Experience New Heights in Whistler ... at the
Spa
by Jane
Lang with additional material from GayVancouver.Net'Think
Whistler, think snow' is the mantra for many winter enthusiasts.
However, some of us have more hedonistic thoughts when we head to the
worldly resort in the mountains: 'think Whistler, think spa'. If you
yearn for pampering, Whistler has an admirable offering of feel-good
treatments in a dozen spas sprinkled throughout its classy village.
Here’s a preview of the Whistler spa scene.
Solarice is the new kid on the block.
Lesbian owned and operated, the
Solarice Wellness
Centre + Spa combines western science and ancient eastern
therapies to ensure a truly integrative approach to wellness.
Their blended packages, such as the "Soothing Wind" which combines
aromatherapy, acupuncture and massage, are all designed to relax the
mind, rejuvenate your body and revitalize your spirit.
Vida Wellness Spa, Fairmont Chateau
Whistler Tucked away from the busy Whistler scene my body is being
slathered with lotion that has a delicious lemon fragrance. After
sipping apple tea in the elegant lounge of Vida Wellness Spa, I was
escorted down the wave-shaped hall into a dimly lit treatment room and
the pleasure began.
My
treatment of choice is a body wrap that begins with an exfoliation
procedure – the lemon grass mixture contains, among other things,
ginger and sugar. The latter is unusual as salt is most often used in
a body scrub to remove dead or damaged skin. The Turbinado sugar
treatment used here is both soothing and effective. Along with the
other non-toxic ingredients, it revitalizes skin and prepares it for
the next step. Feeling like I'm covered with fine sand, I head to the
showers and rid myself of the sweet mixture.
Next, is the ginger body wrap. I'm
slathered with a mixture that, as well as ginger essential oil,
contains 23 other healthy components. It’s applied all over my body
(private parts are covered with a towel) and then I’m wrapped, first
in plastic and then warm covers. Shiatsu pressure points in my head
are massaged and I drift on into a semi-comatose state. The room is
darkened and I relax for 20 minutes. Interestingly, even though I am
tightly wrapped (how tight is your preference), my sensation is one of
floating. Too dreamy!
Smelling vaguely like a lemon
meringue pie, I'm unwrapped and I slither off the treatment table into
the shower. Then follows a massage to my baby-soft skin; I feel as
supple as a prize athlete – an athlete with dewy skin, that is. This
spa event is made all the more blissful if you are staying at the
Chateau as you just don a robe and float upstairs. Relaxed is an
understatement. This experience leaves little wonder why Vida, which
practices Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old Indian holistic health
philosophy, is ranked in the top ten of Travel & Leisure Magazine's
"Best Hotel Spas for Value" category. One can't put a dollar value on
feeling this good.
Nibbana is a take-off on the Burmese
word 'Nirvanna' which means heaven. And there is something heavenly
about this small spa with eight treatment rooms in a horseshoe shape.
Everything is intimate and welcoming. The Buddha in each room is a
hint that Nibbana practices a holistic approach to health that
incorporates the mind, body and spirit. In a tranquil setting with
candle light and a starry 'sky' (chunks of glass on a dark ceiling
give this effect) you can experience meditation, yoga and Reiki under
the direction of a therapist who wears a traditional Indian Punjabis.
It all works; I departed feeling like I had visited another country, a
very peaceful one.
Nibbana was opened January, 2001 by
two energetic and enthusiastic young women, Diana Sillery and Rhiannon
Rees. As well as meticulously planning the treatments, they did the
grass roots work like laying the "floating wooden floors" and
painting. It's paying off as they have a local following and service
eleven Whistler properties with spa treatments.
Esperanza Day Spa Oh boy, if there is
anything as comforting as having your poor feet pampered, I don't know
it. Esperanza is a tiny, two room spa that utilizes the popular,
all-natural Aveda products and offers treatments that include
everything from a hot stone massage to a pedicure. "We call it 'pedicare'
and it's our most popular service. It’s really a facial for your
feet," says owner, Ximena Bermudez, a lovely woman originally from
Columbia.
It's a surprise that you lie down for
this pedicure. Your feet are treated to a masque, then are massaged
(along with the lower legs) and wrapped. Then, the piece de
resistance, as your tootsies are set in warm paraffin wax which seals
the moisture in and, clients say, eases arthritic and joint pain. This
blissful procedure is followed by the usual snipping of nails and
removing dead skin before the application of nail polish. It’s truly a
holiday for your feet. No surprise that the word is out on this
comfort measure. After a day in ski boots, what could be better?
(About 15% of Esperanza’s pedicure clients are men.)
Esperanza opened in 1998 and is
located on the second level of the Market Pavilion in Whistler North.
I am already dreaming of my next spa
trip to Whistler, perhaps a day at the full service Avello Spa &
Health Club, or Blue Highways Shiatsu & Massage sounds intriguing
too...
Whistler spas – one more reason why
this resort consistently wins plaudits from visitors and publications
worldwide.
