30 Things by 30 - Hydrotherapy Treatment

I am a pretty down to earth person but I will admit that I do love to indulge in the spa. I love being pampered – be it a manicure, facial, massage, pedicure – I love it all. When I was in High School my Mom and her friend visited St. Anne’s Spa for the day and I remember being so jealous. This spa was in my book of the “Top 100’s Spas in the World” (yup that’s a book I own!) and I wanted to go there so badly. The appeal was simple – it looked and sounded amazing and it was close by, only about an hour away from where we lived.

I can’t remember which birthday it was, but my mom surprised me with a trip to St. Anne’s. We drove up on the 15^th of November and the cover story was we were going to visit a cool Christmas Store she had heard about.  When I eventually realized where we were going I was ecstatic. It was a wonderful place and everything I had hoped for and imagined it to be. I loved being there the night before my birthday and waking up there on the 16^th. Mom had thought of everything and even brought me a cupcake! Since then its become our yearly tradition and she and I go every year on-or-around my birthday. (Again I must point out that I have the best mom in the world!)

St. Anne's in the Summer 

Despite being a spa person I tend to stick to my usual treatments – the typical familiar ones that change little from place to place. I’ve tried a few variations on massages and facials but haven’t been too daring in my treatment choices. I did muster up the courage once and tried a body wrap while on a cruise and it was somewhat awkward as I was thrust into the shower while still wearing clothing. However there has always been once treatment at St. Anne’s that intrigued me  - the Moor Mud Hydro Wrap. Over the years I have heard nothing but positive reviews of this treatment from staff and clients and the whole concept seemed interesting. It combined a lot of treatment elements I was curious about but had never tried– a body masque/exfoliation, hydrotherapy tub and massage, mud and a vichy shower. It’s one of their most popular treatments and when working on this list I decided to muster up the courage and try it.

The official description of the treatment from the St. Anne’s website is as follows: “After a body masque of Ontario Moor Mud and an exfoliation, you are submersed in the hydrotherapy tub containing Golden Moor Plus with pine oil, while a hydro-massage is directed on the body. Finish your treatment with a warm Vichy shower and an application of hydrating lotions” (http://www.steannes.com)

And that is a perfect description of the treatment elements – but the process is the interesting part.

First I was led into a darkened treatment room which looked like a cross between a large luxurious bathroom and a sterilized morgue from TV. I use the morgue description because the room was all tiled with drains in the floor and a metal moveable table in the middle. However it wasn’t an unpleasant room – just a lot different then your typical massage or facial treatment rooms. The table was all made up with green sheets (which are easier to clean the mud from) and nearby were clear plastic sheets, which the therapist said was actually a certain type of shower curtain.

The treatment started with me lying down draped in the sheets while she used a bristle brush to exfoliate the skin (as per most treatments of this nature I got to keep the brush). She then had me get into the shower and rinse off any of the dead skin, dry off and get back on the table. Next she applied the Moor Mud (which had been warmed) to my body and wrapped me in the plastic curtain and warm sheets. While the mud did it’s magic she massaged my feet, scalp and face. Next she had me get into the Jacuzzi tub which was filled with warm water and added Pine Needle Moor Mud to it. She had me wipe off most of the mud from my arms and legs before setting me back on the table where she used a Scotch-hose to clean the rest of the mud off which also gave a hydro massage. Once this was done she rolled me under the Vichy Shower heads which poured down on top of me like a massaging rain. After I dried off once more, she massaged a hydrating location onto my body.     

It’s important to note that while there was a lot of moving from place to place and getting wet and drying off, everything was done professionally and tastefully. I was never left fully exposed and always had some sort of towel, sheets or draping covering me. One the occasions when I had to flip over or stand, a sheet was lifted as a barrier of sorts giving me privacy. This treatment also ensures that female guests are treated by a female staff member which also ensures guest comfort.

Overall it was an interesting experience. I enjoyed the feeling of the Vichy shower and the Moor Mud, but the Scotch-Hose was a strange sensation. My skin looked and felt amazing afterward, but it wasn’t what I would call a relaxing treatment. There was a lot of movement – table-shower-dry off-table-bath-table-dry off-table – and the room got warm with all the water heat. I will say that the therapist did an amazing job! First, its almost impossible for her not to get wet so I really appreciated her hard work and efforts. Also, she was constantly moving around and prepping – changing the linens, getting dry towels, setting up the bath. There was nothing relaxing about the treatment for her!

I would definitely recommend this treatment to people heading up to St. Anne’s and am glad that I got the courage to try it. But before I do it again I am going to step outside my comfort zone and try a bunch of other treatments first because St. Anne’s has an entire menu of cool things to try. My next treatment is either going to be the Mud Stone Wrap or the Eucalyptus Body Wrap!     

30 Things by 30: Curling

About a year ago Pappy mentioned a charity tournament at his curling club that was open to new players and expressed interest in having the whole family try out the sport sometime. Nothing really came of it until I asked him about it again this year. At my birthday he asked everyone else and found out there was a lot of interest – pretty much everyone but Nanny and Mom were up for it. (Nanny obviously couldn’t due to her osteoporosis and was sort of against it because she was worried about the rest of the family getting injured. Mom thought it was a fun idea but couldn’t try it because of her knees). 

The curling club has limited ice rental availability so Pappy put his name on a waiting list and we hoped for the best. Fortunately we only had to wait a few weeks before ice time became available on a Sunday afternoon. Once this was confirmed Nanny’s apprehensions worsened as she was convinced someone – mainly me! – was going to get injured. I may have a tendency to be a little klutzy and on more then one occasion have found myself injured, hence her concern.

Nanny and I came to a compromise in order to alleviate her concerns – that I would wear a helmet while on the ice. I haven’t owned a helmet since I was about 12 so a quick trip to Canadian Tire was necessary. Our curling time was booked for 3:00pm so we all met Pappy at the curling rink. Sadly Honey was sick so our group was down to Dad, Brian, Adam, Amanda. S, Amanda. G (at this point she’s become family), Beau, Connor, Paige and myself. Pappy had us come early so that he could tape up our shoes. In curling one foot (not your dominant one) needs to be able to slide. Curling shoes offer this or a special thing called a glider (I think) but because we were all just learning it didn’t make sense to go out and buy equipment.

Before we got on the ice Pappy went over the rules and purpose of the game and explained the concept. He decided for the first few rounds we would split into two groups while he showed us. The guys went first and us girls stayed in the lounge/viewing area. From where we were sitting it seemed easy enough – you kneel down and put one hand on the stone, pull the stone back and then push it ahead while you lunge out and then release it. However once it was our turn I realized just how hard it is!

I wasn't the only one who fell - Brian did too!

You are not supposed to touch the ice in anyway because it can melt quickly. Unfortunately I kept slipping when in the lunge position so my knees kept hitting the ice! We were on the ice for about 2 hours alternating sides and it was a really fun experience. Towards the end I started to get the hang of it and improved a little but am still not going to be trying out or any champion curling teams. My rocks didn’t go as far as I had hoped and there were only one or two times where I didn’t slip and end up on the ice.

Rocking our helmets!

Pappy teaching, Chantal Posing 

It was a great family event and no one got injured! (Paige and I ended up being the only two wearing helmets!). I would definitely be interested in trying curling again – and am glad that the first time was such a memorable family experience. Pappy was thrilled to have us all out on the ice showing off one of his favorite sports.  

Festival of Lights

For the past 5+ years Mom and I have visited the Hamburg Festival of Lights while in the Buffalo area. We would usually go when we were Christmas shopping – which used to be the first or second weekend of December. Once we made the switch to Black Friday shopping we started planning to visit it that weekend (which was the Festivals opening weekend) so we wouldn’t have to make the trip back down. This plan was perfect and allowed us to accomplish everything in the area all in one weekend – shopping, shipping gifts to my US family and seeing the light displays. However this year the plan got changed because of the snowstorm that wrecked havoc on Buffalo the week before Thanksgiving. When we were down for Black Friday the festival postponed the opening until the following weekend due to the insane volumes of snow they had.

Regardless Mom and I had a great weekend - we had our Thanksgiving dinner and spent all night/weekend shopping (we started shopping at 12:30am and kept going until 4:00pm!) but something was missing. It may seem silly but the Festival of Lights has become something special to us and it was sad having to miss it. Fortunately the following weekend Mom and I managed to make a second trip down just for the Festival. We stayed at the new Holiday Inn in Hamburg and for the first time ever did NO shopping! We went only for the festival and stuck to that plan!

Every year the Festival changes and new things are added. While the light displays that you drive through remain similar (a few new ones have been added each year) the other aspects keep being developed. The first few years it was a little kitschy and fun with these cute little sheds made out to be a little Christmas village that you walked through. Inside the buildings there were some snack carts, a children’s midway, a cookie decorating station and an area to see Santa. Every year since a little more has been added/changed. This year had the most impressive light display that we drove through and then we walked through the Christmas Tree garden which was stunning. Inside the buildings there was one with ice sculptures which were Frozen-inspired and many more vendors then there have ever been. One vendor was selling these delicious flavored nuts which was worth the purchase!

They had a really cool snow globe that you could go inside of and get photos in as well as a completely re-done North Pole building that was beautifully decorated. Mom and I went inside to look around but the wait for Santa was about 2+ hours so we just took a few photos and left. Everything else remained the same – we wrote our annual letter to Santa, decorated a cookie (for the first year ever my cookie turned out better then hers!) and walked inside the buildings. Another cool thing they added was firepits where you could make your own s’more – which of course I had to try. Sadly the reindeer rides had been replaced but it was probably too cold to be doing that!

We had a great time at the festival and it was definitely worth the second trip down to Buffalo. I love the Festival and Lights and our annual tradition and look forward to next Christmas.

Vermont Trip 2014

I have to admit that visiting Vermont never interested me. Maybe because I never got into skiing or snowboarding or perhaps because there’s a million other places I want to visit. Or maybe because I didn’t know too much about Vermont. Either way that all changed when Brian and I traveled there for our first anniversary back in 2011. I fell in love with Vermont! We stayed at Smugglar’s Notch Resort which is part of my dad’s timeshare and had an excellent vacation. We went the last week of October and had great weather (cool autumn days where you only needed a sweater or light jacket) and only had a little bit of snow towards the end. We used the outdoor heated pool everyday, walked around the forest areas and did a lot of sightseeing in the Stowe/Burlington area, at places like the Vermont Teddy Bear Factory and Ben and Jerry’s. The resort is located around the mountain from Stowe and there is a SUPER SCARY overpass road that connects the area in about 15-20 minutes which we used daily to visit all the nearby towns and attractions. Overall it was a wonderful trip.

This year Brian and I wanted to get away someplace and the resort had availability. Smugglar’s Notch is busy in the Winter and Summer but not as much in the Spring/Fall. Many of the resort amenities shut down (restaurants, spa, entertainment, activities etc) so it is easy to get a unit at a discounted price. Unfortunately we had to go after our anniversary which changed the trip a bit. Brian’s permanent residence came through at the end of April and one condition of his health card was that he couldn’t be out of the country for more then 29 days in the first 6 months. We didn’t know this beforehand and had booked our 25 day Europe trip, which meant once we were back Brian couldn’t be out of Canada until after November 7^th.   So that’s when we booked for.

The inside of our unit 

The outside of the unit 

We had a nice drive to Vermont and our unit was incredible. Unfortunately the two-week’s made a difference and the overpass road was now closed. At first I was happy about this, but soon realized how much easier it made everything! Day trips now took an extra 30-50 minutes, as we had to cross around the base of the mountain to get anywhere. It was also much colder with frequent snowy days, meaning we were bundled up in jackets, boots and mitts. Still we had a great time seeing new places and going back to others.

We spent a lot of time at the Cabot cheese outlet sampling all their delicious cheeses and trying to decide which ones were worth bringing home – for the record their Habanero cheese is the best in my opinion! (If you ask Brian it’s their super aged cheddar). And they have the best cheddar popcorn topping I have ever tried – heck, I don’t even like cheddar popcorn topping and am obsessed with this one. We also spent a day in Burlington where we wandered in this crazy antique shop which was packed to the brim with things. You name it, it was likely there – Christmas ornaments, furniture, toys, records, books – so many cool things you could barely move. It was called “Shedsales Antiques” and was located on the main road in Burlington – Shelburne Rd. The owner was an interesting man who I spent some time talking with as Brian browsed the record selection. I enjoyed hearing about how he got into this and the various ways he collected the items. On one hand it was a little overwhelming just how much stuff there was but then again its nice to think that he’s helping to give these once-beloved items a new home. A much nicer sentiment then hauling them off to some garbage dump when people tire of them or pass away.

Being silly at Cabot 

While in Burlington we also stopped at the BEST Christmas store ever – The “Christmas Loft”. This store is Christmas heaven with displays, ornaments, decorations, everything Christmas-related. I could have spent hours and hundreds in there – but instead only spend one hour and only bought a book and some Christmas jewelry. I wish I lived closer to this store because it is one of my happy places. I remember visiting Disney with Aunt Honey and Uncle Beau the first time they brought the kids there and the second we walked through the gates Aunt Honey began to tear up for many reasons - one of which was just being so happy to be there with her family. While I don’t have the same emotions and connections to the Christmas Loft, I get the same sense of sheer happiness at just being there. I know it’s silly since it’s a store in the middle of Vermont, but it really is a special place. If you visited the store and knew me – you would likely understand.   

We made a few trips to my favorite local chocolate place – Lake Champlain Chocolates –, which to this day still makes the best hot chocolate. It’s their Aztec blend and is an amazing mix of sweet and spicy.  We also returned to Cold Hollow Cider Mill, which is an adorable little cider place near Ben and Jerry’s. It had changed a bit in the past few years (they added a restaurant and a few other things) but they still have a cute shop, amazing cider doughnuts and the best apple cider ever!

We drove to a few of the covered bridges in the area and walked around a few of the small towns. We only went into Stowe once and didn’t spend anytime looking around. The weather was cold and many of the businesses were closed for winter-prep. I guess the first few weeks of November are a good time to do any repairs and close down for employee holidays before the winter rush begins. Which makes sense if you think of how popular the area is in the fall for the Autumn Foliage and then jumps into ski season. That was definitely a bit of a downfall to our trip. The main reason we went into Stowe was so that we could have dinner at the place we celebrated our 1^st anniversary at… this little Mexican restaurant. Sadly when we arrived it too was closed for renovations so we ended up at this strange Bennihanna-type knock off up the mountain. They had a special on so the food was really reasonable and the taste/cooking show was enjoyable.

The indoor pool closest to our unit was also undergoing repairs and we didn’t have access to an outdoor one this time. There was another indoor pool but we would have had to drive to it since the shuttle wasn’t running. Still we made the best of everything despite these little things. We had a fondue night and made really great cheese and meat fondue based off of Melting Pot recipes. We had chocolate fondue the following night – since we had been too full for it on the fondue night! We made a few other dinners and had a movie marathon where we watched all three Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVD’s.

It was a relaxing trip and one that we both enjoyed but we decided that November isn’t a time we would return to Vermont in. Either we would go in September/October or at some point return for the winter ski season. The resort seems to have some amazing amenities during that time and it would be fun to check out. Either way, Vermont remains one of my favorite states and I recommend the area and resort to anyone traveling out that way.