Take in hot or cold waterfalls at La Source Bains Nordiques.
"This is the life," I announce in the outdoor Jacuzzi tub amid steamy swirls of wintry blue air. Too relaxed to speak, my hot-tub cohorts mumble in agreement while drinking homemade hot chocolate and eating warm sugar cookies delivered to us by a pool concierge. As fat snowflakes fall around us at the Four Seasons Whistler, I think: How smart of the spa resort to recognize that hot chocolate sipped in an oversized, outdoor hot tub after a day spent wiping out on a mountainside is the best idea ever. And it's one that spas across Canada are wising up to.
Spa-ing during the winter doesn't have to mean cocooning indoors in front of faux fireplaces while wearing terry-cloth robes and listening to whale sounds. Instead of //escaping the//wallowing in winter's sleet and snow, why not embrace it? It's time to gGet outside and enjoy some icy spa action. This means everything from al fresco Nordic baths and dogsledding to alpine skiing and horse-drawn sleigh rides – along with the newest, coolest Canuck-approved spa therapies around.
LA SOURCE BAINS NORDIQUES
Why it's cool
The picture-perfect spot for Quebec's first geothermal-heated spa was discovered accidentally by owner Patrice Lalancette when, while looking for a source of underground heat, he took a wrong turn on his mountain bike in his hometown of Rawdon, Que., and then, Beverly Hillbillies-style, dug 200 metres into the bedrock and found the heat source for his eco-friendly spa. All wood, glass and stone, the contemporary design has won awards for its energy efficiency – thermal power heats all of the buildings, pools and walkways.
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Surrounded by cliffs and a treetop canopy, you're here to take in the hot/cold Nordic and thermal waterfalls, coupled with steam bath, dry sauna and bouts of relaxation. It was launched in 2007, but some structures were added in December, including Canada's first pitch-black relaxation room with custom-made rocking chairs that make you feel as though you're floating.
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The spa's café boasts both local cheeses and foie gras.
4200 Forest Hill, Rawdon, Que.; 450-834-7727; lasourcespa.com
THE HILLS HEALTH RANCH
Why it's cool
The Hills revels in winter's delights, with more than 150 kilometres of machine-groomed trails on more than 20,000 acres of Nordic skiing, snowshoeing and dogsledding wilderness terrain, plus one of the largest groomed skating track systems (150 km) in Canada. Then there's downhill skiing and snowboarding and snow-tubing (complete with lifts), hockey and horse-drawn sleigh rides all under a ton of Cariboo, B.C., sunshine – even more than Waikiki, just at a slightly lower temperature.
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With much of the day spent frolicking outside, evenings are the time for signature rosehip treatments (a wee vial of their house-grown rosehip oil is a winter face-saver) or nighttime yoga or Pilates classes, followed by a bonfire beside one of the two skating rinks – along with the requisite mugs of hot cocoa.
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Once inside the 1871 lodge, all grand timber and stone fireplace, you can warm up with cheese fondue and hot-rock cooking.
108 Mile Ranch, B.C.; 1-800-668-2233; www.spabc.com
BANFF SPRINGS WILLOW STREAM SPA
Why it's cool
This is all about classic Canadiana. There's just something about driving into the heart of the snow-capped Rockies that brings to mind early settlers exploring an untamed land. But the baronial Fairmont Banff Springs is anything but primitive. Aside from the top-flight ski options in the Banff/Lake Louise region, other classic winter pursuits include canyon ice walks, dogsledding and skating figure eights on the Fairmont's rink. After a day of activity, head to the year-round Olympic-size outdoor hot pool that overlooks the treetops as it billows steam into the alpine air.
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After outdoor exhilaration comes a Rockies rehydration treatment at the hotel's Willow Stream Spa, to revitalize dehydrated skin. The healing begins with a dry brush exfoliation, after which you're slathered with algae blended with aloe vera and essential oils and then wrapped in blankets allowing the skin to absorb the soothing ingredients.
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Though there are more than a dozen dining options at the Fairmont Banff Springs, the Waldhaus restaurant says winter most. The Bavarian cottage-style building (circa 1927) boasts a menu that is pure German and Swiss.
405 Spray Ave., Banff, Alta.; 403-762-2211; willowstream.com
STE. ANNE'S SPA
Why it's cool
Imagine being up at a snowy turret dappled cottage in small-town Ontario, surrounded by a winterscape of more than 200 hectares of woods, including the Wood Chip Trail, which until recently was used for herding deer. There's also the year-round outdoor fieldstone grotto for hot hydrotherapy followed by a cold plunge – or, better yet, snow angels. Daily group wellness classes run from meditation to
snowshoeing.
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The Moor mud bath is a specialty; mineral-rich Ontario golden mud mixed with Saskatchewan clay. The treatment starts with a thick cloud of eucalyptus steam, then you rinse off and shimmy into a tub of mud. It feels amazing, like being stuck in thick chocolate pudding. A Vichy shower soothes the back and kneads the flesh.
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Don't miss the warm cookies and specialty loose-leaf blends during afternoon tea time.
1009 Massey Rd., Grafton, Ont.; 1-888-346-6772; www.steannes.com
THE SPA AT FOURS SEASONS RESORT WHISTLER
Why it's cool
Four Seasons Whistler makes it easy to get outdoors with its team of ski concierges, who wax skis, warm boots and, most important, lug your ski equipment to the foot of Whistler Blackcomb. The resort's Ski Lite program ups the style ante by suiting up guests in designer skiwear from Prada and Spyder and paired with top brand high-performance rental equipment – because they know that looking good on the hill is half the point.
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Looking good after is the other half. At the resort's nature-swathed spa, the B.C. glacial clay wrap uses this indigenous ingredient to nourish and detoxify wind-parched skin.
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The spa's "On the podium après alpine treatment" – a heat therapy based on hot stones, warm, moist towels and a deep tissue massage – is endorsed by 2010 Canadian Alpine Women's Ski Team member Britt Janyk.
4591 Blackcomb Way, Whistler, B.C.; 604-935-3400; fourseasons.com/whistler
Special to The Globe and Mail