Thermea Spa Village, Whitby ON – Elsewhere is here
Thermea Spa Village, Whitby, ON
Elsewhere Is Here
By Lorie Steiner
Summer holidays might be over, but don’t be sad. There’s a mini getaway just waiting to pamper your mind, body and soul – all year long. Only 45 minutes from Toronto, and part of the GTA, Thermea Spa Village in Whitby offers North America’s widest selection of experiences dedicated to your overall wellbeing and bringing a sense of calm into your life.
Paula Desjardins, General Manager of Thermea Spa Village, shares, “Unlike a lot of other spa experiences, the ‘village’ aspect is what sets us and the Spa Village concept apart, in that we have baths, saunas, steam rooms, relaxation areas, as well as a social connection element.”
The Biergarden (with over 20 beers on tap and featuring local craft breweries), a fine dining restaurant called Le Resto, and a cocktail lounge with shareable menu choices are perfect for socializing.
“Connection is not just about connecting with ourselves, it’s also feeling connected to nature and the people around you,” Paula explains. “A lot of couples come here for date night, and girls’ nights out are really popular.”
The Thermal Experience: Three Steps to Delight the Body and Mind
Practiced in Nordic countries for more than 2000 years, the thermal experience is an ancestral ritual of alternating hot, cold and rest. Also known as the thermal cycle or thermotherapy, this ritual takes you from a meditative state to a lively sense of awakening, ending with an energized return to calm. Thermea Spa Village offers traditional and surprising installations, so your thermal journey for each cycle is never the same.
It’s recommended to repeat this three-step ritual at least three times to reap the full benefits:
Hot An Intense Heat
Recommended duration: 10 to 15 minutes
In the Village, it’s called a “happy sweat,” when the body happily releases toxins and impurities. Whether you prefer quiet with only the sound of water poured over hot stones, a ritual experience or music surrounding you, Thermea Spa Village’s ‘hot’ options to start the thermal cycle are sure to please.
Benefits: Eliminates toxins, stimulates the immune system, promotes blood circulation.
Cold An Invigorating Shock
Recommended duration: 10 to 15 seconds
Next comes the deep chill. Suddenly, your whole body awakens, your heart rate quickens, pores tighten, and adrenaline creates a pleasant wave of energy. Imagine a bath with a nearly frozen waterfall, a shower provided by an ice water bucket or a short winter promenade. How to experience the effect of the cold is up to you.
Benefits: Energizes in an instant, closes skin pores, reduces inflammation.
Rest Balance Restored
Recommended duration: A minimum of 20 minutes
After going from one extreme to another, it’s rest time. Breathe deeply as your circulation and breathing return to normal and the body’s temperature and heart rate are restored. Adrenalin is replaced by endorphins. You feel alive and joyful. The cycle can now begin again.
Benefits: Soothes body and mind, releases happiness hormones.
Village Ritual – Aufguss
At the sound of a gong, everyone gathers in the Village’s largest sauna to experience Aufguss, a German ritual which optimizes the positive effects of thermotherapy and aromatherapy. All is silent as the Ritual Artisan enters, holding snowballs infused with essential oils. The Artisan melts them one by one on the stove and using towel waving techniques sends aromatic steam throughout the space. “The snowball is infused with 100 percent essential oils that are in line with the story the Artisan is telling,” says Paula. “Perhaps about walking in nature at nighttime when the dew is on the leaves and you’re looking at the stars. They help create an experience, and the smell and the heat are part of that story.”
Expect the Exceptional…
Your Thermea Spa Village journey begins online when you book your visit and receive a confirmation with a QR code. To enter the spa, you’ll pass through an archway, where you leave your troubles behind.
Once inside, scan your QR code and choose a bracelet that gives access to the spa. It opens your locker and is also your form of payment for onsite purchases. If you want to have a bite in the Biergarden, or add a service like Kalla, (the heavenly saltwater floating bath), or Rhassoul (a mud scrub experience in a steam room), just scan your wristband and the transaction automatically goes onto your invoice.
In your locker, you’ll find a robe and a towel, so you can put on your bathing suit and robe, then go explore. Schedules are posted throughout the Village noting Aufguss times; generally, one every hour. There are meditations in the pergola. Tea is served in the treatment lounge, while you’re waiting for your massage or body care. Sit by the pond and read a book, relax in a hammock, or recline in a lounger with a heater above. It’s amazing in the winter to snuggle up outside in a blanket under the stars.
Thermal experiences are food for muscle recovery after a workout because it helps to release the lactic acid buildup. In fact, more and more people are using the sauna and the Spa Village as part of their self care. Paula notes, “Before COVID, people thought of self care as a privilege, and now we’re understanding how critical it is to take care of ourselves – our minds and our bodies. Thermea Spa Village makes everyone feel comfortable. It’s an incredible experience because you realize that bodies come in all shapes and sizes and we’re all beautiful in our own way. You’re here for health and wellness and inside we’re all the same.”
If you’re looking to curate a Spa Village experience, you should book at least three weeks in advance. An average visit is between four and six hours, and Thermea Spa Village is open every day until 10 pm, all year long, except for Christmas day.
Wise words from Paula: “Although we’re in Whitby in a fairly populated area, we’re next to a beautiful park, so you really feel like you’ve escaped to a place that’s ‘somewhere else.’ Of course, the best way to get to know Thermea Spa Village is to come and experience it yourself.” Discover more and book your getaway at thermea.com/whitby.
