Feeling overwhelmed?

Between having a full-time job, teaching fitness and blogging on the side, having an active social life and making time for my boyfriend and dog, I’ve been finding myself feeling really worn out lately.  I love my life and everything that I choose to do, but I just haven’t gotten enough me time lately.  Sometimes we just need some downtime to really focus on ourselves and with my busy schedule, I just didn’t see how that was going to be possible.  Then I got offered the chance to experience the Unplugged package at The Fort Garry Hotel here in Winnipeg.

The Fort Garry Hotel is a landmark here in Winnipeg. The independently-owned hotel was built in 1913 hosting guests and executives of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway. Today, the building still stands and is one of the city’s most prestigious hotels boasting a spa, conference  and business facilities, restaurants and ballrooms.

I’ve never had the opportunity to stay at the Fort Garry as I live here, but have taken part in most of the amenities that it offers: the Sunday brunch on special events, dinner in the Palm Lounge, massages and pedicures at Ten Spa, and many events held in their lavish ballrooms.

The Unplugged package that the hotel is offering is a mix of all my favourite amenities that they offer, and at $189 a person (based on a double occupancy), you really can’t beat this deal.

It includes a one-night stay (either a Saturday or Sunday night), afternoon yoga class at Yoga Public (located on Fort Street, north of The Fort Garry; it’s a 10 minute walk or the hotel offers a shuttle), self-administered Hamam at Ten Spa, plus all the amenities that you receive at Ten Spa (showers and steam, refreshments and small bites – I die for their hummus and pita – etc.), dinner in the Palm Lounge, and a full hot buffet-style breakfast before you head home.

After taking part in many of the things that The Fort Garry offers, aside from actually staying there, when I saw the price of this package I was floored. $189 for a yoga class, hamam treatment at Ten Spa (the best spa in the city, in my opinion), dinner and breakfast!? Oh, and a hotel room? I should have booked a staycation sooner.

I got to unplug last Sunday with three other blogger friends, Susie from WinnipegMom.ca, Jennifer from Pretty Little Details, and Monique from Style Hunter Fox. We checked in at 3 p.m., headed to our room to unpack (I bunked with Monique), then went straight to Ten Spa to check out the self-administered Hamam treatment.

I was the odd one out as I’ve never done the Hamam before but have only heard amazing things about it.  The Hamam is a spiritual and physical cleansing treatment. Originating in Turkey, the Hamam cleanses the body and skin from toxins, as well as increases blood circulation and contributes to mental wellbeing. We were given pestemal wraps and fluffy white robes before being escorted into a room with a heated bench. From there we were told about the story behind the treatment and then led to a large heated area with steam.  First we showered before applying aromatic sea salts all over our body.  Then, we sat down on the heated slab while the attendant rinsed us with water. It sounds strange, but it was one of the most incredible feelings to have that water being poured on you. After, we just laid there for awhile and every so often she would come by and pour water on us again.

After the Hamam (you can actually visit Ten Spa for the self-administer treatment for only $55 Monday to Thursday, or $75 Friday to Sunday, which in itself is a steal; I totally didn’t know they did that!), we made our way to Yoga Public, a massive yoga and fitness studio located at 280 Fort Street.  It’s a 10-minute walk, but since we were running short on time we chose to take the shuttle. We joined in a hot flow class, which is done in a heated room.  I’m used to doing hot yoga, so the heat didn’t bother me, in fact, I’m used to much hotter rooms, so it was really nice. I’ve always wanted to try out Yoga Public, especially their aerial yoga, so I was so excited to finally get to check out the space. It’s much bigger than I imagined and hands-down the most gorgeous yoga studio in the city.

After yoga, we walked back to the hotel and went to our rooms to shower and change. The rooms at the Fort Garry are very 1913, as in they are quite old, however, there are modern touches that bring it to reality.  I’m a huge hotel person, so modern and boutique are definitely more my jam, however, the chic dog pillows, comfy beds, and not to mention novelty of the hotel definitely make it memorable.

After getting ready we headed down to the Palm Lounge for dinner, a set menu of chicken and veggies, as well as a dessert, and some cocktails (extra). Since we were so zenned out, we headed back to our rooms to sleep around 10:30 p.m. (hey, it was a Sunday after all!).

The next morning, since there’s no in-room coffee machine, we ordered coffee to our room, which I kid you not, came in four minutes. The coffee also came with a baked cookie, which was a really nice touch.

After waking up with some java, we got dressed then headed downstairs to the Broadway room for some breakfast. They have a chef there so you can order up eggs or waffles, and there was also a table full of pastries to munch on, and cereal and oatmeal as well.

After breakfast we went back to Ten Spa as they offered us bloggers a chance to try out the Ten Skin RX (which is not included in the package). Ten Skin RX is a 15-minute laser treatment which works to treat a number of skin conditions by incorporating the medical Regenlite Transform laser (delivers 585nm of SmartPulse light from a hand-piece) directly into the lower layer of the skin. The laser light (which feels like a pen going across your face) delivers maximum collagen stimulation with less energy. Think of this this way, our skin is like an elastic. When we are young it’s nice and sturdy, but as we age it starts to loosen up, creating wrinkles. Since our skin is made up of collagen, this machine adds more collagen to it, essentially reversing the signs of aging. They promise amazing results with regular treatments. Since I already have nice skin we just did a normal treatment, but I was told it works wonders on wrinkles and improves skin clarity, tone and texture.

I have a pretty high pain tolerance and use a laser hair removal device often on my face, so I didn’t think it would hurt. I had to tell the aesthetician to turn the machine down since it stung so bad. Because I’m so fair skinned though, she said that she had the machine on high since my skin tone could take it.  It’s not a long procedure though, so if you can hack it, beauty is pain, right?

The Ten Skin RX treatment was our final activity in our staycation and I was so sad to grab my things and go (they also included underground parking, by the way).

I definitely got some much-needed me time and loved every minute of it and was already thinking of people I would love to do this package with again. Spa, yoga, food, and hotel? Yes, please!

Have you stayed at the Fort Garry Hotel?

Please note, The Fort Garry Hotel graciously paid for my stay and my participation in the Unplug package. Aside from that, I received no compensation for this post.

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