Health & Wellness in Montréal, QC

The Scandinavian Spa Orange is Located Within the Hotel Best Western

Oct 22, 2008

Unique to Montréal, this north eastern European-style spa is a little bit of heaven in Quebec.

Montréal is an eclectic metropolis in Quebec that acts as the largest North American city to function in both French and English. It has a European feel to it, mixed with a wide array of immigrant cultures, and offers some surprising treats.

For spa goers, discovering a neat gem that goes above and beyond the usual massages, manicures and body wraps, can prove elusive. Montréal, though, has given birth to a new-ish health and wellness centre called Spa Orange.

Scandinavian-Style Spa

Igor, the owner of the spa, hails from Russia, bringing the health principles from his home country to eastern Canadian culture.

“People from the west go to the spa for their bodies,” he says to this author in the Spa Orange sauna. “People from the east go to the spa for their souls.”

His distinctive outlook makes his establishment, located within the Hotel Best Western Europa in downtown Montréal, a hidden treasure in this bustling city.

Spa Treatments

Being hit with the Finnish-style vihtu twigs is not as painful as it sounds. These birch or oak branches are actually very soft and act as an exfoliant for skin. They also rev up sluggish metabolisms, warm the body and increase circulation, perfect right before a massage treatment.

Spa treatments here are best booked with the above quote in mind: instead of trying to get in and out in an hour, why not try it the Finnish way? This means hanging out in the sauna (the one here is designed specifically to encourage socializing), taking a cold shower (or roll in the snow, if the weather is cooperative- Spa Orange has a fantastic outdoor deck conducive to cold ramblings in the Quebec winter) and then having a massage treatment.

Happy Hour at the Spa

Make sure to visit their website or give them a call to find out about all of the neat packages and special deals. For example, every Thursday and Friday between 4:00pm and 7:00pm, join the team for wine, appies and deals on à la carte treatments starting at $39 per service.

Otherwise, services range from deep tissue and Swedish massages (starting at $75 CDN for 60 minutes), and sauna therapies ($29 CDN for a single), to European facials ($90 CDN for 60 minutes) and Moroccan body wraps ($90 CDN for 60 minutes).

How to Get to Montréal

Air Canada (1-888-247-2262) and WestJet (1-888-937-8583) are the main Canadian airlines serving Montréal. For the most relaxing trip, check into VIA Rail (1-888-842-7245).

Contact Tourism Montréal for more city ideas or the Ministry of Tourism (1-877-266-5687) to explore the rest of the province.

The copyright of the article Health & Wellness in Montréal, QC in Quebec Travel is owned by Lori Henry. Permission to republish Health & Wellness in Montréal, QC in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Sep 1, 2009 6:32 PM

Guest :

Just visited Spa Orange, and it was great! Have been to many Spas in North America, and can say this one is one of the better ones. Have rarely had a better massage.