I’m an extreme spa junkie but the death of Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy, a 60-something amateur wrestler, at the World Sauna Championships over the weekend, made me stop and think: when does wellness stop being healthy and start being deadly? A finalist in the competition, Ladyzhenskiy collapsed after six minutes in the extreme 110C heat and authorities pulled […]
How Merlin the Magician felt about the healing power of rocks
Recently I checked out a new spa treatment making waves in Japan. Heat waves, that is. Make that infrared heat waves. There are a few spas in North America now dedicated to Ganbanyoku, or rock bathing. And let me tell you, it piqued my interest in the healing power of rocks. What is rock bathing? […]
From snail slime to sheep cells: bizarre spa treatments that use animal products
Animals? In spa treatments? Really? Yes, really. In some cases it’s too bizarre to be believed. At other times they’re effective and celebrities love them. The bird poo dilemma Would I use bird poop in my facial as they do in Japan? Yes. I mean, it’s clean poop and the enzymes are supposed to add radiance […]
Spa review: The secret Isle of Women
Remember the floating palace on the island filled with beautiful women in the James Bond flick Octopussy? Yes, well, right here in Toronto a secret Isle of Women really does exist. And sorry, guys, no men allowed. Body Blitz – health by water, is on 471 Adelaide and right from the moment I got to […]
A tip for the single man – take your mom to the spa for Mother’s Day – here’s the spa etiquette to help you
Men, here’s a thought. Now that you’re okay with going to the spa as a couple (you are, right?) take it one step further and accompany your mom to the spa for Mother’s Day. Trust me, if you’re single you’ll be hitting a prime demographic of nice-girls-who-pamper-their-mothers and you’ll be one of the very few […]
Is it a mystical experience or is that the sun in my eyes?
On my last day in Wales our sparkly red bus tour stops at St. Non’s Well and I’m hell-bent on finding some potent Celtic/Catholic mysticism. Our group troops off to the spring, a small covered well said to have miraculous curative properties. Nearby are the remains of St Non’s chapel built in the 6th century. Non was the mother […]
Ste Anne’s Country Inn & Spa review
Looking for an Ontario spa getaway? Check this one out. Here is my Ste Anne’s Country Inn & Spa review While I’m having my Aveda Botannical Resurfacing Facial at Ste Anne’s Spa just outside Grafton, Ontario, various thoughts are flitting through my mind, like: For a petite young thing, this therapist has seriously strong fingers. […]
It’s official: travel writer cannot stop travelling
Even when I make a conscious decision to stay in one place, a trip appears out of the blue. In this case it’s a weekend getaway to Ste Anne’s Country Inn and Spa in Grafton, Ontario, 90 miles east of Toronto. It’s a birthday gift from my boyfriend (Yay boyfriend!) and I am too too excited. Not my […]
Why spend on European spa resorts?
It’s 4:30 in the morning and I’ve got jet lag bad. No, I’ve never found a remedy for it except time. And I’ve tried everything. Right now I just rummaged through my cupboard to find some melatonin, the sleep hormone, and am waiting for it to kick in. If it kicks in. And while I wait […]
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