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The first thing you'll want to do on checking in at the new Four Seasons Toronto spa is get wet. Urban hotel pools that don't look like public rec centres are few and far between in this town. Here, the pool shimmers like a mammoth mother-of-pearl box, pulsating with an ambient groove on the underwater sound system. If they piped in that new Adele track, you'd be skyfalling like a Bond girl. Between the opalescent tiles and fractionating sunlight, you're in for a hypnotic prelude to the perfect Yorkville spa day.

The Game Changer

From bridesmaids on a bender to sorority reunions, at 30,000 square feet, there's enough wiggle room in the 10-person thermal pool and sprawling steam room to keep the feel-good endorphins going. This space hums with efficiency and feng shui feel-good design. What would you expect from a hotel originally backed by Bill Gates and billionaire Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal? That you can now chase a truly high-calibre spa day with Vadouvan-spiced quail at Café Boulud downstairs signals a new era. Consider Toronto's hospitality past as a humdrum core for corporate conferences officially buried.

Star Treatment

With treatment names like Bye Bye, Puffy Eyes and the Snowbird Ruby Red Grapefruit Scrub, spa director Todd Hewitt caters well to his pamper-savvy audience. One signature experience designed to tempt even the most jaded palate is the Holistic Sapphire Gemstone Facial. The treatment uses Eastern techniques with crystal wands and gemstones to help with lymphatic drainage, relaxation and rejuvenation.

Insider Tip

Book your facial with aesthetician Ashley Cocks. She has flawless tapotement technique – a series of percussive, rapid strokes designed to deliver more of the precious serums onto your face and not her hands. She also reminds me of a pre-augmented Megan Fox with good skin; I'm suspicious of a facial specialist with bad skin and hers is a pH-balance masterpiece.

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto; 60 Yorkville Ave., Toronto; 416-964-0411; fourseasons.com; $250 for 90 minutes.

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