This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Need to regain a little vitality between two festive excesses, to escape for a few hours, to relax your sore muscles on a cold day of cross-country skiing or to find a safe bet to slip under the tree? The Strøm Nordic Spa in Saint-Sauveur, fifth of the name, has just opened its baths in the heart of the Laurentians on the very site of the first spa to be established in Quebec in the 1960s, Polar’s Bear Club.
The mature trees overlooking the site and the Simon River, fiery and winding at this location, give the place all the intimacy necessary for the rejuvenating experience that one comes to find there. The thermal installations, some of which have already been refurbished – the transformation of the site will last until 2025 – blend perfectly into this natural environment which invites relaxation. As for the Fika café, it offers boreal-inspired cuisine that will awaken the taste buds and highlight the Nordic nature of this corner of the country. To miss out on the potted cheese mousse, chai tea crumble and pumpkin caramel would be a monumental gastronomic error…
But the time has come to dive into one of the steam baths or enter a sauna in order to raise your body temperature, open the pores of your skin and thus eliminate all the toxins accumulated over the last few weeks. Fifteen minutes, not much more… before total immersion in one of the three arctic baths on the site. Five seconds at least, fifteen for the most daring. Body temperature then drops radically, pores tighten, blood circulation accelerates and adrenaline levels increase. All that remains is to end this cycle with a period of absolute rest to allow your body to recover from the thermal shock and release a good dose of endorphins, the happiness hormone.
Based on the alternation of hot and cold followed by a period of deep relaxation – outside around a campfire or warm behind glass to contemplate nature unfolding and the river meandering -, the The thermal experience has many benefits: purification of the body, reduction of muscular tension, strengthening of the immune system, reduction of stress and liberation of the mind… A very nice gift to offer or to treat yourself to enjoy alone or accompanied by the muffled silence of winter and restore the cold to all its letters of nobility.
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This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.