Alberta Spa Vacations Journey Around the World

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Article Title:

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Alberta Spa Vacations Journey Around the World

Article Description:

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The ancient Romans knew a thing or two about spas. While

Alberta's Aboriginal peoples were discovering the healing

benefits of mountain hot springs, Roman warriors halfway across

the planet were plunging into mineral hot springs to heal battle

wounds. The Roman population soon caught on-in fact, the word

& quot;spa & quot; comes from the Latin & quot;salus per aquam, & quot;

or & quot;health through water. & quot;

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736 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2006-12-04 14:24:00

Written By: Travel Alberta

Copyright: 2006,

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Alberta Spa Vacations Journey Around the World

Copyright © 2006 Travel Alberta,

Written by: Travel Alberta

http://www.travelalberta.com

The ancient Romans knew a thing or two about spas. While

Alberta's Aboriginal peoples were discovering the healing

benefits of mountain hot springs, Roman warriors halfway across

the planet were plunging into mineral hot springs to heal battle

wounds. The Roman population soon caught on-in fact, the word

" spa " comes from the Latin " salus per aquam, " or " health through

water. "

You'll think of Rome when you visit Calgary's Spa Europa. This

luxurious day spa features the statues, pillars and marble that

evoke the ancient Mediterranean-and its Turkish Hammam Treatment

offers a modern twist on the Byzantine and Roman empires. " In

ancient Greece, bathing would be a ritual, " says co-owner

Ezekiel. " Now, bath is 'in and out' - it's not a ritual any

more. Our Turkish hammam, however - our signature treatment - is

a ritual. "

At 3.5 hours, the treatment includes head-to-toe exfoliations,

aromatherapy steam sessions, hot and cold hydro treatments,

Swedish massage, cucumber mini-facial and a full body milk

rinse-along with a hair shampoo and condition, and scalp massage.

And, to keep up your energy levels, there's an elegant lunch,

too. " It does everything, " says Ezekiel. " It refreshes and

purifies mind, body and soul. "

When In Rome

The Romans transported their love of baths throughout their

far-reaching empire-a legacy that the crowned heads of Europe

made their own. Mountain spa resorts, with views as good for the

soul as the treatments were for the body, became especially

popular in the 1700s and 1800s.

Today, that legacy flourishes at the Willow Stream Spa in the

Fairmont Banff Springs resort-just 90 minutes from Calgary, and

tucked into its own stunning alpine valley. Sarvar Thermal

Crystals, distilled direct from Hungary's Sarvar springs and

containing such ingredients as potassium, magnesium and iodine,

turn the pool at the heart of the Willow Stream into a truly

therapeutic soak.

" The Hungarian mineral pool is the traditional spa, " explains Pam

Ouellet, assistant spa director. " It has the healing waters that

assist in relieving sore muscles and aching joints, promoting

circulation, and detoxifying and re-mineralizing the body. " She

suggests that spa guests also spend time in the nearby hot, warm

and cool plunge pools, with their cascading waterfalls (all of

which look out onto magnificent Mount Rundle.)

The Willow Stream taps into another European tradition in its

thalassotherapy treatments, which literally mean " from the

ocean. " Ouellet explains that-from the Mediterranean to the Dead

Sea-the sea contains minerals, trace elements and vitamins that

are indispensable to our lives.

The Willow Stream's Thalasso KUR treatment, she notes, uses

sea-borne ingredients that nourish, rejuvenate and detoxify the

body, starting with a re-mineralizing algae body wrap, continuing

with a sea salt bath, and finishing with a marine firming cream.

Your body will thank you.

Asian Fusion

In the mountain resort town of Lake Louise, 30 minutes from

Banff, the Post Hotel's Temple Mountain Spa evokes a European

feel, with its beautiful dark woods, slate and glass tiles-but

its unique new signature treatment takes you to Thailand, says

spa director Anne Witzaney.

The Thai Herbal Stem Massage uses herbs such as ginger, cumin and

plai (from the ginger family), wrapped in unbleached cotton,

steam heated, and then used in a kneading and rolling movement as

part of a traditional Thai massage. " It's a wonderful experience

because of the aroma, " she says. " It helps release toxins and

improves circulation, and is combined with deep pressure to

release blocked energy, and increase awareness and vitality. " And

while the aromatherapy might take you to Asia, she notes, you

still wake up in the Rocky Mountains, surrounded by peaks,

glaciers and lakes-making it an ideal Alberta spa vacation

destination.

There's more of Asia at the Eveline day spas in Calgary

and Edmonton, with their Indo-Chine Fusion. The Coco-Nilla body

scrub combines coconut milk and crushed vanilla beans, followed

by a tropical mist Vichy shower, Javanese floral bath, and shea

butter body wrap, plus massage. Can you say " aaaaah " ?

Journey Europa

You can wrap yourself in Europe in Kananaskis, 1.5 hours west of

Calgary, where the Delta Lodge's Summit Spa body wraps use the

best of European ingredients. Need a Rocky Mountain spa weekend

to recover from your week? Try blissing out to a blend of French

and English lavender, or detoxifying with a combination of creamy

spa mud and Italian mineral salt thermal waters. Need some

stimulation? How about pure marine algae from Brittany, with a

slenderizing and firming effect?

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