Whether you’re travelling to Ottawa, or currently living in that great city, sometimes it is nice to get out and take a little bit of time for yourself. Only 10 minutes from the downtown at the edge of Gatineau Park, the Nordik Spa-Nature is the perfect spot to take a break and escape from the hustle and bustle of life. Located in Chelsea, Quebec, Nordik Spa-Nature is the largest spa in North America creating a tranquil oasis of various outdoor hot tubs, cold pools, saunas, quiet rooms, fireplaces and soothing music. With plenty of services to choose from, customize your retreat to suit your relaxation needs. Looking for a relaxing retreat with friends, family or co-workers? The Nordik Spa-Nature also has two rustic inspired lodged that are available for rent.
Leaving the city with the afterwork rush, we decided to begin our experience with a duo-massage. The perfect way to unwind and get into the zen spa mode. I had the pleasure of trying 90 minute volcanic stone massage while my guest got the chance to work through some of his muscle tension with a 90 minute Swedish massage.
We then proceeded to enjoy the rest of the evening by exploring their many pools and saunas. To help you achieve a state of deep relaxation, repeating a hot-cold-rest thermal cycle three times is recommend to help rid your body of toxins. The heat of the saunas will cleans your body from unwanted toxins through perspiration. A transition into a cold pool will produce a thermal shock to close your pores and releases the stimulating hormone adrenalin. And then, to complete the cycle, it is recommended that you then take a rest in one of the many lounges, hammocks, beds or fireside chaises which eliminates adrenalin in favour of endorphins to allow you to fully relax. Extend your stay by paying a little extra for a float in the Källa salt water pool; one of the only two underground salt pools in the world!
After spending a perfect evening at the Nordik Spa-Nature, we dropped by their onsite restaurant (RESTO) for a delicious three course dinner. Their gourmet menu offers options that are gluten free, nut free, vegan, vegetarian as well as locally produced. Designed by Chef Mathieu Landé-Verdier, each dish was created to add to your thermal experience paring refreshing flavours in healthy and balanced dishes. If you’re looking for lighter fare, drop by the Panorama Lounge has a great selection of tapas and other dishes to share with one of their great cocktails or wines.
All images were provided by the Nordic Spa-Nature.
