As wellness travel grows in popularity, spas are becoming tourist destinations in their own right. To maximize the attractiveness of the experiences for out-of-town guests, some are designing treatments using local skincare brands.
At Toronto’s Hammam Spa, the in-house product line Céla, made with Canadian-grown ingredients, is used in the Céla Seed to Skin Ritual.
In British Columbia, the concept translates to looking to the bounty of natural ingredients such as seaweed, glacial clay, botanicals and sea salt. At Willow Stream Spa at Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver, these ingredients are featured in treatments including the 120-minute Fountain of Youth, which uses local brand Beauty Through Balance.
Across the Strait of Georgia at Victoria’s Fairmont Empress Hotel, Willow Stream Spa sales manager Anita Voorsluys has incorporated local seaweed-focused skincare brand Seaflora Skincare into a series of Salish Sea Treatments for body, face, hands and feet. Each uses Seaflora products, which are sustainably harvested and produced just a short drive up the coast of Vancouver Island. It’s a partnership that she calls “sea to spa.”
Since the Willow Stream’s renovation in 2017, Voorsluys’s focus has been on adding authentic local treatments to the traditional menu of massages and facials. “It’s really important for spas to create unique experiences for guests based on their geographical location," she says. "For us, we’re by the sea. The ocean is right outside our front door.”
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Seaflora Skincare Deep Sea Moisturizer, $64 through seafloraskincare.com.
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