Spa Girl rings in the New Year at Le7Ke Spa

Quaaout Lodge Main Lobby

Mount Peter and Paul, Kamloops British Columbia

After a few weeks exploring the California coast, a number of spas and a week in Palm Desert which included a fabulous day at Two Bunch Palms my sister and I headed back to the chilly winter which had settled into the interior of British Columbia.  

We spent Christmas in a winter wonderland at my brother's ranch and after a pretty lazy week, we started to prepare for a New Year's celebration at the renowned Quaaout Lodge and;Talking Rock Golf Course and their new Le7Ke Spa.  We were there to celebrate the ringing in of the New Year at the wedding of a dear friend.

Le7Ke Spa pronounced La--(pause)--Ka meaning "I am good" in the Secwepmc (Shuswap) language has been in operation just over a year and I have had it on my Spa radar to visit, so this was ideal. As part of the complex, the Spa also offers an Aqua-fit Water Fitness program in the pool.

Known as the "Land of the Great Spirit" Quaaout Lodge is owned and operated by the Little Shuswap Band.  The lodge is located on the beautiful shores of Little Shuswap Lake with panoramic views of the Lake, snow-capped mountains, and many natural scenic wonders including an abundance of wildlife.  In the summer the flora and fauna of the area are a photographers dream and while I am not a golfer, I gather it is a golfers paradise.  It literally leaves you breathless!  

The Spa "welcomes you for some serious pampering with a philosophy of Holistic Wellness" and offers an array of treatment options for both men and women.  Le7Ke has also created its own line of skin care products with First Nations principals in mind whereby many of the ingredients are certified organic and grown under organic conditions without the use of synthetic preservatives and fertilizers. They also use Julia Lawless Aqua Oleum pure essential oils.

What they say...

Quaaout Lodge and Le7Ke Spa offers you a place of holistic renewal and rejuvenation in a setting of complete tranquillity.  

A sense of well-being is enhanced by infusing First Nations medicine with today's spa modalities.

Our “Philosophy of Purity” includes clean energy sources, eco-friendly manufacturing, fair trade ingredients, recyclable materials and cruelty-free practices. Our products are free of Parabens and synthetic preservatives, animal products, GMOs (genetically modified organisms). 

Le7ke Spa products are good for your skin and good for the planet! 

"Aqua Oleum is a company with a long history, starting with Julia’s late mother Kerttu, a Finnish biochemist.  Kerttu studied essential oils and had a lifelong interest in herbs, as did her mother before her. Family knowledge goes back at least three generations and our interest in essential oils pre-dates the advent of Aromatherapy in the UK by many years."

Of the many treatments offered including: Facials, Manicures, Pedicures, Massage, Exfoliation, Body Wraps, Makeup Application, Infrared Sauna, Vichy Shower and hydrotherapy treatments, I opted to end the year in style and enjoy five hours having the ultimate Shea butter salt scrub and Vichy shower (50 minutes $89), relaxation massage which included the use of hot stones (50 minutes $89 / 80 minutes $125) and wrapped up with a classic facial (80 minutes $139).

The Spa's Vichy shower is absolutely stunning; the newest technology in a seven-headed shower system with a table that was especially crafted for Le7ke in the shape of a fish and made in Australia out of a beautifully designed solid and slatted wood drainage system.  It was the first Vichy shower I have ever had--and I have had many--where I didn't feel Iike I was going to drown. The Shea butter salt scrub left my skin feeling total soft, gently ex-foliated and ready for the heavenly Aqua Oleum essential oils used for my massage treatment.  As for the facial, my face was glowing after, however, by the time the therapist started on my face I was fast asleep and entertaining her with the music of my elegant (I hope) soft snoring.

Le7ke Spa is very tastefully designed and laid out in a modest space, with First Nations art decorating the walls, specially designed doors to the treatment rooms, top quality sterilization equipment, rich robes and towels and simple spa shoes.  Being the spa girl that I am, I always bring my own robe, foot wear and of course a linen towel.

Happy New Year everyone. May 2013 be kind to all of us, and that we take the time to look after ourselves, and that means of course, a regular agenda of Spa visits.

Check out the Quaaout Lodge & Talking Rock Golf Course and Le7Ke Spa

http://quaaoutlodge.com/

Hot Stone Massage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtDh985Wv5U

What is a Vichy Shower

http://spas.about.com/od/bodytreatments/a/vichy.htm

Julia Lawless pure essential oils

http://www.aqua-oleum.co.uk/