Wellness

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Truly make it a long weekend. Be the first to linger longer on the first long weekend of August. You’ll stay for three nights, but only pay for two nights when you Book a Custom Retreat for you or your duo on these dates:

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Dimensions’ Custom Retreats include three meals a day per person and begin at only $695 solo or $895 duo (CAD, excluding taxes) per night.

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Dotting the edge of a forest or overlooking the water, our 17 cabin suites each have a footprint of about 450 square feet. Conceived by DesignAgency – the acclaimed studio behind many notable international hotels and resorts – the cabins feel modern and forward-thinking while remaining rooted in their context and a sense of wholesomeness. Every cabin features a walk-in shower and soaker tub en suite. Each interior is simple, luxurious and light-filled, with a window seat and private deck that encourage you to immerse yourself in nature, quiet your mind and rest your body.

At Dimensions, we offer menus based on our guest’s dietary preferences. All meals and snacks have an emphasis on gut health nutrition and an anti-inflammatory diet. Dairy, refined sugars and gluten are excluded, and we use ingredients that are as local as possible, seasonal, organic and from small farms. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet or family style with options of food for everyone. Our dinner services are individually presented to our guests, inviting them to a more intimate dinner experience.

Dimensions’ wood-fired sauna — where tradition meets elemental simplicity. Heated by a crackling fire and fueled by natural wood, this sauna delivers a dry, intense heat that slowly builds as the stones warm. The scent of cedar and smoke fills the air, grounding you in the moment.

Unlike electric saunas, the wood stove breathes life into the space, radiating a steady, organic warmth that invites deep relaxation. As water is ladled over the stones (löyly), a burst of steam adds humidity and amplifies the heat, cleansing the body and calming the mind.

Guests gather in our ceremony dome for a group sound bath led by one of our healing practitioners. Sound healing has been used in nearly every culture across time to aid in the treatment of both mental and physical illnesses and injuries. Vibration from instruments and voice directly affects our brainwave states, stimulates the brain stem (responsible for autonomic/peripheral nervous system and survival), allows safe access to the limbic system (memory and emotion) and brings the cortex online (executive functioning). Certain sounds can slow down brainwaves to the lower alpha and sometimes theta brainwaves states that are associated with relaxed wakefulness, light or deep meditation, focus, and bridging the conscious and subconscious mind. It also helps our body to switch into our parasympathetic nervous system state – the rest and digest state. This is where healing occurs. The body and mind are relaxed in this state, and we can repair.

**Some services are not included with our Custom Retreats option but are available to book for a fee.

Floatation therapy, also known as isolation therapy or sensory deprivation therapy, is the practice of spending one hour or more floating peacefully within a tank filled with a water and Epsom salt solution. To further the effect, all distractions will be removed such as light or visual stimuli, sense of touch due to the water being the same temperature as your skin, and sense of smell due to the Epsom salts nullifying any other scents, leaving you with the freeing feeling of floating.

The effects of floating on your brain are also quite remarkable. The sensory deprivation slows your brain waves until they reach the theta state, or dream-like state. This state is where our deepest learning and imaginative processes exist and is most common during deep meditation or just before falling asleep and is usually combined with vivid imagery, very clear, creative thoughts, sudden insights and inspirations or feelings of happiness. This is all thanks to the release of endorphins, the body’s natural opiates, while floating.

To remove all stimuli, we recommend floating wearing a snug fitted bathing suit; fabric touching your skin will be a distraction.

**Some services are not included with our Custom Retreats option but are available to book for a fee.

Biosound treatments help relax the nervous system, which in turn lowers the heart rate and cortisol levels, thereby reducing stress.

Biosound therapy produces binaural beats to create a theta level relaxed and meditative state. Once the brain is in a theta level meditative state it is better able to receive positive affirmations through tones and suggestions.

At Dimensions, we utilize this cutting-edge modality through The Biosound® Therapy System. This system uses vibrational patterns (vibrations that can be heard, and vibrations that can be seen) to interrupt patterns of stress, trauma and pain. The goal is to set the nervous system to a place of complete relaxation — a deep, restful state that puts the body and central nervous system into sync and harmony. The relaxation methods used in biosound therapy are why it is so effective in reducing anxiety, depression, and stress.

The process is simple and painless. Guests will lay down in a special chair and are covered with a blanket. They then experience full body low frequency vibrations with therapeutic music that enhances the relaxation response and reduces muscle tension and pain. The vibrational patterns have a very powerful, healing, and positive impact on the brain.

The audio used in the sessions is called binaural audio. Binaural audio is also used to help with relaxation. The sound mirrors the theta and lo-alpha brain waves, which are present when an individual experiences relaxation and focus.

It’s simply about stimulating a heightened sense of relaxation through vibrations and sound waves; there aren’t any “side effects” to worry about.

Biosound therapy has a multitude of positive effects such as decreased symptoms of depression, lower emotional responses to stress and trauma, improved positive thought patterns, and of course – relaxation.

**Some services are not included with our Custom Retreats option but are available to book for a fee.

At Dimensions we offer several water activities as a form of physical exercise practice using non-motorized water vessels on a body of water (Maple Lake).: kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding.

We have 10 Stand-Up Paddleboards (SUP). A SUP can be physically exerting, as it uses your body’s center of balance and core muscles to hold you steady on the board. Using one long paddle, the blade is pushed backwards against the water to move forward. SUP’s can also be a relaxing activity because of the flat design of the board. Guests can decide to kneel on the board for a less exerting way of moving or lay down on the board and simply float on the lake.

We have 8 Kayaks. Kayaking is one of the most common Canadian watersport activities. Kayaks are slightly easier to maneuver and more stable than a paddleboard. Guests sit in the middle of the kayak and use a double-bladed paddle to move through the water. Kayaking primarily uses shoulder and arm muscles. While kayaks can provide a cardiovascular workout, they can also be a very relaxing method of moving across the water as you can rest your paddle, gliding, letting go, gently moving with the waves beneath you.

We have 2 canoes. Canoes are usually used by 2 – 3 people, having the strongest paddler sit at the stern (back). The ‘sterner’ is responsible for steering and changing directions of the canoe, while the person sitting in the bow (front) acts as a lookout and supports paddling. Canoes require grace and balance. Canoeing can be a leisure activity for navigating water and/or used for tactile activities such as fishing or portaging.

Participants of leisure water activities at Dimensions should allot at least 1 hour per activity as time on the water goes by very fast.

Guests are welcome to use water sport activities at their own discretion during free time in their schedule. Guests are also welcome to use the neighbouring municipal boat launch to set their own pleasure craft into the waters of Maple Lake.

Although experience level with watersports is assessed as part of the Dimensions intake process, for safety reasons we ask guests to let a Host know before they go out on the water. Lifejackets are mandatory.

**Some services are not included with our Custom Retreats option but are available to book for a fee.

We will provide you with a yoga mat for the entire duration of your stay. You won’t want to miss a sun salutation at sunrise or sunset enjoyed from our yoga dock. The dock spans 500sqft feet and can accommodate up to 10 persons on mats.

Our Lake View cabins overlook Maple Lake. Dimensions Algonquin Highlands is the perfect place to learn how to do any sort of water activity. Our beach has a solid sand base that stays shallow for hundreds of feet. The shallow water is amazing for swimming, walking along the shoreline, or scouting for fish and creatures along the bottom.

There is something restorative about spending time near water. It soothes the mind, body and spirit and can be a calming, peaceful experience. Time at the lake is a great reminder to slow down and appreciate what is around you. Whether you are spending time on the water to get in a workout or just floating to relax with the flow of the waves, your body will thank you.

Let nature calm your body and mind through all five senses. See all the colours, shapes, and movement of the trees. Look closely at the details of the leaves and the bark. Look up through the forest canopy at the sky and the clouds. Take in all the smells of nature around you: the earth thawing and waking up in Spring; the leaves decomposing and mushrooms arising in the Fall; the cool air of a crisp –30o day in the Winter; or a warm afternoon in the late Summer with the aroma of berries and a fresh rainfall. Listen to the sounds of nature: the birds, the breeze through the trees, the rustle of fallen leaves. Touch the trees with all their textures, find your hands within the crevices of the bark where the Druids found the wisdom of the trees to be stored. Feel the warm spongy feeling of the moss found on stones. Hugging a tree will give you an immediate sense of connection with nature. Food eaten outdoors does taste much better, especially after a long hike. Visit the Maple Lodge to enjoy our cedar tea or one of our grab and go snacks to be enjoyed in nature.

**Some services are not included with our Custom Retreats option but are available to book for a fee.

Comfort is key when gathering around a fire in a group or in smaller numbers, especially when you’re learning to relax again. Guests are welcomed nightly to bonfire. Find a fireside position that suits you among an inviting circle of more than ten Adirondack lounge chairs. Now look up to the sky, stargaze and dream…

At Dimensions Retreats, we recognize how important dogs are to many of our guests. Dogs are not only cherished pets and family members, but also important partners in your lives. For those reasons, we welcome dogs and service animals at our properties.

Thinking of bringing your dog to a Dimensions Retreat? Here’s what you need to know:

• All Dogs should be socialized and comfortable around other dogs and people. Honey, our therapy dog in training, lives on site at Dimensions Algonquin Highlands, and she will be thrilled to make a new friend. Other guests may be bringing their dog too.
• We require all dogs to be attended and on leash, when they’re outside of their cabin. You will need to pick up all waste from your pet and dispose of it in the designated bin by our main building. Need a poop bag? Just ask one of our hospitality team members!
• It’s OK to leave your dog in your guest room, but please ensure they are crated while you are away.
• Please note our housekeeping team will not enter guest rooms when there is a dog out of its crate.
• We do not allow dogs in our dining and food preparation areas, past the pillar in the lounge. Please ensure your pet is not in the lodge during mealtimes.
• Dogs must not be left unattended in the lodge or ceremonial spaces.
• We ask that you share details of your dog in advance of arrival, so we can cater to their needs.

Massage therapy is the manipulation of soft tissues of the body including muscles, connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and joints. Registered massage therapists (RMTs) maintain a licence to practice under the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO).

Massage is generally considered part of integrative medicine and is often used to treat muscle tension and pain. Massage is a hands-on therapy that applies pressure or manual stretching to muscles, fascia, and ligaments to relieve pain and promote relaxation.

Throughout our daily lives our body encounters situations that stress or de-regulate our nervous systems. By promoting relaxation and reducing tension in our soft tissues (muscles, tendons, fascia, skin, nerves), massage can help regulate our nervous system allowing for our bodies to function in a healthy normal state.

Massage therapy may help people relax, relieve stress and pain, improve joint mobility, lower blood pressure, and improve circulation and lymphatic drainage. Massage also helps injuries to heal by improving circulation and reducing tight muscles that may be inhibiting the body’s ability to repair itself.

At Dimensions, when you arrive for your massage treatment your therapist will discuss your treatment goals and instruct you on how to position yourself on the table, usually face-down to begin. Once you have consented to treatment, your therapist will leave the room and you are welcome to undress to your comfort level. Many clients feel more comfortable leaving their underwear on, but it is not necessary as private parts of the body will remain covered. The therapist will knock before re-entry, and make sure you are comfortable. A typical treatment lasts 45 – 60 minutes and begins with the back being uncovered and massaged including neck and shoulders. Depending on the goal/focus of the massage, the back is covered, the back of each leg is uncovered one at a time and massaged, including your gluteal muscles (buttocks) if consent is given. Once the therapist instructs you to turn over on the table, the front of each leg and foot may be treated, followed by arms and finished with attention given to neck and shoulders and at times a face or head massage. When the massage is done, your therapist will leave the room so you can get dressed.