As we step into 2025, wellness continues to evolve, embracing new dimensions of health and self-care. Here’s a look at some of the latest wellness trends and how to access them in Calgary.
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Stretching into a new era of fitness
Stretching used to be something we haphazardly did after a workout if we had the time. Now, we know just how important it is as a preventative measure. Not only does regular stretching increase your range of motion and flexibility, but numerous studies show it improves posture and sports performance while reducing muscle and joint pain.
Unsurprisingly, many folks don’t know how to stretch their muscles safely. With a trained therapist, you don’t have to worry about improper technique. More importantly, therapists can demonstrate the appropriate at-home stretching and strengthening exercises.
Assisted stretching falls under the massage therapy umbrella if your therapist has taken the appropriate certification and training. If they have, your session will likely be included under supplementary health insurance.
Heirloom Health is a local clinic that offers personalized, assisted stretching. Sessions always include a 30-minute massage using heated bamboo rattan to warm up and prepare the muscles. Sessions are private and use the advanced PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation) technique, alternating between contracting and stretching muscles.
Calgarians can find stretch classes through the City of Calgary and gyms such as The Academy. Additionally, there’s StretchLab, a membership-based assisted stretch studio with two locations in Calgary.
Amped up Pilates
Just as aerobics expanded to low-impact and step classes, Pilates has also evolved. Pilates is a low-impact exercise method focused on strengthening the core, improving posture and enhancing overall body alignment and flexibility. Developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century, it involves precise, controlled movements that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously, typically performed on a mat or specialized equipment like the Reformer. It’s particularly beneficial if you’re looking to improve core strength, rehabilitate after injury or enhance performance.
A new spin on the original discipline is found at Inglewood’s Junction 9. Its Reformer HIIT class combines Pilates exercises with high-intensity interval training. Designed to enhance strength and cardio capacity, the 45-minute class moves through fewer exercises than your typical Pilates Reformer class, but you can expect more sets of the same exercises.
Class creator Lisa van Gisbergen wanted her clients to reap the strength benefits of multiple sets, something not typically done in a Pilates class. In addition to focusing on volume as a key indicator of strength, she sought to eliminate many of the choreography elements of certain pilates exercises.
Other adaptations are available at Reformed Pilates Mission and the newly opened Hot Yoga University District, both of which offer heated Pilates classes.
Nordic spas multiply
Nordic spas are well-being facilities featuring saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, cold plunge pools and relaxation zones. By cycling from hot to cold with a period of rest, the treatment can boost immunity, reduce pain and inflammation and improve athletic performance and sleep.
Calgary’s love of Nordic spas has led to a flurry of new openings. Clear Nordic Spa recently opened in Signal Hill Center, offering a hot pool, various steam rooms, saunas, relaxation zones and a refreshing cold plunge. Branded as a semi-private wellness club, it provides a limited number of memberships. Non-members can book 72 hours in advance, but only up to their membership capacity.
This spring, Cedar & Steam will open a new location in West Calgary at Canada Olympic Park, with new sauna features, a patio and a cold plunge pool.
In summer, spa lovers are in for a treat at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise with the opening of their new thermal wellness facility. Set to be a flagship for Fairmont’s new wellbeing platform, the inside-outside hydrotherapy experience will include vitality pools and contemporary steam and sauna spaces, complimented by uninterrupted views of Lake Louise and Victoria Glacier.
Wildwood Nordic Spa will open at MTN House By Basecamp in Canmore this fall. Spanning just over an acre, the sprawling facility will offer hotel guests and visitors hydrotherapy circuits and dry and wet saunas. An 8,500-sq.-ft indoor spa will provide massage and other treatments.
Pharmacies expand into lifestyle spaces
The scope of what a pharmacist can do in Alberta is much broader than in other provinces. Here, pharmacists can prescribe certain medications, which helps alleviate wait times in the health-care system.
Many, such as Drug + Bean, offer allergy consultations and strep throat testing and can perform a symptomatic UTI diagnosis. Without the pressure of quotas from a head office, independent pharmacies have more time to focus on patient care.
With an on-site coffee shop, the vibe at Drug + Bean’s Killarney location is anything but clinical. While waiting for your prescription to be filled, you can sip a freshly roasted Rosso coffee while browsing the beauty and lifestyle products made by local artisans.
Meanwhile, clients can saddle up to the smoothie and elixir bar at The Pharm Drugstore for a nutrient-rich concoction. You can also book into Pharm’s travel clinic for vaccines and to discuss the prevention of common travel-related maladies.
Let’s not forget that Luke has been a one-stop shop for all things lifestyle-related (including house-made soft-serve ice cream) since 1951.