Readers have probably encountered lukewarm saunas, infrared apparatuses, and cliquey settings. Likewise, Estonians are bound to enter social situations where people make remarks of confusion or contempt about saun, rolling in the snow, plunging in cold water, and the rest of it. Outside of the Nordic cultural sphere, these ancestral rituals can seem like an uncomfortable endurance test rather than a therapeutic escape. But in southern Ontario, there’s a spa facility with a Finnish edge, “A Little Piece of Finland in Oro-Medonte” as they call it. It’s called Vettä Nordic Spa.
Given a weekend opportunity to visit, the car was packed with a few essentials for the drive there from downtown Toronto. It took an hour and a half total, across the 401 and up the 400. Then again, it could be closer and faster for you if you reside away from the worst traffic congestion. For reference, the spa is next to Horseshoe Valley Resort, nestled within a scenic, hilly, hardwood forest.
