THE TREATMENT
With vigorous vineyards flourishing on sun-kissed hills next door, it's only natural that grapes feature in several treatments at Lake Okanagan Resort's Beyond Wrapture spa. The signature treatment "Stairway to Heaven" offers a grape pip scrub followed by a honey-wine wrap. In a darkened den more Moroccan lair than treatment suite, therapist Shireen Khan takes her sweet time with the exfoliation, which uses nutrient-rich pips from local grapes.
Lavishing attention on hardened heels and rough knees, her rubdown releases an intoxicatingly pungent, earthy aroma. Later, under the shower's dim lights, I notice how raw the skins 'n' seeds scrub really is; I'm a marinated goose, prepped for the sauna. Post-infrared bake, I'm primed to soak up the honey wine as she fastidiously wraps me in insulating sheets and blankets. I can only describe the scalp massage that follows as a gateway drug to polishing off a buttery Mission Hill Pinot Gris later that evening.
THE BENEFITS
Long before the resveratrol and quercetin in grapes was discovered, Europeans celebrated the humble grape's health benefits. Use of grapes in skin care dates back to the court of King Louis XIV, when it became stylish to apply aged wine to enhance the complexion. Grape-seed extract is reported to be 20 times more potent in antioxidants than vitamin C and 50 times that of vitamin E. Resveratrol is believed to even out skin colour, improve elasticity and stimulate cell multiplication.
THE SPA
Lake Okanagan Resort's Beyond Wrapture Spa reuses byproducts wineries usually throw out - pips, stems and skins - all of which contain beneficial skin regenerators. Grape vines produce these antioxidants to combat parasites. As fungal infections are more common in the cooler climes of the Okanagan, local grapes often store a higher concentration of resveratrol. This forward-thinking spa chose to work with nearby Summerhill Estate Winery in a nod to its organic, biodynamic growing practices.
THE BASICS
Beyond Wrapture at 2751 Westside Rd., Kelowna; 1-866-548-8899; beyondwrapture.com; $212 for 90 minutes.
Special to The Globe and Mail