Sparkling Hill Resort: Health Spa Treatments in Vernon, BC

My Guest Room at the Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon, BC, Canada- what a view! Notice the crystal "stars" on the ceiling.

Going to a regular spa is a lot different than going to a health spa or a wellness spa. They all have beauty treatments and pampering, sure, but a place like Sparkling Hill Resort, where I stayed as their guest last week, has expanded on the whole spa concept.  

Perched on a ridge beside the lush Predator Ridge Golf Resort, this newly-opened wellness spa and hotel is stirring up much excitement in Vernon and Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley.  

Health Spa Treatments 

Spa Treatment Room at the Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon, BC- I love the natural rocks outside the window.

• Vitamin Enriched Hydrating Facial ($145, 90 minutes): Magdalene gave me a wonderful facial, which included eyebrow shaping, good advice on my facial routine (which is great because mine is non-existent), my first lymph drainage massage, and good conversation.
• Fango Mud Treatment ($50, 20 minutes): I was slathered with yummy-smelling “mud” and left to soak it up while Ebony gave me a foot massage. What a dirty shower afterwards!
• Herbal Health Bath ($50, 20 minutes): A calm herbal health bath was waiting for me after getting muddy and I soaked in it to the flickering of candlelight as my music.
• Ebony was back to whip me into relaxation with a powerful Sparkle Massage ($50, 25 minutes). My god did she know how to knead my muscles. She finished off the treatment by giving me some specific stretches and then sending me off to the steam rooms (all seven of them, all complimentary to guests) to do the exercises in the heat.
• The Hammam treatment ($200, 60 minutes, for two people) was okay, but not really my thing. Melissa scrubbed me clean with olive oil foam–which felt like whipping cream being squirted onto my body–and it left me feeling pretty silky. I could never get comfortable on the hard table, though, so it wasn’t the most relaxing experience. I tried to envision being in Turkey getting scrubbed in a room full of naked women, but I still couldn’t get into the spirit.

Hammam Treatment Room at the Sparkling Hill Resort in Vernon, British Columbia.

• Cold Sauna / Cryotherapy ($40, 1 session; $300, 10 sessions): This is a very special–and unique to North America–treatment. At -110°C (-166°F), it’s a burst of freezing air that gets the heart pumping and new blood circulating. It’s a bit of a novelty (you only stay in the cold sauna for up to three minutes each session) but the health benefits can be immeasurable. Of course, you must be approved by the medical staff and have your blood pressure taken before you can go in.

Tags: bc, beauty treatments, Cold Sauna, Cryotherapy, Fango Mud, Hammam, Health Bath, Health Spa, Hydrating Facial, Kelowna, Massage, Okanagan Valley, Predator Ridge Golf Resort, Spa magazine, Spa Treatments, Sparkling Hill Resort, Vernon, wellness spa