Spa of the month: Riverside Spa, Calgary
From the West Coast to the Atlantic Ocean, Beauty Director Adriana Ermter scours the nation for must-try rejuvenating, relaxing and beautifying spas.
Riverside Spa, Calgary
110 Point McKay Crescent NW, 403-270-7500, riversidespa.ca
I’ve got too much on the go and I’m feeling the stress. A more informal spa experience is what I’m after. As I make my way to the change rooms, pick a locker and slip on a robe, I am grateful to not have someone hovering over me—it would only add to the pressure. And right now, sitting in a pre-reclined chair in the spa’s informal environment, while sipping a glass of lemonade and listening to the twangy sounds of an Asian-inspired CD are all I need. At least that’s what I think until I’m face down on a table in Nadine’s treatment room for an hour long Chocolate Bliss Mud Wrap ($140).
She begins by rubbing brown sugar scrub and a loofah all over my body to smooth dead skin cells away. Next, Nadine rinses the remaining sugar off and then applies the most delicious smelling and detoxifying chocolate mud all over my body before wrapping me in layers of plastic and towels. I shiver, happy to be warm again. During the 15-minute wait Nadine massages my face. When the time is up, she unravels my layers, washes the mud off, towels me dry and slathers Chocolate Bliss Créme Soufflé all over.
Moving on to a soft and cushiony, warm bed, Nadine begins my Éminence Organic Facial ($125) with a coconut milk cleanser and a plum toner. So far, everything she’s done smells good enough to eat. The next steps include a rosehip and maize exfoliator, a strawberry rhubarb mask, a green apple and pear soufflé and an apricot moisturizer. Naturally, the service incorporates extracts, but I walk away—in time for an afternoon appointment—with nary a blotch or red mark.
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