We thought spring started in mid-March. Today, it’s really cold. With blue fingertips, a coat unsuitable for the outside temperature, and a touch of seasonal depression that’s returned in recent days,we have to face the facts.
To boost our serotonin (the happiness molecule), we have a few ideas. We’ll get through the end of winter gently, with our faces turned toward the sun and staying nice and warm.
Anxiolytic Matcha – Matcha Workshop at the FOIL Gallery
Matcha is a Japanese powdered green tea that’s super rich in antioxidants and L-theanine, a mild anxiolytic. In recent years, the West has embraced it with a voracious passion. Sometimes, a bit haphazardly, too.
Tea is sacred. For an introductory course on the matcha ceremony, Galerie FOIL and Kettl are organizing a 90-minute workshop on Saturday, March 28, 2026. On the agenda:
- The art of whisking matcha—here, the workshop will be in-person
- a history lesson on the origins of matcha in Japan
- traditional tools and techniques for preparing matcha
Hot stones, cold water – Recess Bain Social in Griffintown
During the coldest and darkest days of winter in Montreal, it’s very important towarm up as often as possible—and a sauna is pretty much the best way to do it. It’s the foundation of Scandinavian philosophy—hot and cold—and it’s an essential part of getting through winter in Quebec.
One of our favorite outings is a road trip to visit one of our favorite spas —outside, surrounded by snow and mist, and inside in the intense, relaxing heat of a sauna that smells of burning wood.
The next-best-thing is to spend an hour or two at a spa right down the street —with a cold bath, a sauna, a bit of very hot and very cold…
Olive oil and edible flowers – Mediterranean brunch at Bloomfield
It’s the most spring-like decor in town, and it’s perfect for the first days of the warm season. Their Mediterranean brunch is served dailyfrom Wednesday to Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,and we’re really looking forward to trying the Bloomfield octopus and the Palestinian-style eggs…
Click here to book!Self-Care – Our favorite florists in Montreal
You don’t need a special occasion to treat yourself to flowers; you don’t need to be Jane Birkin to stroll around with a wicker basket from which a bouquet of mimosas or the first tulips of the year peek out.
They don’t have to be the prettiest, most expensive, or most dramatic flowers. At the supermarket, they start at a dozen dollars. And having flowers on the entryway table makes life more beautiful.
Colors, Materials, and Creativity – Creative Workshops to Try Before Spring Arrives
With the arrival of spring comes a sense of renewal, an energy that will push Montrealers to get outside, update their wardrobes, clean their apartments, and try new things. To get their hands in the clay, their fingers in the money, their eyes on the marbles.
And if the weather doesn’t cooperate, we can just do it indoors and pretend it’s warm outside.
