Vogue: Why Vancouver Island, Canada is the next great wellness destination
By Zoe Baillargeon.
Sitting off the storm-battered western coast of British Columbia, Vancouver Island’s rugged, wild landscapes have long marked it as a top destination for outdoor adventure and spectacular scenery. Cold-water surfers plunge into the frigid waters of the Pacific Ocean off half-moon-shaped sand beaches as hikers pad through lush old-growth rainforests along the Wild Pacific Trail. Winter brings skiing and storm-watching season, when awe-inspiring storms slam into the coast in great cataclysmic symphonies of waves, wind, and rain.
But sports and recreation are far from the only way to connect with Vancouver Island’s landscape. Sourcing wild, natural materials from the oceans, forests, and mountains, Vancouver Island’s terroir-grounded wellness scene brings together the home-grown best of the island—from ingredients to idyllic vistas—with health, fitness, and well-being philosophies and practices from around the world from Nordic saunas to yoga and forest bathing. Even spa traditionalists who prefer to stay indoors have options for outdoor exposure through locally-made skincare brands using wild-grown or foraged seaweed and kelp.
From purely wellness-focused retreats to restorative treatments and escapes after a surf session at Cox Beach or trekking along woodland trails, Vancouver Island will have visitors feeling their best, inside and out.
