands of Brian Fulton, a Registered Massage Therapist. It’s a true head-to-toe treatment and certainly does a body good.
It’s raining outside, yet so serene and comfortably snug in the spa lounge that I don’t want to venture back beyond the glass doors. Taking advantage of the moment, I sit wrapped in the arms of an oversized, linen-covered chair sipping a steamy, vanilla-flavored tea and letting the mind wonder back to yesterday and the sipping of local wines.
We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful fall day to cycle Canada’s premier wine region, home to more than 50 vineries. I joined a small group of other visitors outfitted and guided by Niagara Wine Tours International. Heading out from downtown through parkland, across an old railway path and along the trail that weaves its way along the Niagara Parkway, we soon arrive at our first stop - Marynissan Estates, which boasts some of the oldest Cabernet vines in Canada. The vineyard is best known for its full-bodied wines especially the Cabernet Sauvignon which, we’re told, accompanied a former governor general to Iceland for an official dinner. It’s also a wine which the Rolling Stones are said to have partied hardy on.
Nearby, Reif Estate Winery, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2007, is one of the area’s founding wineries. Klaus Reif, a 13th generation winemaker from Germany, has won over 400 awards over half of them for their Vidal Icewine. We learn that it’s the “underlining acidity that cuts the sweetness in the finish” that gives this particular Icewine its unique characteristics.
Another stop is Lailey Vineyard, a farm which has been in the same family for over 65 years and where grapes are hand harvested. It’s a more labor intensive way to harvest, we’re told, but a good way to be more selected about what gets picked, and avoiding MOG – the acronym for “matter other than grape.” The advantage to the consumer is better fruit and quality of taste.
A half-day cycling tour is way to short to get a full taste of what the region has to offer but it’s just enough of an appetizer to leave one wanting more. More cycling, more wine and definitely more spa. I want it all!
For more info:
Oban Inn: www.obaninn.ca
Niagara Wine Tours International www.niagaraworldwinetours.com
Niagara and other Ontario wineries: www.winesofontario.org
Niagara-on-the-Lake: www.niagaraonthelake.com