A local spa holiday in early December is a nice way to
charge up your batteries before the hectic holiday season. Vernon BC is the
location of the Swarovski Crystal infused, European Spa and Resort, Sparkling Hill.
I awoke from a nap on our 5 hour road trip as we drove into
the grounds of the resort property. The trees were dusted with frost, I had to
rub my eyes to make sure I was not still dreaming. It looked like we entering into
Rivendell (for those who are familiar
with Lord of the Rings, for those who
aren’t it was a mystical winter paradise). The resort is located on the top of
a hill overlooking Okanagan Lake and the Monashee Mountains. As I entered the
lobby I was in awe, Swarovski Crystals were everywhere. At first I was unsure
if this opulence was quite my style but after spending a few hours experiencing
the resort I enjoyed seeing the Crystals in all corners of the resort.
We checked into our lake view room. The rooms are spacious
and of course infused with crystals. We then dined at Peakfine, their restaurant on property. With sweeping views of the
lake, Peakfine is a perfect place for
those Romantic dinners! The food has a local inspiration, taking pride in the agriculturally
rich land nearby.
After dinner it was time for the Kur Spa. What I had been looking forward to all day. In the Kur Spa, there is an indoor & outdoor
pool, hot tub, cold and hot Kniepp Spa Walk, different themed hot sauna and
steam rooms and the famous cold sauna (110 C below).
I love going between the hot sauna and steam rooms and the
igloo chill room. This change in temperature stimulates circulation and
drainage of the lymphatic system. My two favourite steam rooms were the salt
steam and the rose steam. I felt both were very helpful for clearing my
sinuses. In addition to the steam and sauna room’s there are experience showers. These shower make
you feel like you are in the tropics caught in a warm rain downpour, a cold
thunderstorm with lightning or a misty jungle. If you spend your evening in the
spa as I did, I must bring to your attention that 9-10pm is European hour, swim
suit attire is optional!
Now for the main event….the cold sauna! Kur Spa offers a Cryotherpy sauna measuring in at -110 Celsius. This
cold sauna at Sparkling Hill is the
only one located in North America. The concept was created for people suffering
with inflammatory conditions. The creators of the cold sauna wanted the
benefits of ice baths but to have that experience without sitting in the ice
water for 15 minutes. The sauna is a dry cold which changes the skin temperature
but does not have impact on our core temperature. For those dealing with arthritis
it is recommended to have 2 sessions a day for 5 days in a row. If you are only
going to have one session your system still reaps the benefits. The process of
the cold sauna includes wearing a bathing suit, socks and closed toed shoes,
mittens and a surgical face mask. You stay in the -110 Celsius chamber for 3
minutes. You are asked to walk around and move your body slowly. Afterwards,
you are directed to let your body warm up on its own with no use of outside
heating sources for example drinking tea or submerging yourself in a hot tub for
at least one hour after.
I highly recommend finding a spa in your local area. Even if
it is a day spa, the benefits of taking time for yourself before the holiday
season are insurmountable. Go ahead and treat yourself!
