The Cabot Shores Wilderness is an eco-friendly spa retreat located in Cape Breton, offering holistic treatments in a natural setting overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
The Cabot Shores Wellness Spa experience features traditional Nordic-inspired wellness practices combined with our stunning Cape Breton wilderness setting.
Here’s your guide to experiencing our unique outdoor hot-cold therapy circuit, as well as connecting to nature. Doing the circuit is a great opportunity to enhances your connection with friends/family/partners…
The Thermal Cycle
Our carefully designed sequence begins with 10-20 minutes in the sauna or hot tub. Our outdoor Barrel Sauna (wet and steamy) sauna is heated to a therapeutic 150-175°F (65-90°C), or you can use the Infrared Sauna (closer to 120F or 48C) . As you sit in the warmth of the Barrel Sauna, or the Big Cedar Hot Tub (crank it to 104F) , you’ll hear the rhythmic sounds of waves crashing on Eagle Feather Beach, creating a natural meditation soundtrack or just a place to luxuriate in the steam. The heat helps relax muscles, release tension, and prepares your body for what comes next.
Then comes the invigorating part – a brief but powerful cold plunge in a cedar tub, lasting anywhere from 45 seconds to 3 minutes. This contrast therapy is where the magic happens. When you enter the cold water, your nerve endings quickly numb, and your blood vessels contract, reducing inflammation in joints and muscles. Your body responds by releasing endorphins, nature’s feel-good hormones.
After the cold plunge, enjoy a period of relaxation. So the steps are: hot/cold/relax– a process used by cultures from Roman to Nordic to eastern rituals over thousands of years.
After the first round, return to the sauna for another 10-15 minutes of heat therapy. Then back to the cold plunge for a dip of relief. This second round deepens the therapeutic benefits and invigorates you all over again. Finally, a crucial 15-minute rest period allows your body to return to its natural temperature while you take in the pristine Cape Breton air and surrounding nature.
Health Benefits of the Wellness Spa
- The benefits of this hot-cold therapy are both immediate and long-lasting:
- Reduced inflammation in muscles and joints
- Enhanced immune system function through the production of cytokines
- Lower blood pressure through controlled blood vessel constriction
- Natural stress relief through endorphin release
- Improved circulation and muscle recovery
Guest Experiences of the Wellness Spa
Our guests consistently report feeling both deeply relaxed and energized after completing the wellness spa circuit. The combination of therapeutic temperatures and our wilderness setting creates an experience that’s both rejuvenating and grounding.
Tips for Your Session in the Wellness Spa
You are encouraged to:
- Pace yourself, especially during your first-time visit
- Listen to your body and adjust the time in hot or cold to your comfort level
- Include the rest period as an essential part of the experience
- Stay hydrated throughout the process
Extending the Wellness Spa Experience
- Have more time to deepen your experience or just plain pamper yourself (just this once!)?
- Schedule yourself for the Ceragem Thermal Massage Bed (roughly 40 minute session) or
- Schedule a session of 5 Element Acupuncture or a Group Auricular Acupuncture Treatment
- Schedule a session of Mindfulness Meditation/Gi Gong Session (actually a good way to start the day)
- Join a yoga session to tend to those muscles even more and tune into the changes in your body.
Tips from Dr. Paul
Take around a 25-minute nature walk that serves as a perfect transition back to daily life. There are several options or you can do them all:
The “Birch Grove Trail” (check out our map and follow the blue markers)
to the Indian Brook Loop (following the orange markers out to a viewpoint viewing the Eagle Feather Beach, Church Pond and Beaver Cove
or just follow the Bridge and the Boardwalk to the Apple Orchard (the Red Trail) noticing our Treetop Village out to Eagle Feather Beach
This thoughtfully designed trail takes you along Indian Brook, where you can trace the path of the waterfall to its source. The path winds past a serene cove featuring an active beaver dam, then leads you through our charming apple orchard. In spring, you’ll discover wild rose hips along the way, adding splashes of color to your journey. The trail culminates at a magical fairy site overlooking our stunning Eagle Feather Beach, offering a perfect meditation spot.
Feed The Soul
To fully complete your wellness experience, we invite you to visit our Bistro, where you can nourish your body with fresh, locally-inspired cuisine. Choose from vibrant vegetable salads, warming soups, or our signature seafood chowder. This thoughtful combination of nutrition and nature helps integrate the benefits of your spa circuit experience.
This carefully designed wellness circuit, followed by a nature walk and wholesome meal, represents the evolution of our vision to create a space where nature and wellness intersect. Here, surrounded by Cape Breton’s natural beauty, you can experience the transformative power of traditional hot-cold therapy in a setting that feeds both body and soul.
Book Your Wellness Spa Experience
Want the basics of the Wellness Spa–the sauna or hot tub and cold plunge and relaxation? Give us a call,add to your lodging or just come for a 1/2 day experience.
Or extend your experience with healing walks through our nature sanctuary (all included) and add:
…the Thermal Massage Bed (30 minute session)
Please let us know if you’d like to schedule one or more of the following: (call 902 929 2584 or write to [email protected])
…a yoga or pilates session
…5 Element Acupuncture
…Meditation/qi gong