Why Nimmo Bay is a leading Canadian wellness retreat
At Nimmo Bay, wellness is personal, uncomplicated, and made for everyone. Over the years, we’ve crafted a program that nurtures healing and renewal of mind, body, and spirit. The result is an immersive, spa-like experience set in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest. Here, you’ll settle into the rhythms of nature, enjoy nourishing meals, sleep deeply, and follow a wellness plan designed just for you.
Whether you choose to weave in a few hours of treatments and sauna time or fully immerse yourself in a multi-day Wellness Within the Wild journey, each experience is designed to help you disconnect from the noise of everyday life and reconnect with what truly matters.
Below, we’re sharing some of our top wellness highlights and the unique benefits they offer, from massage and bodywork to mindful rituals like sound baths.
TOP 5 WELLNESS HIGHLIGHTS TO DISCOVER
1. Water Therapy: Sauna, Hot Tub, and Cold Plunge
How can water therapies help with recovery?
At Nimmo Bay, we have fully invested in a holistic approach to wellness that includes water therapy. The history of hot and cold therapy is long and goes back to ancient civilizations. Modern medicine has now validated the benefits seen from these types of therapies. They can contribute to the recovery of both body and mind. The thermal spa journey at Nimmo Bay takes you through 15 minutes of heat, 30 seconds of cold, and 15 minutes of absolutely nothing. It’s a full body experience; it helps boost circulation, clears mental clutter, ultimately refreshing you from head to toe.
The heat from our floating sauna increases your body temperature and dilates your blood vessels. This promotes circulation and oxygenation of your whole body. The sauna stimulates your immune system and your body starts to flush toxins. You can feel the tension leaving your body. Following that, jumping into the cold ocean water is an instant invigoration, releasing adrenaline into your body. It causes your pores to tighten up, locking in all the beautiful heat you just absorbed. Your blood pressure spikes, and these changes prime your body for reducing inflammation and soreness, preparing your muscles to relax. Research has also shown that there are mental benefits to cold water therapy, as happy hormones like dopamine and serotonin flood through your body.
2. Movement & Mindfulness in Nature
What small practices restore balance in a busy life?
In our daily lives, we are often stuck inside, sitting behind a desk, surrounded by cityscapes and artificial noise. But this isn’t our natural state, our bodies are craving balance. Away from the rush, away from the noise, away from the concrete. At Nimmo Bay, we help our guests slow down by focusing on movement and mindfulness in nature. From hiking in the Great Bear Rainforest to paddling through ocean inlets, Nimmo is built to help people experience nature in its purest form.
Studies have shown that spending just 2-hours in nature per week can increase your overall health. Being outdoors can increase calmness, boost endorphins, dopamine, and improve your concentration. It’s so powerful, people can experience relief from irritability. Spending time in nature can lower blood pressure and cortisol, the hormone responsible for stress. Research also proves that natural sounds can increase your health and improve positive affect. Natural sounds decrease the stress and annoyance your body feels, increasing calmness, and lowering blood pressure. Environments filled with natural sounds make us feel safe and enable us to let our guard down. These sounds physically alter our brain chemistry, reducing the fight-or-flight instinct. Forest sounds like bird songs are linked to stress relief and water sounds boost feelings of calm.
Forest Bathing
How can I improve my mental health through relaxation practices?
Slowing down and experiencing forest bathing in nature is one of the best ways to relax your body and mind. Forest bathing doesn’t involve activities like hiking, running, or exercising in nature, it simply involves being in nature. Forest bathing is a term that emerged in the 80’s in Japan. You enter the rainforest, and the goal is to focus in on all five of your senses. Your guide will take you through a meditation practice to help. The intention is to bridge the gap between yourself and the natural world. You can achieve this by walking, touching, standing, breathing deeply, and sitting bare foot on the mossy ground. Focusing on these sensations for even just 1-hour helps you sink into a connection with nature. You’ll feel a boost in energy and mood.
Research also states that nature’s most prominent colours, found in the oceans, rivers, forest, and ski, are the green to blue-green colour range. This is the most critical wavelength on the light spectrum, for boosting both serotonin and melatonin. It’s no wonder our mental health declines when green spaces are few and far between. while we’re surrounded by concrete and grey buildings. We’ve lost contact with essential blue-green light. But during a forest bathing experience, you’re surrounded by these colours. You can see improvement in mood, cognitive function, and sleep after spending time embracing the forest.
Restorative Spa Rituals: Massages & Facials
Why is self-care important in wellness?
Self-care practices are anything you do to keep yourself mentally, emotionally, physically, socially, and spiritually well. It’s recognizing and honouring that we are not an infinite well of energy to give away 24/7. In the end, when we care for ourselves in this way, it makes us better prepared to build relationships with others. So, let’s quiet the hype on the hustle mentality a little bit and embrace setting boundaries and prioritizing ourselves.
Acts of self-care can come in many forms and shift daily. It can be as simple as lighting your favourite candle or finding a book that feeds your personal development. Sometimes it might be to indulge in a little bit of luxury and treat yourself to a day at the spa. At Nimmo, we have a robust wellness menu with bodywork and massage. However, one of our favourite offerings is the Botanical Facial. We often think of a full body massage as the ultimate form of spa relaxation, yet there is rarely a moment where your face isn’t active throughout the day. Your face has 43 muscles that are working overtime to bring your emotions and expressions to life.
While you might not be able to bring the full Nimmo Bay wellness experience home, it’s our intention to help find your anchor. This is a practice that will root you in place when you go back to the busyness of your day-to-day. When you’re with our wellness team, they’ll help you discover the tools you can employ. to stay completely present in your life.
THE LUXURY OF SLEEP
What role does sleep play in overall wellness?
At Nimmo Bay, sleep is not just a luxury—it’s a fundamental aspect of the guest experience. Science, without a doubt, supports that sleep is essential for our overall health and well-being. According to Dr. Matthew Walker, a renowned sleep scientist and author of Why We Sleep, “sleep is the single most effective thing you can do to reset your brain and body for health”.
During sleep, our bodies undergo important processes such as tissue repair, hormone regulation, and memory consolidation. With limited rest, these functions can become compromised. It can lead to a variety of health issues ranging from cognitive decline to a weakened immune system. Quality is also just as important as the length of your sleep. Dr. Michael Grandner, Director of the Sleep and Health Research Program at the University of Arizona, emphasizes, “quality sleep is characterized by uninterrupted periods of deep, restorative sleep”. It plays a pivotal role in physical renewal and mental clarity. Unfortunately, factors like noise pollution, uncomfortable bedding, and artificial light can disrupt this essential phase. Without deep sleep, you’re left feeling groggy and unrefreshed.
Nimmo’s commitment to providing the ultimate sleep experience to each guest is evident in the details of the resort. We take a holistic approach to sleep tourism. From the plush linen bedding crafted from organic materials to tranquil accommodations designed to minimize external disturbances. We invite guests to sink into sleep in the luxury of nature. Instead of noises like cars and sirens, you’re treated to the soothing sounds of cascading waterfalls and rustling leaves. They will lull you into a state of deep tranquility.
Words by: Alexandra Janes
Photos: Jeremy Koreski