Port Elgin Escape - A Wellness Retreat in Southern Ontario

There's something about Bruce County that keeps calling me back. The lure of Georgian Bay is as strong as the water is cold, and a mini wellness retreat in Port Elgin was the perfect spring reset.

I was thrilled to be invited to experience a retreat-like escape in nature earlier this month. This one-night getaway provided the perfect excuse to get to know Port Elgin a little better to kick off the spring season. Keep reading to learn more about why Port Elgin is the perfect Ontario road trip destination!

My getaway started with a stay at Cedarvale Wellbeing - a Wilderness Contrast Therapy & Wellness Studio. Cedarvale also offers comfy and private accomodations, nestled in a serene forest setting just a short walk away from Saugeen Shores. Tommi, the owner, is such a warm spirit and I immediately felt welcomed. The King Suite is located above the yoga studio, and I had the pleasure to experience a one-on-one guided breathwork session that left me feeling like I was walking on air. The highlight of the suite is the deep soaker tub, but the adjustable bed and fireplace made it the perfect place to cozy up with a good book while the rain fell all night long.

In the morning, I was joined by my friend Carlie. After some lazy coffee and catch-up time (freshly ground beans provided!), we strolled to the local beach, which we had to ourselves thanks to the moody, overcast weather. Then we hopped in the car and headed to explore the town of Port Elgin. I won't lie - I've had a few brief visits to Port Elgin before, but didn't truly take the time to explore the shops aside from popping in for a coffee. This time, we started off right with a delicious maple bacon butter tart from Creative Baked Creations, before heading to grab a hot drink and peruse the record selection at Rabbit Dash.

The town has beautiful architecture, and other notable shops we really enjoyed were the bookshop (S'more Books - cutest name ever?) and The Stepping Stone metaphysical shop. We grabbed a tasty lunch from The Patio, which was chock full of delicious British Treats. There's so many more unique shops to explore that we didn't have time to get into them all. Safe to say, we had a great afternoon and Port Elgin is now one of my new favourite Bruce County destinations. It's quintessential Small Town Ontario and a great stop en route to another destination or to spend a night or two close to the beach.

After our Port Elgin explorations, we headed back to Cedarvale Wellbeing for a guided contrast therapy session. Even if you've never heard of contrast therapy, you probably know what it is - especially if you've been lucky enough to visit a spa like Scandinave. Contrast therapy basically means alternating between hot and cold temperatures - often involving cold plunges and saunas. Cedarvale offers a beautiful outdoor space for this, tucked right in a forest backing onto MacGregor Point Provincial Park.

As a group, we started off with a short breathwork session to help prepare us for the cold water, and coaches we available to help anyone that wanted more support with their cold plunge. It was Carlie's first time, but with coaching she was able to stay in for a few minutes! The wood fired saunas were the perfect way to warm up and connect with the other participants. The best part about the contrast therapy sessions are that anyone can sign up, you don't need to be an overnight guest! However, this is included for anyone staying the night. Cedarvale also offers yoga classes and workshops.

While this was just a quick overnight trip, I headed home feeling so rejuvenated. There's something about the Great Lakes in Ontario that always leave me feeling better than I arrived, and I'm looking forward to my next trip up to explore more of Bruce County.

See you on the trails!

Shawna

Disclosure: I was hosted at Cedarvale Wellbeing, but opinions are always my own!