Bear Mountain Luxury ~ Sante Spa Victoria
The on-site Sante Spa has recently undergone revitalization and rebranding. Spa director Jennifer Spencer shows me around, proudly pointing out the new features and therapies.
Elegant decor in tune with nature
Moving away from an ocean-inspired decor, this ecologically responsible spa now reflects the rugged stone of nearby Mount Finlayson, with calming woodland and elemental influences. Floor-to-ceiling windows invite nature inside; growing conditions are thus ideal for the living green wall that anchors the co-ed Forest lounge, where flavoured waters, teas and snacks are offered.Muted, calming colours and luxurious textures and fabrics meld with stone, slate and wood throughout to achieve a sense of natural elegance, while maintaining a clean, modern feel. An immense outdoor terrace invites patrons to admire views while reclining in deeply cushioned loungers or soaking in an intimate mineral pool. Large treatment rooms are very quiet, with luxe linens. I adored the elegant and romantic Crystal Couple’s Suite, with its immense, energy-balancing Jasper crystal.
Water, fire, earth and air
My therapist Sierra meets me in the lounge, after my steam and mineral pool soak. She outlines the service, a combination of four basic elements designed to relax and revitalize the body and senses. Beginning with water, represented by a purifying foot soak and rub, followed by fire—a cleansing sage smudge—I settle in, snugly cocooned on the massage table.Sierra encourages me to take deep, cleansing breaths of soul-soothing essential oils she’s wafting before my face. They scent the air as she expertly massages them into my skin, banishing tension with perfect pressure. My sensory journey continues with the earth element: warmed BC jade stones swirled rhythmically and soothingly on my skin before being carefully placed on vital energy channels. I depart the spa feeling both refreshed and relaxed after this restoring ritual, grateful for the skill and empathy of my therapist.
Quartz crystal acupressure facial massage
After I have a long, very sound sleep, Laura leads me to a bed heaped invitingly with warmed linens for my Quartz Crystal Facial Experience. My feet are polished with a warm and invigorating scrub, lovingly rubbed with a rich, moisturizing potion, then swaddled cosily for the duration of the detoxifying back and shoulder massage that follows. During the facial, Laura cleanses, tones, exfoliates, masks, refreshes and nourishes the skin of my face, neck and décolletage with a variety of botanical-based products.My face is now prepped to receive a most amazing, unique acupressure facial massage using the rounded end of a tapered, white quartz cylinder. I am minutely aware of the touch and path of the quartz on my skin; the sensation is like nothing I’ve experienced... almost hypnotic. Strangely, the quartz remains cool despite the warm tingling sensation radiating from the surface of my skin to the underlying tissue.
As the treatment winds down with placement of the quartz behind my neck, I feel myself fully resurface during a divine head massage, which restores a sense of relaxed alertness. Sante Spa embraces nature and luxury to create a peaceful haven for guests while its therapies nurture and restore body, mind and spirit.
Sante Spa Victoria
~ Dagmar White, Canada Relationship Manager, Spas of America
