When it comes to talk about healthy outdoor living, Vancouver walks the walk (in hiking boots, no less). Here's how and where to bliss out, West Coast style

VIDEO: Watch Condé Nast Traveler's Mark Schatzker investigate Vancouver's reputation as one of North America's most liveable cities.

THE SCOOP
When the world's best winter athletes converge on Vancouver in February, their biggest challenge will be resisting the temptation to kick back and chill out. This is a place where even a conservative nine-to-fiver in a pinstripe suit can tell you his favorite yoga position or the best brand of soy milk. Serene, green, and cupped by mountains, Vancouver is a land of fresh seafood plucked out of the ice-cold Pacific and parks where the trees are taller than the surrounding buildings. What better place, in other words, to Zen out, detox, and let your worries slip away?

Start with a steaming cup of chai at Steeps the Urban Tea House, a trendy, airy spot that has more than 190 kinds of loose-leaf teas from all over the world—black, green, white, oolong, maté, you name it (895 W. Broadway; 778-371-8343). Follow that with a mind-clearing bike tour of Stanley Park, a thousand acres of cedar-, hemlock-, and fir-induced tranquil-lity, all set on a peninsula of green that juts out into the salt water of the Strait of Georgia (vancouver.ca/parks/parks/Stanley). Behind the Haida killer whale statue, Chief of the Undersea World, is the Vancouver Aquarium, where you can see exactly what's living beneath the blue waters of the strait (namely, herring, halibut, crabs, and sea stars) not to mention sharks and sea turtles from the tropics and snakes and river fish from the Amazon (604-659-3474; vanaqua.org).

If that puts you in the mood for seafood, grab lunch at Watermark on Kits Beach, an only-in-Vancouver kind of spot featuring geothermal heating, solar shading, and a killer lobster, crab, and shrimp club sandwich (1305 Arbutus St.; 604-738-5487; sandwiches, $9-$11). If you're feeling more, well, animal friendly, go vegetarian at the Naam Restaurant (2724 W. 4th Ave.; 604-738-7151; entrées, $7-$10).

Even if you're not ready to eat seaweed, end the day at the Wedgewood Hotel & Spa with a seaweed wrap ($186) or, for something sweeter, the Chocolate and Vanilla Decadent Body Polish ($112). And, of course, there's always a straight-up Swedish massage ($90). It's perfect for getting rid of stress-(induced knots—not that you'll have any here (604-689-7777; wedgewoodhotel.com).

THE CHEAP THRILL
Take a stroll on Wreck Beach, one of (the world's largest clothing-optional stretches of (sand and surf. And don't worry—the nude (section is clearly marked (wreckbeach.org).