SOAK IT UP

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A LITTLE WELLNESS GOES A LONG WAY AFTER A SKI DAY. HIT THESE SLOPESIDE SPAS TO INDULGE IN THE ULTIMATE APRÈS.

There’s little more satisfying than following up the go-go of the slopes with serious R&R. Ski country offers some of the finest spas in the country to get your dunk on. Whether it’s making it an après event or keeping it in your back pocket for poor-weather days, a little wellness goes a long way toward repairing sore muscles and joints, as well as massaging our mental bits and pieces. What feels better than shucking off all those layers and slipping into a warm pool or lying supine in a steamy cocoon? Nearly nothing, we say. Here’s to putting the aah in spa.

TAKING THE WATERS AT FAIRMONT 

Since the 1880s, beautiful people have come to Banff to take the waters. Now, healing history meets modern sensibilities at Fairmont Banff Springs’ Willow Stream Spa—a destination spa with all the trimmings. Rushing waterfalls and burbling mineral pools surround the centrepiece: a round indoor mineral pool infused with health-giving minerals from South Africa. Ringed by snowy peaks, flakes fall gently over the outdoor whirlpool, while a Zen quiet pervades the ladies’ and men’s steam rooms, eucalyptus-inhalation chambers, and cedar-lined saunas. Don’t miss ducking into one of 27 treatment rooms—there’s no finer use of 90 minutes than a Redefining Body Wrap, involving a rigorous body scrub, hydrating massage and glow-making mini-facial using premier Tata Harper unguents. Top tip for non-hotel guests: access to the spa and pools is included with the purchase of a massage, facial, or body treatment.

Further west at Fairmont Whistler, two piste-sidewinter barrel saunas with wood-burning fire pits heat sore glutes. Nearby, multiple outdoor whirlpools and a 20m outdoor lap pool with underwater music relax the soul. And yes, Caesars and beer are duly delivered by smiling attendants in true Canadian fashion. Further east and new this winter: Quebec’s largest outdoor pool terrace at Fairmont Tremblant. It is ski-in, ski-out spa-ing, bien sûr. 

Best for… Calgary, Vancouver and Montreal commuters who know enough to hit the steam baths instead of fighting traffic heading back to the city at the end of a ski day. 

SCANDINAVE-STYLE PEACE

Enjoy hydrotherapy in the heart of nature, whether you’re in Whistler, Blue Mountain or Tremblant. Three cross-country Scandinave outposts await ski-addled muscles in soothing outdoor spas tucked Nordic-style into forests and snowy meadows. Combine crisp Canadian air with Scandinavian bathing to cleanse skin, improve blood circulation and repair muscles. Raise the temperature first in a eucalyptus steam bath, hot bath or wood-burning Finnish sauna, then cool down under a bracing waterfall, with a plunge into cold baths and brisk showers. Reward your corpus with total relaxation in the solariums, hammocks, on a terrace or by the outdoor fireplace. No phones, just peace.

Best for… The shell-shocked parent who just needs a minute’s peace to forget, briefly, how much money they’re spending on their family ski vacation while the kids souvenir shop in the village.

OKANAGAN DETOX

Just 45 minutes from SilverStar or 80 minutes from Big White, an indulgent detox awaits at adults-only Sparkling Hill Resort. On the edge of winelands overlooking Lake Okanagan, this glittering temple of wellness was built by the late Gernot Langes-Swarovski, which explains the over-the-top 3.5 million Swarovski crystals worked into every nook and cranny and the pervading sense of Euro-wellness. The mammoth KurSpa is almost half a hectare: seven steam and sauna chambers, indoor pools and panoramic outdoor infinity pool, more than 100 tickles and treatments—the list is long. It’s rather like the near-endless supply of excellent tipples in the cellar, right here in Canada’s own wine-and-ski country.

Best for… The spouse who’s not afraid to indulge while their overly driven partner does après-ski conditioning laps on SilverStar nordic tracks. 

NORDIC TRADITION

Hot, cold, relax, repeat at Vettä Nordic Spa, tucked north of Toronto in Horseshoe Valley. Finnish for water, Vettä’sNordic tradition meets a soothingly modern aesthetic in this immunity-boosting haven of well-being. Work your way round the various pools and saunas, where temperatures swing from high to low on a hydrotherapy cycle of heat, cold and relaxation. There’s a map to guide you through the recommended order and times. We love the dedicated exfoliating salt scrub room with showers and wood-burning fire, and applaud the heated floors and “respectful” social zone—no cold feet or monastical vows of silence required. There are RMTs at the ready to Finnish you off, and a lovely Scandi-style restaurant, because relaxing builds an appetite. 

Best for… Anyone who needs to normalize their heart rate after driving out of Toronto on Highway 400.

PARTY-SIZED HOT TUBS & CINESPAS?

Balnea Spa’s stunningly eclectic wellness world may be tucked in the Quebecois backcountry but its award-winning architecture and creative attractions put it on the map. Down a thin country road, it’s 15 minutes from Bromont in the Eastern Townships where seven party-size hot tubs and a new infinity pool offer exceptional views over Lake Gale and the Appalachians. Balneotherapy is only the beginning: there’s a cinespa, Turkish hammam, a sweat lodge, heaps of artwork, funky furniture, a Moroccan lounge, an aquarium and a special space devoted to rural silence. It’s a near-perfect après-ski indulgence, surrounded by snowflakes lit by a shimmering silver moon. Luuvly. 

Best for… Frustrated Ontario wanna-be-French-speakers looking for an enforced no-talking zone after trying and failing to interact a-là-française.

DIBZEES ON THE HAMMOCKS

Last but not least, Kananaskis Nordic Spa, both five years old and five minutes from the eponymous ski hill, brings the great Alberta outdoors indoors—and outdoors. Think: contemporary indoor-outdoor space, connection to nature, five outdoor pools, six saunas and steam cabins, exfoliation cabin, eight massage treatment rooms and some good ‘ol Canadian outdoor fire pits. Dibzees on the hammocks.

Best for… People who know everything really is bigger in Alberta.