Relaxing at Lake Winds Spa in Port Perry

Who isn’t feeling a little stressed these days, what with all the forecasts of economic doom and gloom. But sometimes you just have to take time to relax. For a little feel-good indulgence nothing beats a trip to the spa.

I opted for a pedicure at Lake Winds Health & Beauty Spa in Port Perry. Located in a grand old yellow brick house dating back to 1876, Lake Winds has all charm of a historic Victorian house along with the convenience of ultra modern amenities like massaging spa chairs and an infrared sauna. Unlike most urban spas where services are offered in dimly lit subterranean rooms, Lake Winds is spacious and sunny.

The former dining room is now the lounge where proprietor Sabrina Cummings invites spa-goers to relax in leather club chairs and nibble on house-made oatmeal-raisin cookies and pore through issues of Country Gardens magazine while waiting for their treatments. With a steaming cup of Ruby Chai organic tea in hand, I headed off to the former parlour for my pedicure.

While I reclined in the heating-massaging chair with my feet soaking in the bubbling tub I looked out of the windows to see maple-shaded lawns, a birdfeeders and views of the street. To maintain the feel of the older house, Sabrina engaged a local artist to paint the floor in the style of a carpet stencil. Stylish manicure tables and a fire in the electric hearth add to the ambience. With three pedicure chairs and two manicure tables in one spacious room, this place would make for a great girlfriends getaway.

The spa uses completely organic skin care lines--even for their pedicures. These products sound and smell good enough to eat: brown sugar scrub, cucumber-mint massage soufflé. Even the nail polish was a vegan-formaldehyde-free product.

While my toes dried, I enjoyed a short session in the infrared sauna, which unlike the conventional steam-filled hot box, gets much warmer without causing distress. At 52 degrees C (126 F) I was still comfortable. “Our sauna is a core sauna. It heats you from the inside out,” explained Sabrina. Massage, body treatments and facials are performed in the upstairs treatment rooms where quilts, stained glass windows and wooden floors fit reflect the historic spirit of the house.