The Adirondack region, with all of its splendor and beauty, has to have an influx of resorts, spas, and hotels that capitalize on the "Resting in the Wilderness" philosophy. Euro-Spa combines all of the above establishments into one, in what they call a wellness resort.

Located in remote St. Ignace de Stanbridge, southern Quebec, the Canadian resort's philosophy is "health through water."

Owner Joseph Biehler, who designed and built the spa in 1994, believes that stress is a leading factor for many health problems, including backaches, circulatory problems, and exhaustion. He and his trained staff of 55 offer many treatments and remedies for visitors to the spa—an escape that I decided to try firsthand.

Getting there is half the fun

The drive to the spa itself is peaceful, passing through the countryside of Quebec and many pleasant villages. There is a lot of room to misread the directions though, and the signs to find the spa can sometimes be missed.

Heading up a winding road into the woods, the resort becomes clearly visible as you draw near. Three main buildings are tucked in a quiet pasture, with trees visible all around, and a fantastic view of the countryside.

 

Upon entering the spa, my photographer and I were whisked into the changing rooms to get ready. Guests should bring flip-flops, bathing suits, towels, and bathrobes to use the spa, but all are also provided for a nominal fee of three dollars.

Massage Heaven

After changing, I walked into the hushed treatment area where I was led to a small room with a massage table. Biehler calls these rooms massage cabins. When he first opened the spa, they had only four. Today they are completing renovations, which will round out the number of cabins to 20 in order to keep up with the flood of clients.

The room is sparse, with just enough room for the massage therapist to move around comfortably. A tape recorder is switched on, playing soothing New Age music, and I was lulled into an almost comatose state. As the massage therapist worked her magic, I received a Swedish massage, a massage that combined elements of reflexology.

The massage-therapist used oils and switched between kneading movements and smooth, gliding movements. My photographer was given the same sort of massage, only his massage-therapist used elements of both reflexology and a stone massage, placing warm stones on his face at different intervals, an experience he could only describe as odd, yet calming.

Spa-tastic

The massage left me feeling relaxed and calm, the perfect attitude to conquer the spa itself. There are a number of relaxation stations:

a steam sauna
a dry sauna
an indoor swimming pool
an outdoor swimming pool
an exercise room
a water treading tub
a tanning booth
a relaxation room

At various intervals, a kindly staff member will set down a plate of fresh fruit and/or a pitcher of fresh juice for guests to enjoy as they relax. In the summer, badminton, tennis and hiking are offered. During the winter, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling trails are available.

Mud Bath Anyone?

The spa also is home to four Jacuzzi tubs, each with a special characteristic. All four tubs also include hydrotherapeutic jets. The oxygen tub contains pure water, massaging your body as you sit.

The herbal tub, as the name implies was yellow and the herb of the day was rosemary. Like the oxygen tub, massage jets move up and down your body, yet the herbal additive gives it that extra something.

The next tub is a saltwater tub. This tub has lime-green water, and is filled with water, salt, and pine extract. The salt water helps to rejuvenate the system and soothe sore muscles.

And finally, there's the mud tub. Although the dark brown water is a little scary to step into, the healing effects of the jets and the mud on your sore muscles is extraordinary. The mud tub also boasts the ability to help flush toxins out of your system.

The staff asks that each guest spend only a maximum of 20 minutes in each tub, with a 15-minute break in between. As my guide Wanda Bourque explained, this is to make sure that one does not over stimulate the circulatory system or the heart, and makes sure that everyone gets the full benefits of each tub. One downfall to the tubs is that with the combination of the massaging jets and the additives, sensitive skin can become irritated.

Treatment Treats

In addition to the spa, guests can request a variety of treatments, from a facial to a pedicure. Euro-Spa offers nine massages, including shiatsu and lymphatic drainage. Five different body wraps are offered, including a seaweed wrap and a clay wrap.

The spa also offers four baths. Guests enter a private room that contains a bathtub. The tub is filled with a different substance, depending on what was ordered. The guest then soaks in the tub for 20 minutes, letting the bath soak into the skin. Treatments include a mud bath, a hydrotherapeutic herbal bath, and the spa special: the Cleopatra Bath, which is a form of a milk bath.

Euro-Spa's most popular treatment is a tie between the Swedish massage and the collagen facial. The most unique treatments offered are the body wrap in hay, which is supposed to help soothe the body and clear up respiratory problems, and the "salt shirt," otherwise known as a body peeling combined with a body wrap in sea salt, a treatment that is supposed to remineralize and remove dead skin cells.

Biehler personally recommends the pedicure for he believes that "The feet are the most important thing on your body. They support you 24 hours [a day] and are ignored."

Resorting to the Resort

Of course, Euro-spa is not just a spa; it's a wellness resort. The resort features double and single occupancy rooms and a restaurant for its guests. Rooms are tastefully decorated in calming colors, hardwood floors and come complete with phone and TV.

The resort restaurant, called The Bistrot Missisquoi, serves both buffet and full five course meals. With a menu that includes entrees like rabbit in red wine sauce, Bavarian style wild boar, and grain fed veal medallion served with pink pepper sauce, the restaurant upholds the high standards of quality that the resort holds dear.

A Whole New Spa

Although Biehler, who designed the spa himself, feels that the spa is effective the way it is, he also recognizes the need for space, due to the spa's popularity. "This resort was built to be a spa, not a hotel where they have an empty room in some basement that they don't use so they decide to make it a spa. We first started with four massage cabins, but now there is a need for more room," he says.

So in the spring of 2003, renovations will begin on the spa portion of the resort. The outdoor pool will have a solarium built over it, making it indoors, and the indoor pool will be removed. The four Jacuzzi's will be moved to the same level, and where they used to occupy, something new will be added, but no word on what that will be yet. New cabins are already being built, bigger than the old cabins, and renovation is well on its way.

Damage control

The resort does a booming business, with reservations placed as much as five weeks in advance. Bourque recommends placing a reservation at least two weeks in advance, more if you plan on coming on a weekend. But never fear of overcrowding, Biehler has a cutoff limit of fifty reservations each day, no more, so that the peaceful atmosphere of the spa is not ruined by crowding.

Ah, but what about the price you say? The spa offers several different packages to customers, some with accommodation, some just for the day. Prices on packages range from 25 to 990 Canadian dollars. Costs for single treatments range from 10 to 90 Canadian dollars. A full list of prices and accommodations are available on the website.

Nirvana?

Overall my experience at the spa was relaxing. The staff was friendly and attentive, but not obtrusive. The massage was excellent and the spa was comfortable. The atmosphere itself was serene. I left the spa feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, and all of this after just a couple of hours! One can imagine the demeanor of a guest who takes advantage of the five-day package.

Says Biehler, "People's priorities are changing. They come here and they relax right away, which is our goal. A lot of people are trading in their Southern vacation to come to a spa. They are trying to take care of themselves now." And with resorts like the Euro-spa, many people are finding it much easier to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

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