The Friday Five: 5 Points about Scandinave Spa

Last weekend, Rox-Anne and I headed to Scandinave Spa at Blue Mountain (Ontario) for a day of rest and relaxation. I’ve never been a spa girl, but several friends convinced me that I should give Scandinave a chance.

White-Cabana-ScandinaveWhite-Cabana-Scandinave-1photos by Rox-Anne

Here are five things to share about my first Scandinave experience:

1. It’s not as cold as you might think even when the outdoor weather thermometer says it’s 2 degrees Celcius. I thought we’d have a relatively warm day at the end of April, but we didn’t. It was cold! Even though the heat was on in the car during our drive up, and I wore a coat and scarf, I was not actually cold during the spa bath rotation. It was magical, really! Things that kept me warm during the day experience at the baths: the heated stone patios inside and out, the gorgeous solariums with incredible views, the hot baths (obviously), the fireplace lounge area outside, and the sunshine!

forest baths winterphoto via Scandinave Spa

2. Go early to avoid a lengthy line-up. The baths hold a maximum number of people, and so when when they’re full, they’re full. I have heard wait times can be as long as 4 hours (!!!), so it’s best to arrive during a non-peak time (e.g., the morning) or day of the week (e.g., mid-week). That said, the spa has thought of everything and has several suggestions of things to do while you wait for entry into the baths (e.g., the Caves at Blue Mountain, a cheese shop).

steam room 2photo via Scandinave Spa

3. What to bring: Bring your bathing suit (or two if you do not want to wear a wet bathing suit while you lounge inside or eat a meal), a robe, flip flops, and a water bottle. You might also want to bring your sunglasses on a sunny day and sunscreen to protect yourself against the rays (I forgot both of these things). You can bring your camera for photos of the indoor spaces and the property, but you are advised to leave your camera and iPhone in your locker rather than take these gadgets to the baths. When you check in, you’ll be given two towels (save one in your locker, bring one with you) and a locker key. The showers are equipped with soap, shampoo, and conditioner, so you don’t need to bring these items with you.

spring 3photo via Scandinave Spa

4. Shhh…relax… Scandinave strongly encourages silence or a spa voice. A spa voice. I love it. Although this was a bit hard for me to get used to at the beginning of my visit, I respected the recommendation, and it really worked out. Honestly. The silence (or near-silence) helped clear my mind of distractions and noise. It was so peaceful. Rox-Anne and I did talk (we weren’t in a completely silent zone), but we kept our voices down so as to not disturb the other guests.

spring 1photo via Scandinave Spa

5. Hammocks are awesome. I discovered this last year after I won my very own hammock. I rediscovered this at Scandinave. The rotation at the baths goes something like this: 15 min in a hot bath, quick plunge in the cold bath, steam room or sauna, and then rest. There are several options for the rest portion including relaxing on an adirondack chair on the patio, sitting around a fire pit, lounging in a solarium, or lying on a hammock. Rox-Anne and I tried all of the above, but lounging around in the outdoor hammock looking up at the trees and sky might have been my favourite rest option. It was too cold to stay out there for too long, but on a slightly warmer day, it would have been just perfect.

White-Cabana-Scandinave-Spa-Blue MountainRox-Anne and I enjoying lunch in the indoor space, colour version right here

Many thanks to Mallory at Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain for arranging our visit.

Marketplace: Elora Antique Show

It’s not very often that I hop in my car and drive somewhere other than Toronto. This past Saturday, however, I took a 25 minute drive over to Elora. I have only been to Elora once last summer, so I was happy to make a return visit. The drive through the countryside from Waterloo is easy and enjoyable, especially when the springtime sun is shining. The reason for my trip this weekend was the Elora Antique Show. I wasn’t on the hunt for anything (besides a gorgeous French bed, which are impossible to find!), but I was interested to see what the dealers had in store.

There must have been about 50 or 60 dealers carrying things like: sparkly jewels, vintage dolls, woolen blankets, wood dressers, Pyrex, silver serving pieces, blue and white, cloisonné, quilts, books, and paper goods. There were a couple of mid-century dealers that caught my attention, and there was a gorgeous booth full of glassware. If I had an endless supply of money and space, I would have scooped up a few cake stands, pieces of milk glass, and silver bowls. There were a lot of pretty pieces!

Here are a few photos from the show:

Elora-Antiques-2 Elora-Antiques-1 Elora-Antiques-3 Elora-Antiques-4I also spotted some gorgeous cloisonné (I’m seeing more of it recently), classic teacups, and this pretty green dinnerware collection (someone help me out – what is this style called?).

The next Antique Shows Canada event will be in Orillia on Sunday, July 26th. Are you planning on going?

Travel: Some Things to Do and See in Kingston, Ontario

Yesterday, I reviewed the Four Points by Sheraton in Kingston, Ontario. Today, I’m sharing some of the photos I took of places and spaces around the city.

White-Cabana-Kingston-2#ygklove

White-Cabana-Kingston-4

lakeside sculpture

White-Cabana-Kingston-3

brrr…just a tad chilly!

White-Cabana-Kingston-5

the beautiful half-frozen lake

White-Cabana-Kingston-6

impressive entrance at City Hall

White-Cabana-Kingston-7

limestone walls at City Hall

White-Cabana-Kingston-8

a gorgeous vintage set of drawers

White-Cabana-Kingston-9

the Grand Theatre

White-Cabana-Kingston-10

pretty architectural details

White-Cabana-Kingston-11

stone laneway

White-Cabana-Kingston-12

a meal at Pan Chancho is a must

White-Cabana-Kingston-1

drinks at the Red House

White-Cabana-Kingston-14

chalkboard art at Tango Nuevo

White-Cabana-Kingston-15

classic Italian food at Olivea

White-Cabana-Kingston-16the market square skating rink and City Hall

Marketplace: Hamel Broom Co. in St. Jacobs, Ontario

In a couple of days, I’ll be celebrating my one year anniversary of home ownership. Yay! The past year has been rewarding, happy, and full of hard DIY work. I’ve loved it! Sure, it’s been a year, and I still have artwork to hang, and walls to paint, but my home has been transformed and I’m so pleased with the progress.

I didn’t quite know what to expect when I moved to Waterloo a year ago. I think I had only been to visit twice before I started house shopping! I had zero sense of direction, and I really didn’t have a clue as to what the city or region had to offer (no, not a scary move or house purchase at all). Thankfully, I have really enjoyed discovering this region of Ontario! The people here are so nice, it’s easy to get around, there’s no traffic (except maybe from 5-5:30pm on some roads), and my quality of life has been pretty darn great.

The village of St. Jacobs is about 10km from where I live. Tia and I rode our bikes there recently (along paths from Uptown Waterloo – amazing!), and I try to make regular trip to the St. Jacobs farmers’ market and antique shops.

When my parents came for a visit a few weeks, I took them to the village of St. Jacobs. I was completely amused when they picked up their walking pace and headed quickly into Hamel Brooms. Apparently my parents love corn brooms. Who knew?

Hamel-Brooms-St-Jacobs-White-Cabana-1Hamel-Brooms-St-Jacobs-White-Cabana-2I had never been into Hamel Brooms, and I was completely mesmerized by the broom making process (owner John Davenport makes them by hand!). I encourage you to watch this video of broom making.

Hamels-Brooms-St-Jacobs

screen shot from video

Hamel-Broom-Co-St Jacobs

screen shot from video

Hamel-Broom-St-jacobs

screen shot from video

If you’re in the area, I encourage you to visit Hamel Brooms (and buy a broom, too). It is in the old blacksmith shop, and the floors in the place are crazy cool. Unfortunately, I don’t have a really good photo of them, but just imagine almost flattened chunky trees (knots and all).

Photos by Jordana and video from JLM.

At the cottage

This week I’m writing my White Wednesday post from our family’s beautiful cottage in the Haliburton Highlands, which is really just on the edge of Muskoka in Ontario. We’re on Livingstone Lake- a small, quiet lake near the quaint town of Dorset.

I came up here this week for a few days to relax and help out my dad who is building me a stunning canoe made from a cedar tree on our property that he cut and milled into cedar planks. The canoe has a ribbed interior that is now undergoing coats of clear varnish and its exterior is wrapped in a canvas that is coated with various fillers before being painted its final hue: a brilliant vermilion red! (My colour choice).

Today I share with you a few white things that caught my eye around here and give you a glimpse into the most special place in my life and the canoe that is nearly done.

There are all kinds of species of trees here, including birch (pictured above).

I quite like exploring clusters of trees, especially a magical spot where tall hemlock trees

create a very high canopy that prevents much underbrush from growing. Birch trees

let a lot of light through their leaves and many ferns and saplings grow underneath.

When you’re out on the Canadian Shield you’ll find lots of rocks

and since my dad is a geologist, rocks have always been in our viewfinder.

This is a piece of white granite that is a decoration in my stepmom’s garden bed.

These are the tips of kayak paddles. I grew up in cottage country in Québec and Ontario

and my dad is a perpetual sportsman, having always loved and sought adventure. He taught me how

to ‘Eskimo roll’ back in my early teens and we went down a river in kayaks when I was barely

barely 13 years old. We still have the kayaks and I paddled them last month.

Ta-da! Here is my canoe wrapped in canvas and coated in a white sealant.

It’s sitting like this under the deck drying for a few weeks and then

we’ll apply another coat of sealant

This is a closeup that shows the strokes of the paintbrush from coating the canvas

with white ‘stuff’ that has the effect of an egg shell finish, and the interior ribs sticking

out until they’re trimmed where the gunnels will be.

This is the can of filler that was brushed onto the canvas on the canoe

This is one end of the canoe and if you know your canoes, you’ll recognize the shape- it’s a Prospector.

This boat is slightly modified and built to be strong, fast and hold a good amount of camping gear.

Shifting, gears, we use a four-stroke motor to putter across the lake in an aluminum boat

during the in-between seasons when our regular ‘big’ boat is in storage for the winter.

I really like the type for this number four

This large buoy prevents us from accidentally scratching the hull of the boat

as we dock it. Not that we really *need* the bumpers but… just in case

Our cottage is off-grid and water-access, so learning how to tie knots is important.

Talk to seafaring folks and they’ll never call a rope a rope- it’s a ‘line’. A line can be used

for just about anything- I always keep one kicking around. I’ve been taught how

to tie a bowline knot but I always forget how, and this self-strengthening figure eight

is never quite right when I do it. My dad did this one when I arrived on Monday afternoon

and mine didn’t look nearly as nice.. so it’s not pictured

This is a danger warning sticker on the boat’s dashboard:

Warning! do not put your feet into the propeller. Ouch :S

I’ve been treated to beautiful sun and puffy white clouds this week.

I took this quick pic off the dock while looking for white stuff;

I’m hoping that when Jordana does make it up here for a visit she’ll

show me all the white things I’ve missed in today’s cottage tour for you all.

Happy summer, everyone!