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After a week of photographing wildlife in subarctic Canada, I was in desperate need of a little rejuvenation and relaxation. I’m not typically a spa person, but I’d done my research and learned that Scandinavian-inspired hot-cold-temperate sessions may help soothe aching muscles and alleviate stress. I wanted to find out for myself.
Walking through the doors of Thermëa by Nordik Spa-Nature in Winnipeg, I was immediately handed a comfy terry cloth robe and towel. I soon found myself in a large sauna surrounded by about 20 other guests, watching a Thermëa employee drop essential-oil-infused snowballs onto the hot coals.
As the steam rose, she whipped a towel around to move the scented hot air throughout the cedar-lined room. She channeled a ballet dancer or bullfighter with the way she gracefully danced and moved, while I sat and breathed in the superheated air. It’s the most unique show I’ve ever seen in a steam room — OK, the only one I’ve ever seen — even if at least once during the performance I thought I might lose an eye to the snapping towel.
After she finished, everyone moved from the 120-degree room into the crisp Canadian night. Steam still rising from our bodies, we dunked ourselves into a frigid pool, causing more than a few of us to gasp and shriek. From there we moved to other pools, filled with more tepid waters, where we were encouraged to lounge for 20 minutes or more. A friend who’d visited several times before said the trick was to do a similar rotation — hot, cold, temperate — three times and you’ll end up walking out of the spa feeling like a wet noodle. Spoiler: It totally worked.
“[The experience] helps people disconnect and reconnect with themselves.”
“When you start in one of our hot areas — steam, sauna or hot pools — the heat causes blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow to the body,” says Simmone Lyons, director of Nordic Spa Operations for Alyeska Resort in Alaska. “This can help relax muscles, improve flexibility and promote healing by delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the body. Once you submerge in the cold pool, it causes the blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow, which can help decrease inflammation, swelling and pain by limiting the release of inflammatory substances.”
Nordic-style spas have sprung up across Canada over the last several years, and the trend has recently started to cross the border into the U.S. in resorts and day spas.
Despite Nordic spas becoming more popular in North America, you won’t see anyone on their cellphone snapping a selfie for social media. As in most spas, electronic devices and talking louder than a whisper are strongly discouraged.
“[The experience] helps people disconnect and reconnect with themselves,” says Thermëa marketing manager Devon Shewchuk.
Most Nordic-style locations recommend making a reservation, as it can be hard to relax if you and 50 other people are in an enclosed space meant for 25. (Of course, check with your health care provider before booking if you have any health conditions.)
Here are four day spas and resorts in the U.S. where travelers can try the Nordic spa trend.
