Nordik Spa in Chelsea, Quebec is absolutely unbelievable!  When my daughter suggested that we go to Nordik Spa for a treatment and a thermal experience I thought I knew what to expect.  I love a good massage and I’ve been to Turkish Baths in Copenhagen.   See my blog about our experience, here:   http://www.eurotravelcoach.com/blog/2017/1/5/euro-travel-coach-goes-to-a-turkish-bath-in-copenhagen  So seriously, I felt very confident that I would have a great time, feel better when I left and look forward to going back some day.  I had no idea that I would be ready to go back the very next week!

We have known about Nordik Spa for a long time.  There is a sign on Route 5 on our way to the lake that points out this attraction so I’ve seen that sign hundreds of times going up to the cottage.  We planned to go for a nice relaxing day after running errands in Ottawa.  Greg booked a massage and Chelsea and I booked facials to prepare for her upcoming wedding at the lake.  We also planned to enjoy the “thermal experience.”   So we looked forward to our visit and knew it would be nice.  We did not expect what we found when we followed the signs into the spa parking lot. 

The parking lot was enormous and it was FULL of cars in the middle of the afternoon!  We couldn’t believe it!  We walked up the tranquil path to the entrance and entered the line to pay for our experience.  It was a little Disney-esqe except that people were wearing robes in line.  The agent found our reservation, charged our credit card and gave us rubber bracelets to open our lockers.  No cash or credit cards are presented inside.  We definitely knew this was not going to be a typical spa….

We’ve been renovating our shower at the cottage so at that point we had been taking sink baths for several weeks.  Just the shower at Nordik Spa was fabulous.  We took our own robes to save a few dollars, put them on after our shower, and went upstairs to wait for our treatment.  A team of people came to welcome each individual for their particular spa experience.  My facial was absolutely fantastic.  One hour of relaxation, fabulous aromas, slick oils and lotions, soothing music and interesting yet limited small talk.  My masseuse said that she has been working at Nordik Spa for 8 years.  The founder spent time in Scandinavia and loved the spa attitude there so much that he wanted to bring the concept home to Canada.  He invested everything he owned in the spa and lived in his parent’s basement in the beginning.  People thought he was crazy.  Now it is the largest spa in North America!  I can see why!

After our treatment we went for our “thermal experience.”  Oh my word, it was amazing.  I’ve never ever in my life experienced anything like it.  There are steam saunas and hot saunas and hot, medium and cold pools.  There are silent areas, whisper only areas and talk as much as you like spots.  There are “take a break” buildings – although I thought it was quite funny to be taking a break from all that relaxation.  There were hammocks and an infinity pool and of course, a fabulous bar.  There was also a Russian sauna where a young man brought in ice balls infused with heavily scented oils that he put directly on the hot coals.  Then he waved a towel around the room in a sort of dance which forced the hot steamy air on each participant.  It lasted 14 minutes and was set to music.  I had to leave after about 10 minutes.  Next time I’ll take a bottle of water and I think I’ll make it the entire time.  You’re supposed to go have a cold bath afterward.  I couldn’t do it.  I did a salt scrub instead.  Inside there was a restaurant that looked really lovely where guests were wearing robes while dining and sipping on glasses of wine.  Look at all the things you can experience here:  https://www.lenordik.com/en/discover-nordik/overview-of-the-site/

I thought we would stay for an hour or so in the thermal experience.  We stayed for 4 hours!  It was incredible!  What fun to have a slice of Europe right here in North America.  It’s not cheap.  Get ready to indulge.  For a splurge, it’s worth it.  My Canadian friends like to go here in the winter even more than in the summer.  I can only imagine what it would be like to spend time in the saunas and the pools with snow on the landscape.  It would be incredible!  I hope we get to experience it one day!

Are you planning a trip somewhere in Europe? We can help with that! Remember that we are always available to you and your friends and family for custom trip planning to Italy, France, Ireland, England and all of Europe. We also still have spots available on our small group trip to Tuscany and our small group trip to Piedmont!  We'd love for you to join us!  Feel free to reach out via email — We’re always available to talk about travel!!