Vancouver’s Restorative Getaways
Serenity and bliss.
Courtesy of Circle Wellness
The new year brings the promise of greater self-care and personal wellness. In Vancouver and the Sea-to-Sky Corridor, there are relaxing and restorative getaways to rejuvenate the mind, body, and spirit. Whether you have two hours or two days to indulge in blissful baths, steamy saunas, and salubrious soaks, these four wellness getaways will help you begin the year with more good energy and serenity.
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Debuting in fall 2023 on Granville Island, Circle Wellness is a self-guided thermal spa with six private-room clothing-optional circuits that can be booked in 90- or 120-minute sessions from 6:30 a.m. until midnight daily. The suggested sequence to maximize a circuit’s benefits mimics the traditional hydrotherapy cycle with some twists: cleansing shower, hot soak in the natural cedar tub, cold plunge, WellPod, cold plunge, heated bed of river stones, and shower before leaving the open-air pod.
Courtesy of Circle Wellness
The facility’s signature amenity and high point of each session is the WellPod. This is a multisensory 50°C sauna featuring Himalayan salt walls and a combination of heat, light, sound, and air that allows guests to unplug from the outside world and connect more deeply with themselves.
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Fairmont Pacific Rim’s Nordic Spa
Part of the luxury hotel’s Willow Stream Spa, the Nordic Spa facility at the Fairmont Pacific Rim opened in November 2023. The new outdoor thermal hydrotherapy area, on a separate floor above the popular Willow Stream location, includes a six-person cedar barrel sauna (made by Nootka Saunas in Squamish), a hot tub, heated pool, cabanas with fire pits and cozy robes to curl up in, and two cold plunge pools.
Courtesy of Fairmont Pacific Rim
The Nordic Spa is part of the Pac Rim’s expanded wellness program, which also includes guided yoga sessions twice weekly on the heated pool deck, plus a seasonal food and beverage service. Hotel guests can enjoy a 90-minute session daily, while nonguests can access The Nordic Spa Monday through Thursday as part of a three-hour window that includes the use of the Willow Stream Spa facilities. Reservations are required for both.
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Immerse yourself in a Japanese-inspired onsen at Kitoki Inn on Bowen Island. The short 20-minute scenic ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay builds anticipation for the cloistered property with three minimalist cabins and adjoining bathhouse.
Guests have exclusive access to the covered, open-air bathhouse overlooking the secluded rainforest canopy of Crippen Regional Park next to the property. In the Japanese tradition, bathing attire is optional. After soaking in the UV-treated hot water, guests can swaddle themselves in cozy bathrobes and sip tea next to the small wood-burning fireplace.
Bookings are minimum two-night stays and include breakfast and two daily 90-minute private sessions at the bathhouse. Cabins are stocked with luxe Japanese linens and bath products crafted by Bowen’s Sangre de Fruta.
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Started as a rogue, community-focused backyard alley addition to an industrial kombucha brewery in North Vancouver, Tality has expanded to three locations, two on the North Shore and one in Kelowna. The flagship Shipyards spa in Lower Lonsdale offers shared access and self-guided group sessions in the bright and spacious facility with a large 25-person electric sauna and four cold plunge units. There’s also an outdoor patio with a lounge area and a self-serve unlimited-drinks bar.
The original North Van Secret Spa location, which features a wood-fired sauna, ice tubs, and a lounge area, is ideal for private bookings or more intimate community gatherings. Sessions include towel, robe, flops, kombucha, and tea.
