Sometimes, the wellness trend becomes overwhelming, taking the concept of general well-being and health and making it too trendy, overlooking the point of wellness at its core. After all, achieving true and complete wellness can’t really be as easy as TikTok’s 12-3-30 treadmill workout makes it seem, right?
When people first started tossing the term “wellness” around as a buzzword, concepts and practices like yoga, meditation and smoothie bowls seemed just as foreign as exploring the world of wellness itself. The term “wellness” didn’t become a modern concept until the 1970s, and it wasn’t until the late ’80s throughout the early 2000s that workplace wellness programs—think the fitness and spa industries, or celebrity health and wellness experts—made wellness mainstream.
The tried-and-true wellness practices humbly sit back and watch as TikTok trends make fad fitness challenges like 75 Hard, advertised as a “transformational mental toughness program,” and wellness practices like the “internal shower” (2 tablespoons of chia seeds in a glass of water with fresh lemon juice, letting the drink sit for 10-15 minutes then drinking it as fast as possible) come and go, their once-loyal fanbases moving on to the next “big thing.”
The practices that reign tried-and-true in the world of wellness may seem “jaded,” but the familiarity and repetition of these practices comes as a result of knowing that a practice actually works.
Take, for example, the subtle beauty to the simplicity of historical wellness at the spa.
Like any other wellness practice, spas have had their fair share of trends—float pods that look like they’re from outer space and cryotherapy treatments that feel like onset hypothermia—but the fundamental wellness offerings at every spa have remained the same since the first Finnish sauna, thought to have originated around 7,000 B.C., to the massages, facials and hot stones nearly every spa offers today.
When wellness feels a little too complicated, these spas bring well-being back to its roots with simple wellness practices that are tried-and-true.
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Strøm Nordic Spa in Old Quebec
Built in the center of a city rich in history and along the banks of the St. Lawrence River in Old Quebec City, Canada, Strøm Nordic Spa is a dreamy and peaceful escape that makes wellness easy to achieve.
Featuring North America’s largest flotation bath surrounded by candles and an infinity pool overlooking the St. Lawrence river, Strøm Nordic Spa invites guests to practice wellness for as little or long as they please through a variety of treatments and amenities.
Guests are encouraged to take advantage of the traditional hot-cold relaxation circuit, commonly known as the Nordic Bath circuit or Nordic spa treatment, which Scandinavians started practicing thousands of years ago to alleviate the symptoms of skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis, reduce stress and heart problems, and relax muscles.
Strøm Nordic Spa’s hot baths include an infinity pool and Strøm river, an immersive indoor/outdoor space in light and darkness for fluid experiences stimulating all five senses. After 15-30 minutes, take a quick dip in a cold bath before ending the circuit relaxing in a spa, steam bath, sauna or natural environment.
Strøm Nordic Spa offers hotel and partner packages online at www.stromspa.com, as well as additional offerings like personalized facial treatments, Swedish therapeutic treatments and massage therapy.
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa
Located near Taos in northern New Mexico, Ojo Caliente Spa, with its mineral springs, is one of the oldest natural health resorts in the U.S., dating back to 1868. The spa provides the only hot springs in the world with a combination of four different sulfur-free mineral waters, including iron, arsenic, lithia and soda.
Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa’s newly appointed historic bathhouse is where Ojo waters and local botanicals accent every spa treatment, from the cactus flower massage and scrub to the blue corn, prickly pear and sea salt scrub with hot oil hair therapy.
Guests are invited to arrive early to relax in the new spa lounge featuring a purifying Himalayan Salt Sauna and Eucalyptus Steam Room prior to their appointment, and can choose to experience Ojo rituals such as Ojo Dreaming, Ojo Rejuvenator and Legends of Ojo. Enhancements including reflexology and sound healing are also available, and spa visits must be booked and scheduled in advance at www.ojosparesorts.com.
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