The discovery of Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain reminded me of my Finnish grandmother’s stories of Northern Ontario where as a young girl, she and her female relatives gathered several times a week to sweat out toxins and swat each other with birch branches in Cobalt’s communal saunas. Continuing the time-honoured tradition of the Finns, Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain near Collingwood, Ontario relies on the full cycle of hydrotherapy including Finnish saunas, Nordic waterfalls, hot baths and outdoor fireplaces to provide spa guests with a regimen that will eliminate toxins, improve blood circulation and restore both physical and emotional balance.
The way hydrotherapy works is first you must raise your body temperature by immersing yourself in steam rooms, saunas and hot baths to the point of perspiration, which releases toxins and negative energy from the body. You then switch to cold stimulation by standing under Nordic waterfalls or taking cold plunges in showers and baths, which closes the skin’s pores and causes blood vessels to tighten and redirect blood flow from the internal organs. The third stage involves relaxation in hammocks, solariums, on terraces or by outdoor fireplaces in order to stabilize the heart rate and blood flow. The whole process is an effective method of reducing your body’s inflammation. Scandinave Spa recommends that you allow two to three hours for the whole Scandinavian bath experience.
Scandinave Spa also offers registered massage therapy including Swedish massage and hot stone therapy. For $121, you can get a 60-minute Swedish massage and access to the Scandinavian baths. A 90-minute hot stone treatment or Swedish massage with access to the baths costs $179. The day at the Spa package for $146 includes a 60-minute Swedish massage, full day access to the baths, lunch at Scandinave Spa’s bistro and a stainless steel water bottle.
Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain encourages a mindfulness experience for everyone and thus talking is restricted in certain areas of the spa, including the Scandinavian baths. Access to the Scandinavian baths is $48, with a reduced rate of $38 on Wednesdays. Weekends are particularly busy and may require a waitlist to use the baths (baths cannot be reserved in advance). Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain is open every day of the year from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain, 152 Grey Road 21, Blue Mountain, 705-443-8484
