With an enchanting site in a wooded haven, Nordik Spa-Nature offers a warm and natural welcome.
By Caroline Tapp-McDougall
This is a tale of two friends who were trailblazing health and wellness fanatics, and who decided to leave their old lives behind and follow their dreams of becoming spa entrepreneurs. Inspired by what they’d seen in Scandinavian countries, the creative duo set about building a unique thermal spa, way out in the middle of some of Quebec’s most peaceful and picturesque countryside.
Today, Nordik Spa-Nature, in the little village of Old Chelsea in Outaouais, on the outskirts of Gatineau Park, has grown to be the largest thermal spa of its kind in North America. It’s a mecca for relaxation and healing that marries the outdoors with a collection of multisensory rejuvenating experiences.
As well as exploring the many benefits of a thermotherapy oasis, guests can enjoy a number of specialty saunas, treatments in indoor and outdoor massage pavilions, a dip in a salt-water floating pool, and a hot or cold experience in one of 10 outdoor pools. There’s also a Kaskad zone (silent space), a Borëa space (whisper zone) and a Panorama area (social zone) where, as the mood strikes, guests can grab a bite to eat, lounge around with a book and a blanket, or spend the afternoon wearing a warm robe and chatting with friends, old and new, in the great outdoors.
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Thermotherapy
A treatment that involves alternating between hot (sauna) and cold, followed by a rest period. This relaxation ritual is based on a 2,000-year-old tradition founded in Nordic countries.