A Couples Getaway

By Jen Kirsch

Being a relationship expert, I am always looking for fresh ways to advise couples on the bonding experience. Though I’m in a monogamous relationship, I’m a serial dater; I continue to date my partner constantly to keep both passion and romance alive. When I heard about the couples massage offered at my usual haunt, Stillwater Spa, I knew this would be the setting for our next anticipated date night.

The best way to bond with your partner is by spending some uninterrupted alone time; with our work-ridden schedules, ongoing emails and inability to take time off for mini getaways, a spa creates the perfect setting for a getaway in and of itself. All it takes is a couple of hours (or more time if you can spare it). And since the spa is open until 10 pm, you can no doubt find the time, between meetings and events, that’s best suited for the both of you. 

From the moment you arrive at the spa, you are taken away from the outside world and brought into a whole new mind state: no cell phones, no stress – simply each other’s company as you are pampered side by side.

We were both instructed to change into plush, white robes in separate his and her change rooms, and once settled, met in the tea lounge. The room radiates a comfortable environment. You are immediately stripped of all worries as you sit side-by-side in front of a fireplace, and sip loose leaf teas that when inhaled, provide a sense of calm.

We all know we should take time to relax with our partners, but when you’re both constantly on-the-go, the word relax ceases to exist. Once your masseuse takes you and your significant other to a private room, you are granted an allotted timeslot of one hour to one-on-one relaxing time, in addition to the one hour (or 90 minute) massage time. The private couples’s room consists of a spacious Jacuzzi, a fireplace, a shower, two massage beds and an iPad port playing mood music of your choice.

Like many other spas in the city, you are welcome to use the facilities (think steam room and private ladies room) before and after your treatment, but for the couple on-the-go, who have a need to unwind and bond, the allotted alone time was well received.

And then comes the actual massage.

As you lay side by side next to your partner, each of you has your own masseuse tear away at the tension built up by your muscles. Personally, I chose a eucalyptus body oil - a scent that I find ever-so-refreshing. 

To know there is an oasis around the corner makes me no longer count down the days until the next trip to Muskoka. The spa brings you completely out of the norm and adds a spark to your daily life. It was more than a treatment. It was memorable experience and brought us to a euphoric state that we both agree, is priceless. 

Image courtesy stock.xchng