scandinave les bains spa

My first spa experience, more than 10 years ago, was at the Roman baths at Baden Baden. It’s hard to beat rarified Black Forest air, 12 pools and steam rooms, and maternal German masseuses who joyfully rub, slap and pummel your cares away.

Sure, I try new spas, but halfheartedly. I have found them too social, too beauty-oriented, too superficial.

So imagine my surprise when I entered the new Montreal spa, Scandinave les Bains, and something in the minimalist, slate and glass reception area called up a long lost image in my brain - an archeological dig, a half-forgotten memory of the original Roman bath ruins. The place actually reminded me of Baden Baden.

This subliminal effect is a tribute to Montreal architects Saucier + Perrotte, who used wood, water, daylight and stone to transform a 20,000 sq ft former warehouse into a temple of inordinate calm.

Curved tiled walls, smooth expanses of slate and glass, and the textured stone walls of Old Montreal coexist with panels of natural light, flowing water, and ipe floors.

Treatments include a spacious and sleek jacuzzi pool, a Finnish dry sauna, a eucalyptus steam bath, two bracingly cold rinse stations, and several relaxation areas. There are 11 sleek massage rooms, a juice bar, and a waterfall that kneads shoulder muscles while creating a comforting white noise.

The prescriptive nature of Scandinave les Bains resembles that of its European counterparts, and this is in part where it differs from many contemporary spas. Hot is followed by cold, which is followed by rest on a beanbag recliner or a heated bench. Then you begin again.

Silence, too, has its place: talking above a whisper isn’t allowed.

My experience, in a nutshell: I started in the dry, cedar-lined sauna. The treatment relaxed my muscles - but did little to quiet the mind. Next, the shock of a quick plunge in frigid water had me gasping and screeching (ever so quietly), then breathing deeply - calming the chatter in my brain.

Resting, I closed my eyes, pulled the hood of my rented robe over my head, let the outside world disappear, and thought of nothing, until called for my hour-long Swedish massage (sublime). Then it was back to hot, cold, rest.

Suffice it to say that I can’t wait to go back. Baden Baden has found its equivalent, closer to home.

If you go: Bring a bathing suit (and robe).  71, rue de la Commune O, 514 288-2009, open 10am-10pm daily.