One summer, when I was eight years old, my parents set up a soft-sided pool in the backyard. I giddily waited at the edge as my father filled it with water from the hose pipe. It was undeniably a great gift, but their part was far from over. For the next week it occupied every possible hour of my day and as much of theirs as I could physically extract from them.
“Daddy come play in the water with me”, became the new doctrine of Andreanna.
One evening I was splashing around waiting for my father to return from work so I could drag him into the back yard and play some aquatic equivalent of a tedious children’s game. My boisterous impatience led me to bring various toys into the pool and at some point I slipped. The soft side was torn open by a plastic shovel and a tsunami of summer fun was quickly consumed by the parched lawn. I sat motionless in the middle of the empty pool like a depressing David Hockney painting when my father walked through the patio door.
“Oh no” he laughed. “I was looking forward to swimming with you!”
My heart broke. And I cried. A lot.
I wish I could say that much has changed since then, but if I repeated this experience today I think it would end much the same. My love for water remains. And for my father too. However society has successfully convinced me that it is inappropriate for a 30 year old woman to erect a paddling pool in her garden and demand her parents come and play with her.
As such I have learned to refine my tastes. Much like how my childhood love of Kraft dinners evolved into a sophisticated appreciation of Italian food, my love of paddling pools and water parks has found it’s sophisticated equivalent: Scandinave Spa.
Tucked away in some of Canada’s most beautiful spots, each spa offers an experience that is totally unique yet perfectly consistent. The experience centers around a couple key points:
Hydrotherapy
Massage
Silence
Disconnection
The first step is to relax in one of the hot pools, saunas or steam baths.
The steam baths are a particular favourite of mine and are always my first choice. Sitting in the steam bath and breathing in the eucalyptus steam, I feel completely relaxed. As hard as I try, I can never recreate the eucalyptus steam in my shower…
The next step is to cool off in one of the cold water features.
At Scandinave Spa Tremblant, this could be a dip in the icy Diable River (highly-recommended!) while at Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain, guests can cool off by rolling around in the snow. While this may sound a bit shocking, don’t skip this step! I try to stay in the cold water for thirty seconds. It’s important to feel those heart-pumping, skin tingling sensations before getting (read: running) out of the cold water. This sets you up perfectly for the next portion: relax.
Each spa has a variety of relaxation spots dotted around.
From solariums and fire pits to sun loungers and hammocks, there’s something for everyone. I’m pretty partial to the hammocks. In particular, Whistler’s hammock grove provides a gorgeous vantage point of the surrounding mountains. If you are visiting Old Montreal I’d highly recommend their “Zero-Stress” room. Perfectly lit and filled with cushy bean bags, it’s so relaxing that I fell asleep in there.
And somehow the experience is made even more serene when shared with someone. Truly, there is no better way to experience Scandinave Spa than with someone you love. Hence my most recent father’s day card.
Dad
Happy Father’s Day.
You’ve done so much for me and I thought you deserved a break. So I’ve got us two passes for Scandinave spa.
You deserve it!
In case you missed it this is my sophisticated way of screaming, “Daddy come play in the water with me”.