Something new has popped onto Toronto’s wellness scene and dare I say, it just may be the best thing since sliced bread, or celery juice, if you’re a millennial 😉  Newly opened Dew Sweat House, an minimally designed infrared sauna spa in the city’s east end, is the first of it’s kind in Canada. Co-owned by Sue Kuruvilla, whom I’ve known for so many years I can no longer keep count, and her long time friend Julliane Smola, opened this spot with hopes of introducing the amazing benefits of sweat detoxification north of the border. Sue’s first sweat house experience last year in LA was so life changing, it became the catalyst for the duo’s new venture.

I’ve been a devout fan of infrared saunas for the last decade. It played a big part of my road to recovery and helped me tremendously with the detoxifying process of my pain meds, insomnia, skin issues and most importantly the joint and muscle pain I had caused by Fibromyalgia. But you don’t need to be suffering from a chronic illness to reap the benefits of sessions at Dew Sweat House.

HOW IT WORKS

Each session is 55 minutes. When I arrived, I switched into a sweat-friendly outfit that I was told to bring along with me – sweatpants, long sleeve tee and socks. These items helped absorb the sweat and prevented me from reabsorbing anything back into my skin. As I settled into my bed underneath the infrared blanket, Sue adjusted the blanket temperature setting for me, which can go up to 80 degrees celsius, as I decided what I was going to watch on Netflix. I love me some hot yoga. Actually, I love me some hot anything, so I was able to start at a slightly higher setting than a newbie. But if this whole sweating thing is new to you, they will be sure to ease you into to process at the starting level if you prefer. Fun fact for those who are interested in how much you will really sweat during your session…you can expect two to three times the amount than you would in a conventional sauna.

Here’s the deal, you can walk in to this experience thinking you just want to just zone out, meditate or sleep. You may be there with a friend and you want to gossip or you can choose to catch up on an episode of Dirty John on Netflix. Any of those are all good and fine but without sounding too pessimistic, the meditation route will be the most challenging. If you make it 40 minutes long of deep meditation or sleep, you may find it difficult during the last 10-15 minutes of your session. This is when shit get’s real. This is when the heat really ramps up. I actually decided to x nay Netflix and my noise cancelling headphones, preferring to catch up with Sue instead and chat about life and business and found the time flew by. However, just like she predicted, with 12 minutes left on the clock, I was desperately looking around for the bottle of lemon water she set out for me and happily welcomed a cold towel infused with lavender.

WHAT TO EXPECT POST SWEAT

First of all, you’re going to be a sweaty mess but I kinda loved it and it’s proof you know shit was working. I don’t think I’ve ever been that sweaty in clothes before. You’re going to want to get out of those wet clothes ASAP and into something dry. Heads up, they don’t actually have showers on the premises but they also suggest you wait 45 minutes to an hour before showering anyways. I brought a little plastic bag to house my dirty clothes for the commute home. The Dew team really encourages guests to hang around and chill after their session. I certainly did to enjoy a cup of Pluck tea and a plateful of oranges. I swear they were CaraCara oranges and the sweetest ones I’ve ever had. This is kind of set up so you can take your time and allow your body temp to return back to normal before heading out the door.

Photography by Bettina Bogar

You will definitely feel amazing right after your session, but you know what…you’ll realize most of the benefits later that night when you go to bed. I guarantee you, it will be the most restful and deep sleep you’ve had in ages. Dew does a body good and every time you sweat, you will do a bit of good too. By sweating at Dew, you’re helping the team donate free sessions to folks that have recently gone through cancer treatment.

Are you ready to “Dew” this? For more information, pricing and to book online, hit up www.dewsweathouse.com