Who do you spa with? My friend, Caroline is the one who drags me out spaaing when I get too caught up in the daily grind to take a breather. The Spa at St. Anne's is her favourite. Last weekend we escaped the city for a day and took in the Pure Bliss Day Spa.

After an hour and a half driving through thick fog Twilight styles, we pulled onto a winding gravel road that led us to this:


Well there's no snow yet, so it actually looked more like this:

Built in 1858 by Samuel Massey, this stone mansion was his home. A later owner made additions to the house that led to locals dub it "the Grafton Castle".

The air there is sweet and fresh smelling of pine and lavender. A few lungfuls and we felt relaxed. Check in was quick, and I was whisked away to my first treatment.

The Pure Bliss package includes a $100 spa certificate, lunch, a wellness class and afternoon tea. You also get full access to the facilities and the gorgeous grounds where you can go hiking or book a horse back riding session.

I sampled 3 treatments: Pure Aroma Massage (starts at $65), Coconut Breeze Treatment ($120) and the Caribbean Foot Rejuvenation ($65). To see what I thought of those treatments, read my full review here.In addition to a small gym, various cozy sitting areas and out door hot tubs like this one (SUCH a treat!), they have a eucalyptus steam room that is heavenly for the skin, lungs, throat. I could have spent the day in that steam room. Though I didn't get a facial, my skin glowed and it felt cleansing for my lungs. One of the best parts of my day was sitting in the lounge with my book in my cozy robe, sipping tea and waiting to be whisked off to my next treatment.

We drove back to the city in the dark at 7pm after a full 11 hours of glorious relaxation and agreed it felt like we'd been there the whole weekend. Speaking of which, you can buy weekend packages too, starting at $299 per person.

Have you been here? Add your own review.

www.steannes.com