Project Feature: Oceanstone Seaside Resort

DESIGNHYDROTHERMALDEVELOPMENTOPERATIONSSPAWELLNESS
Written By Nicky Poole

At the threshold between land and sea, the raw energy of the Atlantic Ocean meets the sheltered waters of Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia. This stunning landscape is now home to a new meeting place.

The Hydrothermal Spa at Oceanstone Seaside Resort

The early ideation and visioning for this project began in 2019, when Core Essence was engaged by the private ownership group of Oceanstone Seaside Resort. An established and acclaimed Canadian resort, the ownership group aspired to expand their hospitality offering to deliver a meaningful health and wellness program to their guests, regional visitors and to the local community.

Each and every project we undertake at Core Essence is approached with a deep sense of curiosity, as we seek to understand the history, geography and cultural subtleties that give a place it’s sense of uniqueness. Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia is formed by the migration of glaciers, and carved by the ebb and flow of ocean tides. It is sheltered from the Atlantic Storms by exfoliated pillows of granite rock. It has always been a traditional gathering place and a safe harbour that welcomes folks from afar. Our end goal through this multi-year project was to create effortless wellness journeys that are presented through the symbiotic relationship between landscape, artful design, and meaningful programming.

 

Remotely located, in a geography with strong seasonal fluctuations in both weather and tourism, it was essential that we approached the project anticipating the inherent financial and operational challenges of a future spa and wellness development. Furthermore, the expansion of Oceanstone demanded a mindful approach, one that complimented both the design and operations of the existing resort. The guest experience must be highly personal, professional, and multi-dimensional, connecting individuals to the unique sense of place that is Peggy’s Cove.

Core Essence worked closely with the ownership group to envision and develop a boutique hydrothermal-inspired spa, harnessing the power of health in nature. Four experiential cornerstones uphold the mindful selection of amenities and subsequent programming.  

Social + Communal          Wild + Immersive          Individual + Introspective          Sheltered + Nourished

 

Social & Communal

Communal practices of wellness are at the very heart of the spa experience at Oceanstone. Humans have for millions of years gathered and communed around spaces that radiate light and heat. The hearth is reprioritized at the property with five spaces adjacent to the pools for fireside rest and recovery. This provides necessary warmth in the cooler climate, and intimate spaces for the natural state of meditation that arises from gazing at the glow of an open fire. We believe that friendly fireside chats are an essential element of communal wellness.

 

Wild & Immersive

There remains a strong sense identity that is deeply rooted in Nova Scotia’s adventurous seafaring history. Harnessing these qualities of bravery in our amenity selection was crucial in the development of this project to connect guests to the stories of the place. The Kneipp Walk, is a bristling cold-water experience for the lower legs which curves through the outdoor waters area. This unexpected sensorial experience is built upon a pebbled reflexology footpath and results in a self-paced foot massage. For the bold, is the opportunity for a dip post sauna into the ice-cold, aptly named North Atlantic Plunge Pool. With a recommended immersion time of one minute, guests are often cheered on by their friends, and emerge with a feeling of accomplishment and a renewed sense of being alive.

 

Individual & Introspective

Two thermal amenities were selected for the client, sourced from Belgian based Alpha Wellness. The sauna and steam cabins were selected for both their exceptional quality and customization possibilities. Installed into the hillside, these barrels provide an integrated experience where guests had a sense of entering into, and becoming part of the land. The salt inhalation hammam is finished in a foggy grey palette, and when filled with steam reflects the moody, misty coastal experience of Atlantic Canada. After a challenging installation, (undertaken during the tail end of a hurricane and lifted into position by a crane) the result is a cocooned social space that forms the warm heart of the hydrothermal journey.

 

The body and facial treatment areas are adjacent to the hydrothermal experience but tucked into a quieter part of the property. A strong visual reference to the fishing cabins that populate the coast of Nova Scotia was made through choosing sun-bleached-grey cedar cladding and referencing the characteristic gabled roof with updated architectural lines. The smallest details are considered: cabin names evoke the palette selected for wellness at the property; Driftwood, Evergreen, Edgewater, and Seaglass with doors painted in colors found in the seaweed tangle washed ashore at the property. This thoughtfulness further affirms a deep sense of place. Inside, the salt-bleached palette and subtle textures create a feeling that is spacious, light and refined.

Sheltered & Nourished

This connection to the natural environment is further anchored through the purposeful selection of product partners. VOYA skincare products contain extracts of wild seaweed which is sustainably hand harvested from the cleanest Atlantic waters off the coast of Ireland. Fucus Serratus Seaweed was introduced to Nova Scotia in 1861 via the ballast of ships carrying immigrants from Ireland and Scotland. This shared, wild Atlantic treasure is used in many spa treatments at Oceanstone.

 

Two of note include the signature Ocean-Moon-Stones which uses warmed ocean stones charged with the energy of the most recent full moon, which are bathed in nourishing VOYA oils and seaweed extracts massaged rhythmically over the body. The organic Seaweed Body Buff by VOYA utilises the bounty of the North Atlantic in the form of bladderwrack and antioxidant-rich seaweed oils. This treatment stimulates the lymphatic system, encourages detoxification, and enhances blood flow.

Written On November 3, 2023

Nicky Poole

Nicky Poole has served in leadership roles in the yoga and wellness worlds for twenty years. She was creator and director of Breathing Room Yoga in Vietnam and designed the highly regarded Canadian teacher training programs at 889 Yoga, and Octopus Garden Yoga Centre. Most recently, Nicky co-founded a vibrant new digital yoga platform called Leelapod.

Originally from New Zealand, Nicky has a passion for travel, history, and exploring wellness rituals across cultures. She has called Nepal, Saigon and Toronto home over the years, while completing thousands of hours of studies around the world in the practices of Vinyasa, Ashtanga, Restorative, Yin, Therapeutics, Anatomy, Philosophy, Sanskrit, Mahayana and Vajryana Meditation, Ayurveda, Thai Yoga Massage, Yogic history and Social Justice. The roots of her yoga practice are based in the Prana Flow lineage by Shiva Rea, and she is initiated into the Indian martial arts tradition known as Kalarippayat. Nicky brings a wealth of knowledge and global experience in mind-body studies to Core Essence along with a balanced perspective to wellness education and program implementation which deeply integrates both science and soul.

https://www.coreessence.ca/about
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