Back in February I went on a day trip to Blue Mountain with a friend of mine.
I didn't take many photos during this trip as I wanted to live in the moment as much as possible. I didn't want to be staring at my phone screen too much, but rather enjoy all the Blue Mountain Village has to offer.
In this blog post, I will discuss the bus ride there and back, the spa, and the village. It's a short one this time, but still a good one.
The Bus
The morning started at 6am since the coach was leaving at 8am. We went to Blue Mountain on a Sunday, so a friend and I shared a taxi to the meeting point since the public transit doesn't run that early on a Sunday. The coach was really comfy and the driver was really nice. There was space above us to store our bags just like an airplane. The ride there was good for the most part until we got further out into the countryside and came across unpaved roads.
My friend and I chatted a bunch on the ride there, she showed some more German music. If you didn't know already, I have a German music playlist over on my Youtube for students to enjoy and/or use for listening comprehension practice. It was really nice getting to chat with her and made the drive there feel shorter.
The bus ride back was nice. Since we were driving in the dark and the majority of those who went on the trip went skiing/ snowboarding, it was a pretty quiet drive back. My friend went skiing all day, so when she got back on the bus, she almost instantly fell asleep.
The Spa
My whole reason for going on this trip was the spas at Blue Mountain. Most people go to Blue Mountain for the skiing, snowboarding, and tubing since it is a ski resort. But I went purely for the spa.
At Blue Mountain they have this really popular spa called the Scandinavian Spa. I mean just look at what they offer!
Eucalyptus steam bath
Finnish & Infrared saunas
Nordic waterfall
Cold plunge
Roll in snow
Solarium
Hammocks
and more...
Wouldn't you love to go?
A Eucalyptus Steam Bath!! A Nordic Waterfall!! Infrared saunas are my favourite type of sauna!!
Cold plunges or rolling in the snow do not sound fun to me, but I will happily sit in the cold winter air for a cold experience. It makes getting back into the warm water that much more euphoric.
Their philosophy is also very up my alley!
Phone free activity - no WiFi
Nature spa - the smell, sounds, and sights
We honour silence - quiet and stillness
Water quality - water quality is tested 4 times a day
Honouring silence, no WIFI, no technology! Since I am someone who does really enjoy sensory deprivation tanks, I know would love this!
This was the one I really wanted to go to, but sadly they were booked almost 2 months in advance. So I went to one of the others spa in Blue Mountain and ended up going to Kalola Spa which is located in the Blue Mountain Inn.
When I got there, they gave me an intake form to fill out in the lounge, which pretty much just asks about medical history. I booked a Mountain Escape massage which was about 80 minutes totally and consisted of a 50 minute RMT (Registered Massage Therapist) massage, as well as a 30 minute Indian head massage.
My RMT lead me back to the room and asked me a few questions, such as "What do you do for a living? Do you have pain? Any areas you want to focus on?", in an attempt to find out where I have or may have tension or pain in my muscle. She then left me to get sorted before beginning the massage.
I've never had an Indian head massage before, but it was honestly really nice. My RMT put a towel over my eyes to block any light and massaged by scalp, neck, shoulders, and arms. I did end up with oil in my hair and a few knots, so expect to have some crazy looking hair after if you have longer hair. But it was really relaxing.
I got a complimentary all day access pass to the pools and hot tubs as well, which was really lovely after a massage. My RMT gave me a pair of sandals and robe to change into then lead me to an area where I could store my bags.
Then, she gave me a basket with a bottle of water and towel in it, then told me if I wanted to bring anything with to the pools that I could put it in the basket. As I was trying to be away from technology this trip, I only brought my watch, which is not a smart watch.
There were about 4 outdoor hot tubs and 1 indoor pool. As a heads up, there are many families with young children at this hotel, so there were young children in the pool with their parents and sometimes in the outdoor hot tubs as well.
But, the other people who were there, more often than not, left me alone to relax and do my own thing. I spent, I believe, about 3 hours in the outdoors hot tubs. If you do the same, make sure you continue drink water as soaking in hot water can be dehydrating, not just for your skin.
For the majority, I was alone soaking in the warm water surrounded by snow at this beautiful ski resort. It was really relaxing and so lovely.
The Village
After the spa, I had few hours to kills, so I spent some time walking around the village. The village is honestly really pretty. It looks and feels a lot like a movie set. To me, the architecture looks similar to San Antonio in Texas, which is reminiscent of Italy.
There are tons of stores to do some retail therapy at. A lot clothing stores, nic-nacs, home decor, and more. There are also a lot of places to grab food. They have a handful of restaurants as well as dessert shops. As you may already know, I love checking out the groceries during my travels and the village had a little grocery store. The selection wasn't too bad, but not surprisingly expensive. They had essentials - bread, milk, eggs, toiletries, etc. - and a few prepare hot and cold meals, as well as a little coffee station. They also had a section where you could purchase games, such as uno, and some stationary.
I visited the Starbucks that was there and it was the first time I had ever seen a 'walk-thru' - essentially a drive thru but for pedestrians. I have a few Starbucks drinks I cycle through, but this time I got the iced peach green tea lemonade, delicious!
I also visited the Tim Hortons there and it was the first time I have ever seen a self service kiosk at a Tim Hortons. It was fascinating and super simple to order with. Every time I go Tim Hortons, I always get a hash brown. They are some of the best and are gluten free.
All over the village they had lit fires in cages and some chairs surrounding them. It was so cozy being able to sit fireside in the winter in the sunlight. I love the smell of campfire.
In the afternoon, they had a DJ booth in the center of the village. There were people hula-hooping, children dancing, and just having fun in general. It created such a high-spirited atmosphere.
Summary
I didn't really get up too much this trip. I spent a majority of my time at the spa, relaxing and enjoying some downtime. School keeps me pretty busy, especially since I'm finishing in April, and so this time away was really nice.
Some things I want to explore the next time I visit are definitely the trails, as they are lit up at night and so a night walk would be beautiful. I'd also like to give the boats on the lake a try in the summer time. Actually skiing at Blue Mountain could be fun too. Oh, and of course the Scandinavian Spa, assuming I can get a booking.
Have you been? Any recommendations?
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