Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Hotel
Like to swim? Your ancestors probably did, which explains the wealth of lake- and seaside attractions in hoary cities across the globe. Two of our members, Vacation Hotels, demonstrated this week why many of these ancient havens are worth a visit. Visit best vacation Montreal Hotel in Quebec Best Western Hotel Europa
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The Strange Consultant: Signs of the times
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Monday, April 14, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Dastination and day wellness spa in Montreal
The chemical delights of a spa experience
JOE SCHWARCZ, Freelance
Published: Saturday, February 02First came the heat. Then the bucket of cold water. Then the stoning.
Then the electric gizmo pecking at my face. Activities suited for a torture chamber? No, quite the opposite. Pleasant experiences associated with my first ever "spa adventure."
Oh, I've been in saunas before, but I've never had a massage nor a facial. Until recently. It seems that being somewhat in the public eye has its advantages. Such as receiving an invitation, out of the blue, to spend a day at a new spa in downtown Montreal. Frankly, I didn't know quite what to expect, and had some reservations about the visit. While I had never been to a spa, I was very familiar with the questionable treatments offered at some establishments. I've had my say in the past about the follies of ion-cleanse foot baths, detox patches and "enzyme-laden" grass extracts.
My wife and I were met by Igor, the extremely congenial owner of the spa. It wasn't hard to guess where he was from. (Do Igors come from anywhere else but Russia?) Originally Igor, like his charming and obviously physically fit wife, had been trained as chemical engineers.
Phew, I thought, scientific types. I was not going to hear about meridians or chakras or other such woowoo.
And I didn't. But I did hear a great deal about the science of saunas. Because that was where our day of physical pampering would begin.
First we were issued comfy robes and towels equipped with Velcro for fastening around the waist. This presented the first dilemma of the day. Does one keep anything on under this towel-skirt? Well, I made my decision and was ready to enter the sauna. Not so fast, said Igor.
First, a little winding down with a little green tea, nuts and honey. I certainly had no objection, being a proponent of the health benefits attributed to the catechins in green tea. And the omega-3 fats in the nuts are also fine by me.
Then we were off to the sauna. Not a little cubby hole like I was used to, but a big spacious room filled with wooden benches and comfortable wooden lounge chairs. Not, just any wood, Igor explained. A long-time enthusiast of saunas, he had learned that the wood of the Kenyan abachi tree has no peer in saunas. It has very little tendency to absorb heat, so that even though the air in the sauna reaches a temperature of 80C, you don't have to worry about burning your rear. Then my attention turned to the thick pine panels that lined the walls. Unlike other saunas, there were round cork-like protrusions all over the place. Igor explained that the knots in the wood had been removed and replaced with cedar plugs for better reflection of heat and to offer a more interesting and more relaxing appearance.
As we sat there sweating, and relaxing, I heard about the next step that was in store for me. I was going to be "vihtad." In other words, beaten with a bouquet of leafy birch branches (the "vihta"). That sounded a bit ominous, but Igor assured it was an old Finnish tradition and useful in removing dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. Not finding the image of my body being a graveyard for dead skin cells appealing, I was game. We moved into a smaller and hotter sauna to soften my skin, and Igor went to work with the vihta. First he dipped it in cool water and then started vihtaing my back. I'll have to disappoint some of my readers who disagree with my views on health matters and think that I deserve a good beating.
Being vihtad was decidedly pleasant. I don't know what it did for my dearly departed skin cells, but the combination of the water sprinkling on my skin and the gentle flicking with the birch branches was invigorating. But not as invigorating as what was to follow.
"Follow me," Igor said. And off we went. Outside! Out onto a terrace with a spectacular view of downtown Montreal. A view interrupted by several big red buckets filled with water. Without hesitation, my host picked up a bucket and poured it over his head. I had heard of even old Finns doing this to improve circulation, but not being an old Finn, I was a bit wary. But since I had decided I was in this for the total experience, I gamely picked up the bucket and mimicked Igor.
Amazingly, on my hot body, the water didn't feel cold. It felt great! And was I ever happy I had made the right decision about the dress code under the towel-skirt.
Lunch was next. A fruit plate with a bevy of berries and other delights, beautifully presented. An antioxidant feast! So far so good.
Next in line was the "Sabai Stone" massage, which according to the brochure I picked up was going to de-stress my mind, body and spirit. I lay down on a comfortable massage bed and was asked to choose the essential oil I was to be massaged with. I went for neroli, which promised to "pacify." I could have gone for lavender (soothing and healing) or rosemary (rejuvenating and relaxing). It turned out that the Sabai Stones were pieces of black granite, heated in an oven, with which Andre adeptly rubbed me all over. I don't know if I achieved blissful relaxation with this, but that was probably because of the new age music. I thought Satisfaction by the Rolling Stones would have been far more appropriate.
Finally, I was ready for my facial. Various coloured clays were applied to different parts of my visage, which, according to the brochure, would not only rejuvenate my face but would also rebalance different parts of my body. (Elvis's Suspicious Minds is what they should be playing now, I thought). This was followed by "lymphatic drainage," using a machine with an attachment that gave the sensation of a one-legged bird with a suction cup attached to its foot fluttering on my face. Be this as it may, the end result was quite flattering. In fact, I'm ready for my close-up. To see it, you will have to go to my Facebook page (Joseph.Schwarcz).
My first-ever day at a spa ended with a huge glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. On my next visit. I'd like to try the unique hot rock pool. But I don't know if I can stand any more rejuvenation. After the first day, I already slept like a baby.
Joe Schwarcz is director of McGill University's Office for Science and Society (www.OSS.McGill.ca).
He can be heard every Sunday from 3-4 p.m. on CJAD.
joe.schwarcz@mcgill.ca
Thursday, February 21, 2008
The most beutiful Spa in Montreal - Spa Orange
www.spaorange.ca
| The most beutiful Spa in Montreal- Spa Orangeis a full service spa and wellness center in the Best Western Hotel Europa. The only spa in the heart of Montreal , built and structured with Holistic Philosophy in mind, we bring the 5 elements indoors in our décor, product lines and treatments to invite you home to yourself. Your spa experience will begin in Nordic Sauna with old Scandinavian Vihtu Traditions and Splash area. Cool down at our 3200 sq. f. roof terrace and rock garden. Continue at Infra Red Sauna, relax at Rocks Pool. Pick anything from a wide variety of healing modalities and aesthetic services. Benefit from our several high quality product lines: Phyto5, based on the 5 elements and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Algotherm, based on rejuvenating algae treatments and Pevonia Botanica products, prepared with the highest quality organic materials. Stay for a single treatment, a few hours package, or for your personalized Wellness Program, an overnight to a week long. Come home to yourself at Spa Orange! Spa Orange |
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