ONTARIO SPA WATER THERAPIES
by Anne Dimon
Water therapies rain down on Ontario spas. Way back when, the word “spa,” meant “health through the taking of the waters.” Today more and more Ontario spas are putting the H2O back into the experience with a wide range of hydro therapies. And, not just for adults seeking wellness and stress release. At least one Ontario resort is making the water experience – including a high-energy indoor water park – very attractive to families.
On a recent visit to the Americana Resort & Spa in Niagara Falls, I started chatting with Michele Pashko of Port Perry, here for a “girls getaway” with her two young daughters – Samantha 11 and Katie 9. “We came for the spa and the water park,” says Pashko. “We do this “girls only” thing every six-to-eight months – just the three of us.” Mom is having a pedicure, Katie is admiring her new metallic-blue finger nail polish, but newly manicured Samantha is anxious to get back to their suite with its heart-shaped whirlpool tub. “You worry that a spa is going to be simply adult catering,” says Mom, “but here, they’ve been very nice to the girls.”
One floor below, the heated and glassed-in water park works its magic as a therapeutic experience for kids of all ages. This is probably not the resort to choose if you’re looking for a peaceful and relaxing break – the resort is chock full of little kids on weekends – but the year-old Senses spa itself is calming, warm and beautifully decorated with elegant touches such as hand-crafted mosaic wall panels, wall-mounted candles and draped sheers in treatment rooms, and a fire place and chandelier in the couples suite.
One of their trademark treatments is Sous La Pluie ($80 for 55 minutes). Lying on a treatment table under heating lamps, the body is first exfoliation with a water-proof massage balm, then rinsed. Next is a combo hand-and-water-pressure-massage using what the spa calls a “customized water wand.” The flexible “wand” can be easily targeted to any area of the body needing extra attention – those knotted shoulder and neck muscles, for instance. The combination of essential oils (orange and lavender in this case) with hand and hydro therapy seems to simultaneously stimulation the flow of energy while calming the nervous system and hydrating the body. There’s a very pleasant afterglow.
The spa menu also extends to the more exotic such as the Indian Head Massage ($40 for 25 minutes), and anti-aging facials such as the Beaute Neuve using Guinot products from France. ($90 for 55 minutes.)
Catering to the ever-growing men’s market, Senses Spa also offers a private Men’s Zone decorated in masculine tones and decor. Many of the resort’s guestrooms have gas fireplaces and in-room whirlpools large enough for two – or a handful of siblings.
Now, if the main goal is to seek solace and serenity away from the kids – yours and everyone else’s – check into the peaceful country setting of the Millcroft Inn & Spa snuggled into the hills of Caledon. The inn’s year-old, three-level Centre for Wellbeing subscribes to Dr. Kneipp’s century-old philosophy of hot and cold water therapy as a natural approach to wellness. Here, personal preferences may, literally, run hot and cold on how you like to “take the waters.” The Blitz Guss (included in a multi-therapy treatment priced from $165 for 75 minutes) is an intense European treatment that has the body being hosed down with alternating blasts of hot and cold. You’ll be thankful that it’s been adapted to North American tastes with more subtle variances in temperature. Still, that blast of cold tends to be an invigorating shock to the system. For a less extreme treatment, go for the Ofuro (from $100 for 70 minutes ) a traditional Japanese bath ritual. A couple of full-body treatments are followed by the sipping of Japanese green tea while soaking in a tub big enough for two. Good thing for the tub size because the treatment, says spa manager, Stephanie Hornby, “is very popular with couples.”
In addition to its 12 treatment rooms, the spa also offers an indoor resistance pool and hot tub area and a fitness studio. Despite the facility’s generous size and open concept which allows natural light to stream through in all the public areas plus most of the treatment rooms, the design remains true to the historical charm of the main mill while mixing in touch of contemporary such as Chinese red lockers with digital locks and funky mirrors in the change rooms. The spa’s Woodlands Lounge with its private outdoor deck, wood burning fire place and complimentary juice bar is a homey, relaxing place to wait for treatments.
If you’re looking to savour the waters on the east side of Toronto, the year-old Claramount Inn & Spa in Picton also subscribes to the Dr. Kneipp water philosophy. Here in this historic former home dating back to 1906, some of the 7 guest rooms have their own in-room soaker tubs. The spa at the Claramount is intimate and compact but certainly no less enjoyable. I’m here for a Vichy shower massage designed to relax the body while warming it up and making it more predisposed to the benefit of treatments that follow. Treatments like the Swedish massage with lavender oil for relaxing or citrus oil for renewing energy, and the Wet Socks massage that Dr. Kneipp believed would induce better circulation. Another Kneipp treatment is the warm water foot bath. I enjoyed it as the appetizer to a pedicure. Of course, when it comes to water, anyone who has ever soaked in a hot bath after a hectic day, or dipped into a cool pool when summer temperatures soar, will already know its therapeutic wonders.
For more information: Americana Conference Resort & Spa – www.americananiagara.com or 1-800-263-3508
Millcroft Inn & Spa – www.millcroft.com
The Claramount Inn & Spa - www.claramountinn.com or call 1-800-679-7756.
For other spas in Ontario go to www.premierspasofontario.ca or call 1-800-990-7702