Spas on Canada’s Gentle Isle

PEI is Canada’s gentle isle and happily, it also has sensational spas. Here’s our guide to the best spas on Prince Edward Island.

Prince Edward Island is called the “gentle island” for its tranquil scenery and pastoral population. While travelling in Ottawa, I was told by a cab driver that I had to be an Islander due to my “stress-free face.” Well, I can say that, despite popular belief, Islanders do feel the pressures of modern life. Here are a few places on PEI where Islanders and visitors head to release and relax.

NAKAI Spa Salon Studio

NAKAI Spa Salon Studio is the new kid on Queen Street in Charlottetown. Melanie Lang opened the first salon in Moncton, NB and later expanded to Saint John and Charlottetown. She wanted to focus on the guest, including looking at what she calls the three p’s: place, product and professionals.

“If you walk in as a guest, I hope you find an amazing location where you feel at home, and that our professionals use great products. When you have all three, it equals a great experience,” she says.

The space is fashioned in a dark brown and light blue modern décor with low lighting. Upon entering the spa, you’re ushered to the waiting room, where you can relax with a tea and recline on leather chairs. The salon uses Aveda products and molds them into specialized services.

One of the more popular treatments is the organic chocolate truffle body wrap. “You can lick your arm and come out smelling like a brownie,” says Lang. The other is the hot stone pedicure, which is popular with wedding parties. Hot basalt stones are used to massage the feet, followed by a typical pedicure.

The spa also includes a salon. “This is not just a beauty service, but a wellness service,” she says. “We want guests to be treated from head to toe.”

Where: 133 Queen Street, Charlottetown, PEI

What to get: Chocolate Truffle Body Wrap, Hot Stone Pedicure, Lemon Mint Martini Manicure.

Pure Spa

Overlooking the Charlottetown waterfront, Pure Spa has the distinction of being both a spa and a hot yoga studio. Owner Karen Murphy first practiced hot yoga in Calgary and then moved back to PEI to open her studio. It was her friend who suggested she have both a yoga studio and spa, and the two melded into one another. “In our treatments we want to incorporate a sense of yoga that is both relaxing and rejuvenating.”

As soon as you walk into the studio, you can sense the Zen-like quality of the spa. The waiting room provides a view of the harbour and is flooded with natural light. While you wait you can sample an array of organic teas, sweets, and wine. Pure Spa uses organic products, in order to align with the yoga philosophy. Murphy wanted to offer something that was missing in PEI.

Her favourite treatment is the signature facial, which is tailored to your skin type. It also includes a head and shoulder massage, as well as an eye, lip and scalp treatment. The spa also provides a blueberry-soy slimming treatment and a number of other packages. Many people combine their yoga practice with the spa experience.

“I think people are starting to think about themselves and their bodies as a priority,” Murphy says. “People are looking for alternate ways to be healthy.”

Where: 4 Prince Street, Charlottetown, PEI

What to get: Signature Facial, Blueberry Soy Slimming Treatment, Vichy Shower.

A few other spas on PEI:

Mint Spa, Summerside

Grand Senses, Charlottetown

Radiant Reflection Day Spa, Charlottetown

More Inspiration: Here’s our yoga tips for either before or after the spa!