How important is preventative health? By 2030, seniors will make up 23% of Canadians. As the population ages and lifespans increase, the importance of living a healthy lifestyle is becoming even more apparent. Maintaining independence is now the primary objective of many seniors, with healthy eating and physical exercise being used to holistically prevent and manage common health concerns.
Health retreats, spa getaways, and wellness travel have been gaining in popularity as one component in achieving a high quality of life while aging. Located in Vernon, BC, Sparkling Hill Resort is a wellness destination designed to provide guests of all ages with the services and amenities needed to focus on their personal journey to whole body wellness.
A one-of-a-kind wellness destination
With a love of the Okanagan’s natural beauty and a desire to bring the European health and wellness experience to North America, Gernot Langes-Swarovski, patriarch of the Swarovski crystal family, envisioned and developed Sparkling Hill Resort. A manifestation of his vision, Sparkling Hill is now renowned as a leading destination for wellness travel where guests can maintain, improve, or kick-start a healthy lifestyle and increase their overall sense of physical and mental well-being.
Imagine taking a trip that leaves you feeling restored, re-energized, and ready to live life to the fullest. That’s the idea behind wellness travel.
At the heart of the property’s health and wellness experience, guests receive access to the 40,000 sq. ft. KurSpa with every stay. The atmosphere of KurSpa is one of mind-body connection. KurSpa, meaning “healing with water,” is an oasis of water-based amenities such as a heated year-round outdoor infinity pool, Kneipp hydrotherapy water stepping channels, seven uniquely-themed steam rooms and saunas, and more.
Guests of the resort are encouraged to follow the European spa philosophy of hot-cold-rest with hydration while experiencing the included amenities within KurSpa.
While the KurSpa may be the primary focus of the wellness getaway, the design and serene location overlooking Okanagan Lake and the Monashee Mountains also provide a setting to help guests revitalize and unplug from the outside world. Open-concept guest rooms act as personal oases and feature glass walk-through showers, custom wellness beds, two-person soaker tubs, and floor-to-ceiling window walls that open to bring the natural beauty indoors.
Bathrobes are encouraged at the full European-inspired hot buffet breakfast, included each morning of guests’ stay. The resort’s location also provides the culinary team with the best fresh and sustainable ingredients, with seasonal lunch and dinner menus featuring farm-to-table fine dining including a wide variety of healthy options.
With direct flights from all major Canadian destinations, the Okanagan Valley is the ideal location for a wellness retreat.
Embracing winter wellness
In Canada, it can be especially challenging to maintain a healthy lifestyle through the winter months. Shorter days, frigid temperatures, and snow-covered roads and sidewalks can cause us to spend more time at home, leading to lower energy and social isolation.
In the wintertime, our first reaction might be to do as the snowbirds do and book a getaway to a warmer climate. However, there are benefits to embracing seasonality as a part of our wellness journey. One perk of living in a four-season climate is the ability to adapt our routines to the time of year, and in the winter specifically, to slow down. Winter is a natural time for rest, recovery, and reflection.
While the benefits of visiting Sparkling Hill can be accessed year-round, their wellness destination is uniquely equipped to facilitate the type of downtime required during the colder season while also providing a way to break up the monotony of those long winter months.
The growing popularity of wellness travel
Imagine taking a trip that leaves you feeling restored, re-energized, and ready to live life to the fullest. That’s the idea behind wellness travel. Wellness travel promotes your health and wellbeing — both physical and mental — through a combination of activities and relaxation.
In short, most of us could benefit from reconnecting with our bodies and resetting our healthy routines with a whole body wellness retreat.
Offering a range of customizable wellness packages, the health resort provides guests with a healing retreat from their normal environment and a mental break from the stresses of daily life.
Staff and health care professionals at KurSpa are trained to educate guests on relaxation and wellness, and strive to see a shift in guests’ perspective during their stay and after checkout.
For some guests that might include joining a fitness class or snowshoeing on the trails surrounding the resort, while for others it could mean exploring the themed aromatherapy steam rooms and saunas, quieting the mind in the serenity and tea relaxation rooms, and swimming outdoors in the heated infinity pool. Every guest’s needs are unique, and this is clearly reflected in the packages and programs available at the resort.
One of the more popular retreats offered is the 5 Night Only for Seniors wellness package. For some, retirement and aging can be an overwhelming transition, but maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle can improve feelings of low energy and negative impacts on mental health.
The seniors’ wellness package was designed for adults aged 60 and over who want to achieve optimal health, and is suitable for those who want to feel more energy and get a jumpstart on healthy aging. Adults and seniors experiencing burnout from putting the needs of others or the demands of work above their own health will also find the programs especially rejuvenating.
With five hours of included spa treatments, two-course dinners, activity classes, and more, this five-night retreat provides guests with a foundation to focus completely on their personal well-being with guidance from the resort’s staff.
