5 Page Editorial

Deerhurst Resort
Ontario’s
route
to relaxation
www.ontariotravel.net/uk
Lavender sugar scrubs, a
marigold body polish or a
blueberry soy slim wrap?
Holidays are all about
relaxation and indulgence,
says Jane Hubbard. And for
exotic spa treatments in
beautiful settings, there is
nowhere better than Ontario.
12
C
all me naïve, but I have always associated
Canada with the Great Outdoors, blokes in
tartan shirts and women paddling canoes.
But then I discovered Ontario’s spa culture, as
glamorous as any I have enjoyed anywhere in the
world. Even better, many are in glorious countryside:
in pine-scented forest, on still lakes and next to
bubbling brooks. So, whether you are with your
partner or a gang of girlfriends, read on to discover
how to pamper yourself – Canadian-style!
THE SPA TRAIN
Here’s a winning combo: The Spa Train. VIA Rail takes
the strain; Premier Spas of Ontario put the aaah
into spa. So, how does it work? Choose your train
route, either the Québec City to Windsor corridor, or
the run from Toronto to Niagara Falls. Then, choose
your spa. There are a dozen top-class spas across
Ontario that take part in the Spa Train scheme,
from as far north as Ottawa and as far south as
London. In between are spas that offer treatments
for all, whether you are a spa novice or queen of the
mud baths. There is even one in Toronto that has
welcomed Jennifer Lopez and the Duchess of York …
as well as Dame Edna! So, book your spa destination,
park the car and catch the train. Your hosts will
collect you from the station. Then it is all about you.
www.viarail.ca/spatrain
www.essentiallycanada.com
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ONTARIO’S SUPER SIX
The Briars Resort & Spa
l Pillar & Post 100 Fountain Spa,
Niagara-on-the-Lake
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Between Toronto and Niagara Falls is Wine Country,
miles of award-winning vineyards, dotted with classy
hotels, country inns and B&Bs. Rated as a five-star
country inn, the Pillar and Post boasts the region’s
only indoor-outdoor hot springs. As for the 100
Fountain Spa, the theme here is wine. Five rooms
are named for award-winning Niagara vineyards:
Inniskillin Wines, Chateau des Charmes, Reif Estate
Winery, Marynissen Estates and Frogpond Farm.
Then there are the signature ‘wine treatments’. For
these, grape extract is used in the oils and creams for
the vinotherapy facial and the wellness wrap. As for
the Purple Feet Pedicure – grape extract is also an
ingredient for the cream. Yes, it is purple, but it does
wash off! And then it is time for a glass of Ontario’s
finest, perhaps an award-winning meritage wine with
a Cajun strip loin steak or a sauvignon blanc with
prawns in garlic and lemon.
KEY
1.Niagara-on-the-Lake
2. McKellar
3. Toronto
4. Grafton
5. Ottawa
Spa
Et, sum inim velisim
quat, quam quis
6. Alton-Caledon
7. Lake Simcoe
8. Picton
9. Huntsville
10.Cambridge
11.Haliburton
www.100fountainspa.com
l The Inn at Manitou, McKellar
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When it comes to inns, this is a legend. Three
hours from Toronto and three miles (5km) from
the nearest village, this luxurious resort hotel is a
member of Relais & Châteaux. The restaurant is
one of Canada’s finest, so the spa menu is light
but dazzling: broiled scallops and caviar salad, veal
tenderloin with carrots and braised chicory. There
are sports galore, from tennis and golf to sailing
and windsurfing, but this is also the perfect spot to
relax: walk in the surrounding forest or sit and gaze
out onto Manitouwabing Lake. Then there are the
saunas, steam baths, yoga – and the spa. Among
the special treatments that you won’t often come
across is the Bamboo Stick Massage from the South
Pacific. Tension knots are released using bamboo and
rattan sticks, combined with a full body massage,
using aromatic oils. Or, book a Vichy Waterfall. It
starts with an exhilarating body scrub, perhaps a
maple syrup and lime, or the mandarin and lemon.
Aft wards, a cascade of warm water washes away the
scrub…and any remaining workaday stress.
www.manitou-online.com
l Elmwood Spa & Delta
Chelsea, Toronto
Et, sum inim velisim quat,
quam quis
3
Next door to the Delta Chelsea Hotel in downtown
Toronto, the Elmwood is in a historic landmark, a
handsome 1890 brick building that housed the first
YWCA in Canada. Completely renovated, using feng
shui-trained designers, this is a busy but relaxing
spot. The 34 treatment rooms are on four floors,
along with two restaurants and a juice bar – yup,
we are talking healthy, but delicious meals here.
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5 Ottawa
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6
3 Toronto
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8
Lake Ontario
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1 Niagara-on-the-Lake
Everything is leading-edge, from the changing
rooms to the swimming pool, whirlpool and steam
rooms.
Popular with locals who pop in during their lunch
hour, the Elmwood also offers a special Spa Train
Package that is ideal for couples. Called the Toronto
Thai Escape, this includes time in the swimming
pool, whirlpool and steam rooms before the
50-minute Swedish massage. Then it’s off to dinner
at the Bangkok Garden. In the same building, this is
one of Toronto’s best Thai restaurants, known for its
authentic dishes: warrior’s beef curry, ginger duck,
grilled spicy, garlic beef.
www.elmwoodspa.com, www.deltahotels.com
www.essentiallycanada.com
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therapies, such as a facial, pedicure, manicure or
hydramemory, for deep hydrating and moisturising
the skin.
www.brookstreet.ca/spatrain
l Millcroft Inn & Spa,
6
Alton-Caledon Village
Relaxing at
Brookstreet’s Au
Naturel Spa
l Ste Anne’s Spa, Grafton
4
Between Toronto and Kingston, overlooking Lake
Ontario, the Haldimand Hills are a getaway for city
folk. Recently voted Canada’s top spa by readers
of a Canadian magazine, Ste Anne’s is a classic
retreat. Imagine an English-style stone manor
house, on a hill surrounded by 500 acres of woods
and carefully-tended gardens. Everything is in tune
with nature, whether you are walking through
the rolling hills or enjoying a treatment that uses
water from Ste Anne’s own underground spring.
Among the specialities is a Moor Mud Hydro
Wrap. The mud? That comes from a bog near
Ottawa, prized for its concentration of humic
acids, believed to relieve arthritic and rheumatic
pain. After a body masque of Ontario Golden
Moor Mud, you are immersed in more mud, to
absorb nutrients, boost circulation and help the
detox process. The treatment ends with a warm
Vichy shower, then a slathering of hydrating
lotions. Relaxed and rejuvenated, you can indulge
in one of award-winning chef Christopher’s star
dishes: almond pizza made with a ground almond
base and topped with a roasted red pepper sauce,
shiitaki mushroom, rocket and sliced scallops.
www.steannes.com
l Au Naturel Spa
at Brookstreet, Ottawa
5
Just 25 minutes west of the capital, Brookstreet is
a contemporary, 276-room hotel, complete with
The Marshes championship golf course and the
Au Naturel Spa. For Spa Train visitors, Brookstreet
has put together a special Via Naturel Package for
two, with a night in the hotel, breakfast, use of
the steam rooms, whirlpools, indoor and outdoor
swimming pools and transport to and from the
station. Plus, of course, a selection of invigorating
treatments: a hydrotherapy tub treatment with
natural essential oils, a massage and a choice of
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Got a fella who is reluctant to join you for a
couples’ treatment? Tempt him with a pint …
and a Malt & Barley Scrub & Soak. This starts
with a stimulating scrub of malt and barley
that nourishes the skin and gets the circulation
tingling. Then you both relax in a tub…before
being served that promised pint: glasses of
Hockley Gold Premium Draft, a handcrafted ale
brewed just down the road by Hockley Valley
Brewing Company.
But, that is not the only unusual item on the
wellness menu. The spa team choose the best
therapies from around the world; try the Japanese
Ofuro treatment, incorporating traditional bath
rituals, or the Raindrop Therapy with Native Indian
Hot Rock Massage. And, there is always something
new, such as an organic chocolate manicure!
Sounds delicious!
Overlooking a millpond and the sparkling
Shaw’s Creek Falls, this calm and secluded hotel
is surrounded by 100 acres of woodlands and
meadows. It is hard to believe that the hotel was
a busy mill 125 years ago. And, here in Southern
Ontario’s Hills of Headwaters region, it’s even
harder to believe that you are less than an hour
northwest of Toronto.
www.millcroft.com
MORE GREAT SPA EXPERIENCES
CITY SLICKERS
l Elizabeth Milan Spa at Royal
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York Hotel, Toronto
The Spa Train offer includes the Thai Foot
and Leg Treatment that lessens swelling and
boosts circulation in feet and legs. Perfect for
the foot-weary traveller! Signature treatments
here include the Chocolate Body Indulgence: all
chocolate, from the mousse bath and French kiss
lip treatment to the fondue body wrap.
www.elizabethmilanspa.com
l The Park Hyatt Toronto
3
Stillwater Spa, Toronto
Yorkville is Toronto’s poshest area, and the
Park Hyatt is one of the poshest hotels. Not
surprisingly, the Stillwater Spa is a sophisticated
urban retreat, complete with a spa concierge and
unusual treatments. Popular with holiday makers
is the Dó Cho massage for two, with therapists
working side by side. Then there is the Stillwater
www.essentiallycanada.com
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travel & lifestyle AUTUMN/WINTER 2009 l spa break
St Anne’s Country
Inn and Spa
The Briars
Resort & Spa
Park Hyatt Toronto’s
Stillwater Spa
Winter spa fun at the
Pillar and Post
Relax at the Briars
Resort & Spa on Lake
Simcoe
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www.essentiallycanada.com
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CANADIAN SPA ETIQUETTE
North Americans are more reluctant than
Europeans to strip off, so therapists are
trained to drape towels or sheets over areas
of the body not involved in the treatment.
Basically, the degree to which you disrobe
is dependent on the treatment and your
privacy is respected. As for tips or gratuities,
they are not usually included, so are always
appreciated. Mobile phones are, of course,
prohibited in spas.
the 2½-hour Serenity Sampler includes Vichy PreHeat, back, eye and Kneipp treatments. At Clara’s
Restaurant, Chef Michael Hoy takes advantage
of the local bounty with his all-Canadian cuisine:
pheasant with wild cherries, rack of lamb with a
wine and gorgonzola sauce.
www.claramountinn.com
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l Deerhurst Spa, Huntsville Tai Chi class at the St Anne’s
Country Inn and Spa
aqua therapy. The therapist joins you in the
water, using special stretching and pressure-point
techniques to give your body a workout that is
not possible on dry land. www.parktoronto.hyatt.com
l Holtz Spa, Ottawa
5
On Rideau Street, in the capital’s downtown.
With the four-hour Spa Train Travel Package, you
enjoy a steam bath, massage, facial, pedicure
and lunch.
www.holtzspa.com
COUNTRY CASUAL
l Briars Resort,
Jackson’s Point, Lake Simcoe
8
Between Toronto and Kingston, Prince Edward
County is an island in Lake Ontario. Once over the
bridge, the ‘County’ – as it is known – is dotted with
organic farms and vineyards. Here, in this flourishing
wine region and foodie paradise, the Claramount
Inn & Spa is on a country estate. A blueberry soy
slim wrap is just one of the unusual treatments;
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l Langdon Hall, Cambridge 7
With its lawns, gardens and mature trees, The Briars
recalls an English country house hotel…only more
comfortable. On Lake Simcoe, in what Torontonians
call Cottage Country, an hour north of the city, the
resort has welcomed guests for more than 165
years. They come to play golf on the Scottish-style
course, to sail on the lake and to recharge their
batteries in the spa. The Briars Signature Facial
is twice as good as normal facials, with double
exfoliation on the face and neck, using special
serums and masks, plus face and eye massage.
Follow that with the scalp massage and you’ll sleep
like a baby.
www.briars.ca
l Claramount Inn & Spa, Picton
Torontonians love escaping to Cottage Country,
the lovely region of hills and lakes north of the city.
Here, Muskoka is renowned for its maple syrup. No
wonder the spa at the Deerhurst Resort offers a
Muskoka Maple Sugar Body Polish! The combination
of natural maple sugar, along with essential
vitamins, makes a great moisturizing and exfoliating
scrub. And, if you think that sounds tasty, what
about the Yogurt Wrap with mango & passion fruit?
www.deerhurstresort.com
A century-old country mansion transformed into
a posh country house hotel – that is Langdon Hall,
southwest of Toronto in Cambridge. Its special
Spa Train package is for two and includes a facial,
manicure, pedicure and massage, as well as a night
in luxury.
www.langdonhall.ca
l Sir Sam’s Inn and Water Spa,
Haliburton
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This lovely old country inn on Eagle Lake is a
romantic spot. In autumn, when the leaves turn to
brilliant red and orange, the view is stunning – and it
is best appreciated sitting back in big chairs on the
wooden deck, with nothing but birdsong to break
the silence. Even more relaxing is the new WaterSpa,
where the warm salt water helps soothe away the
stress. Tempting treatments include body wraps,
ranging from cucumber mint to pear and green
apple. Best of all? The cranberry pomegranate sugar
scrub, based on cranberries, a famous local product
plus pomegranates, raw sugar cane, flax seeds, grape
seed oil and green tea.
www.sirsamsinn.com
www.essentiallycanada.com
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