Soothing the body, mind, & soul

100 Fountain Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake offers its visitors an opportunity to escape into a resort-like environment amid the beauty of wine country

By Sean Tarry
The entire notion of a spa and the treatments that it offers—the entire essence of the objective that a spa is aiming to achieve—is to provide visitors and guests with an experience that takes them away, removes their stresses, and alleviates their frustrations, ushering them through an atmosphere of tranquility and peace, leading them toward a sense of Zen-like relaxation. In order to achieve this objective, an environment that meets the serenity needs of guests must be created, maintained, and continuously enhanced. It might sound like a challenging pursuit. However, according to Lori Steglinski, Director of Spa Operations at 100 Fountain Spa in Niagara-on-the-Lake in Southern Ontario, it’s one that must be approached with focus and consideration.
“If you’re talking about running a successful spa and the elements that are most important toward ensuring that success, aside from providing excellent sensorial and results-driven treatments, the most important consideration that any spa operator can make is the way in which the actual environment of the spa is developed and how it lends to the experience,” she asserts. “People today are increasingly focusing their attention on health and wellness and the different ways they can indulge in self-care and improvement. This has always been a top priority at 100 Fountain Spa. However, we’ve just recently enhanced our continued efforts to ensure guests are consistently met with an environment and surrounding that enables the entire experience.”

Creating a Zen-vironment
Nestled among vineyards and orchards in Niagara-on-the-Lake’s beautiful world-famous wine country, 100 Fountain Spa is a 13,000-square-foot establishment that offers guests a resort-like atmosphere and access to an elegant interior fireplace lounge, heated indoor saltwater pool, hot tub, outdoor pool, hot spring pool, and fitness centre.. And, with an extensive menu of spa services to choose from, guests are also encouraged to speak to a spa concierge who can assist and guide visitors toward the treatments that will best suit their needs. And, given the importance that Steglinski says 100 Fountain Spa places on the environment it creates for guests, it’s constantly upgrading and enhancing its facilities.
“Understanding that the guest experience is obviously the foremost focus at 100 Fountain Spa, we’re always making enhancements and improvements to everything that we do and offer,” she explains. “However, we just recently underwent a significant renovation that was guided by an assessment of where we thought we were as a spa, and where we want to be. Based on a number of different factors, we decided that we really want our guests to connect with nature and made that a central focus of our efforts. Leveraging a beautiful Scandinavian design, we renovated seven of our treatment rooms where we incorporated woods, stones, and metals, harkening back to the elements of nature. We also completed a really nice renovation of our salon, whichincludes a beautiful moss wall with lovely flowing patterns throughout. It’s an incredible redesign of some of our spaces, allowing guests to kind of Zen out in tranquility and relaxation.”

Holistic menu of treatments and services
In addition to its exquisite location and the beautifully renovated environment in which guests can find Zen, the treatments that the spa offers are also world class, , including a range of manicure and pedicure treatments, massage therapies, body wraps and scrubs, facials, holistic treatments, and more, in addition to a host of ever-changing seasonal promotions. It’s a suite of experiences that Steglinski says seems to offer something to just about everyone, recognizing the impressive lineup of treatments and services.
“It is a relatively complete menu of services, treatments, and packages that we offer guests,” she says. “But, most important, it’s a menu of services and treatments that’s been carefully curated with the guest in mind. Everything that we offer is meant to, in some way, connect visitors with nature and to the ways in which they can help refresh and replenish themselves. Since the pandemic, we’ve noticed a definite increase in the number of Canadians who are placing significantly more emphasis on their physical and mental health and well-being. The 100 Fountain Spa wants to help serve to fulfill that interest and inspire guests on their wellness journeys.”

Talented staff
Steglinski goes on to explain that the most important element required in properly and efficiently supporting guests’ wellness journeys is ensuring a talented and knowledgeable staff of professionals are engaging with visitors. And, she adds, acquiring and retaining that talented staff happens to be one of the most daunting challenges faced by those operating within the industry today. That’s why, she explains, it’s another area in which
100 Fountain Spa is intensifying its efforts to ensure the very best experience for their guests possible.
“We’re very lucky at 100 Fountain Spa in that we have a very tenured team and were able to keep around 90% of our staff throughout the pandemic,” she says. “I know that it wasn’t quite the same for other spas. What everyone is finding difficult, however, is attracting top talent. In order to address this challenge, we’ve partnered with our local colleges and schools, creating a connection, and increasing our brand awareness, with a lot of the young emerging talent.”

Reenforcing reputation of rejuvenation
Although it’s obviously much more complex, the way Steglinski explains the strategy with which 100 Fountain Spa approaches their guest experience makes the success that the spa has achieved sound simple. By combining world-class staff who deliver services and treatments that are second to none within a relaxation-inducing environment and setting, the establishment has been able to create an identity for itself and a reputation as the perfect escape of rejuvenation and replenishment. And, according to Steglinski, the spa will simply be working to reenforce that identity and reputation throughout the years to come.
“Looking ahead, we’re just focused on continuing to do what we do best and to continue making upgrades that will further enhance the experience that our visitors receive. Everything that we do is centred around the customer and driven by our need to meet their needs. This is something that definitely won’t change going forward and will continue to guide our decision-making and direction.”