What are the best spas to visit in Canada?

A spa is a spa, right? We would politely disagree. Across Canada, there are many fantastic spas that have made a name for themselves through their luxe ambiance, unique treatments and stunning locations with the kind of quiet that makes you forget everything else.

From the Canadian Rockies to the coast of Nova Scotia, here are 12 spas spanning seven provinces and territories that take relaxation to a whole new level. Some are a short drive from the nearest city. One floats on a boat in Montréal’s Old Port. One requires a flight to the Canadian North. All of them are worth it.

1. Fairmont Spa

Banff, Alberta

It takes something special to keep you indoors when you're in Banff. Fairmont Spa (formerly Willow Stream) is one of those special experiences.

The 40,000-square-foot facility inside the Fairmont Banff Springs has three waterfall plunge pools, an indoor European mineral pool, an outdoor heated pool, saunas, steam rooms and a fireplace resting lounge. And that's before you even book a treatment. The massage rooms include a deluxe couple's suite with a fireplace, oversized shower and soaker tub. Spaces for facials, manicures and pedicures, and a full salon round things out.

Stunning views of Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are on display just outside the windows. Hard to compete with that. 

QUICK FACTS

• Fairmont Banff Springs has operated on this site since 1888.
• Treatments book out quickly, so plan ahead. The peak months are July through August (peak summer) and December through March (ski season).
• Non-hotel guests can access the spa with a day pass. A hotel stay is not required.

2. Bota Bota, spa-sur-l'eau

Montréal, Québec

Some spas are defined by where they sit. Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau takes that literally. This is a full spa on a converted ferry, moored in the Old Port of Montréal. You can admire the Jacques Cartier Bridge, the clock tower and the city skyline while you soak in outdoor thermal pools on the upper decks. In winter, it's even better: steam coming off the hot pools, snow on the railings, Montréal lit up behind you. It’s worth the visit for that alone.

The water circuit includes dry saunas, steam baths, and cold plunges or showers, which you move through at your own pace. Massage and body treatments are available across multiple levels of the boat. 

QUICK FACTS

• The spa is open the entire year, including winter. The cold months are the peak season for those who enjoy the outdoor thermal pools.
• The water circuit is self-guided. Reservations are recommended on Saturdays, though walk-ins are accepted outside peak periods.
• The spa is located in the Old Port of Montréal and walkable from Old Montréal’s restaurants, galleries and hotels.
• A second boat launched in 2026 with expanded sauna and wellness capacity.

3. Ancient Cedars Spa at the Wickaninnish Inn

Tofino, British Columbia

On the west coast of British Columbia lies a small surf town called Tofino. Adventurers flock to ride the waves and hike the surrounding rainforests, but if you're looking for a relaxing time, the Wickaninnish Inn can't be beat.

The hotel's Ancient Cedars Spa, nestled into the rocks on the edge of the forest, offers a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. That view can be enjoyed while receiving a massage, a body polish or other treatment.

You'd also be hard-pressed to find a better space in which to enjoy yoga classes.

The setting, including rocks, old-growth forest and the open Pacific, does a lot of the work before the treatment even begins. That's not a complaint.

QUICK FACTS

• The Wickaninnish Inn consistently earns top honors in Condé Nast awards, previously ranking as the #3 Best Resort in the United States and Canada and the #1 Resort in Canada in the Readers' Choice Awards in 2025.
• For the best chance to watch dramatic Pacific storms from the treatment rooms, book between November and February.
• Ancient cedars and kelp forests are visible from the spa deck at low tide.
• The Ancient Cedars Spa is an adult-oriented space and does not permit children 11 years and under.
• The spa closes every year for the month of January, typically re-opening in early February.

4. Nordik Spa Village Chelsea

Chelsea, Québec

There are big spas, and then there is Nordik Spa Village Chelsea, the largest spa in North America. Nine outdoor pools. Seven saunas. A restaurant, a lounge and a Biërgarden with terraces looking out on the Gatineau Hills. You're not going to run out of things to do here. 

Källa is their Epsom salt flotation pool, which is quieter than you'd expect. They also run Aufguss sessions in the saunas a few times a day, which is basically a sauna master fanning hot scented steam around the room with a towel. Sounds odd, but people line up for it. Chelsea is just across the river from Ottawa, about a 10-minute drive. You don't need a weekend to make the trip.

QUICK FACTS

• Nordik Spa Village Chelsea is open year-round, with winter being the most popular season.
• The spa is operated by Groupe Nordik, the same company behind Thermëa Spa Village in Winnipeg (also on this list).
• Nordik Spa Village Chelsea is located 10 minutes from downtown Ottawa, near the entrance to Gatineau Park.

5. Ste. Anne’s Spa

Grafton, Ontario

If you think you've seen every kind of spa, let us introduce you to Ste. Anne's Spa.

It's in Grafton, a tiny town about 90 minutes east of Toronto, and the small-town feel comes through the moment you arrive. The building itself is more like a rustic cottage than a sleek resort—think maple, not marble. And unlike most spas, which enforce a library-like silence, Ste. Anne's actually encourages laughter and conversation. It's a different philosophy. A refreshing one.

None of that changes the treatment menu: 35+ options, including hot stone massages, reiki, facials and body wraps. You're not giving anything up. You're just allowed to enjoy it a little more out loud.

Close enough for a day trip from Toronto, though once you're there, the weekend option is hard to resist.

QUICK FACTS

• The spa operates as an all-inclusive experience, not just a day facility.
• Most overnight packages include breakfast and dinner, with meals are prepared using ingredients from the onsite kitchen garden.
• This property dates back to the 1850s and includes stone buildings original to the estate.

6. Fox Harb'r Spa & Wellness Centre

Northumberland Strait, Nova Scotia

If you're the type of person who likes to earn their massage, Fox Harb'r Resort might be your type of place.

It's a self-contained resort in the best sense: salt air, open water and a treatment menu that goes well beyond the usual golf-and-massage narrative. Spend your day on the links, swinging away for 18 holes, before heading to the Spa & Wellness Centre for a deep tissue massage. Overlooking the Northumberland Strait in Nova Scotia, the spa does everything from mud treatments to salt inhalation therapy.

They'll have you looking and feeling great in no time, ready for another day on the greens.

QUICK FACTS

• At Fox Harb’r golf course, Tiger Woods currently owns the course record.
• The reimagined spa now includes a Hydro Wellness Studio with thermal pools, salt room, sauna and contrast therapy circuit.
• A new redesigned 18-hole golf course opened May 2026.
• Fox Harb’r Resort was opened by Tim Hortons co-founder Ron Joyce, and continues to be owned and operated by the Joyce family today.
• Halifax Stanfield International Airport and Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport are both approximately a 1.5-hour drive away. The resort also features its own airstrip for private charter flights.

7. Balnea Spa

Eastern Townships (Cantons-de-l'Est), Québec

Most spas give you two or three massage options. Maybe four if you're lucky. Then there's Balnea Spa.

Located in Québec's Eastern Townships (about an hour from Montréal), Balnea offers 17 types of massages and treatments, including both traditional techniques and treatments exclusive to the spa. It also offers more than 480 possible combinations of thermal experience. That's not a typo. Four hundred and eighty.

The full thermal experience includes panoramic saunas, exterior baths, a thermal waterfall and a forest basin. You cycle through hot and cold, rest in real style, and the Eastern Townships countryside does the rest, with rolling hills, small towns and the kind of quiet that's genuinely rare this close to a major city.

QUICK FACTS

• Thermotherapy zones are phone/conversation free.
• Fall foliage season is considered the most in-demand booking window. Make sure to book six to eight weeks in advance.
• The Eastern Townships wine route runs directly through the region, with several wineries within 20 minutes of the spa.

8. Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain

Blue Mountain, Ontario

With views of the Niagara Escarpment (a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve), the experience at the Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain changes with the seasons.

In the fall, you might enjoy the signature Scandinavian baths while taking in the changing colors of the leaves. In the winter, you might watch skiers enjoying the night at the Blue Mountain resort while you soak. In the spring, you might opt for a sports massage after taking on one of the area's fantastic cycling routes.

Then in the summer, you might spend a little extra time in the Nordic waterfall cooling down after a day spent on the sands of nearby Wasaga Beach. No matter when you visit, you're sure to enjoy this one-of-a-kind Ontario spa experience.

Four seasons. One consistent experience.

QUICK FACTS

• The thermal bath areas are strictly silent. A policy ofo phones, no music and no conversation is enforced.
• The spa is 14+, with those under 16 requiring accompaniment and a waiver signed by a parent or guardian. Guests under 14 are not allowed in the thermal circuit.
• Evening visits are popular in winter for the combination of lit pools and cold outdoor air.

9. Boathouse Spa at Oak Bay Beach Hotel

Victoria, British Columbia

Do you like the sound of “hot, seaside mineral baths”? The Boathouse Spa at Oak Bay Beach Hotel is all about making the most of its environment on the coast of Victoria in British Columbia.

In addition to the incredible views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca from those seaside baths, the spa offers massages, facials and body treatments using seaweed concentrates with micronutrients that can help your body in more ways than this short blurb can address.

Plus, the spa has specialized therapies to promote body healing and make a long-term impact on your health and well-being.

Victoria is already one of Canada's most scenic cities. The Boathouse Spa sits at the top of its wellness options.

QUICK FACTS

• Oak Bay Beach Hotel holds AAA Four Diamond Status and is one of Victoria's highest-rated waterfront properties.
• The algae mineral bath approach is a form of thalassotherapy, a marine-based treatment  that originated from Greek and Roman traditions
• Oak Bay is a 10-minute drive from downtown Victoria, and the hotel is walkable from the Oak Bay village strip.
• Spas of American named Boathouse Spa one of the Top 100 Spas of 2025, and #10 of the Top 50 Canadian Spas of 2025.
• Oak Bay Beach Hotel was named #1 Hotel in Western Canada by Condé Nast Traveler 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.

10. Spa Eastman

Eastern Townships, Québec

Québec's Spa Eastman, located on a 330-acre estate in the Eastern Townships, was recently named the World Spa Awards’ 2025 Best Wellness Retreat in Canada.

Spend a few days tucked away in nature, enjoying yoga classes, massages and the Nordic baths. Then enjoy the rustic scenery with a walk through the gardens or the 9 miles of wooded walking trails.

You're guaranteed to end your visit feeling relaxed and refreshed.

Unlike urban day spas built around booking windows, Spa Eastman gives you room to settle in. On the way there you are welcomed with the Eastern Townships landscape, forested hills, open sky and quiet roads. Perfectly setting the scene before you even arrive.

QUICK FACTS

• Spa Eastman’s overnight accommodations include 68 rooms across 10 pavilions.
• This estate treats the spa experience as a multi-day retreat, not a day spa.
• Rooms do not have telephones or televisions, and some do not have Wi-Fi.
• Spa Eastman offers structured nutrition and detox programs alongside standard spa services.

11. Thermëa Spa Village

Winnipeg, Manitoba

You've kept busy on your trip to Manitoba, hopping from attraction to attraction, and taking advantage of all the cultural and outdoor experiences. Now, it's time to relax, which means paying a visit to Thermëa Spa Village.

This Scandinavian spa is the perfect place to unwind and destress. Go for a long soak in the thermal pools, sweat it out in the Finnish saunas and treat yourself to a massage.

Then enjoy some fine dining, because you've earned a good meal after all that relaxing, right?

Scandinavian wellness philosophy runs on contrast, alternating hot and cold that leaves you in a state that's difficult to describe but easy to recognize. Thermëa Spa Village applies this rigorously.

QUICK FACTS

• Thermea Spa Village opened its Winnipeg location in 2015, making it the first Nordic spa in the Canadian Prairies.
• Today Thermëa Spa Village has three locations: Winnipeg, Manitoba; Chelsea, Québec; and Whitby, Ontario.
• The average January temperature in Winnipeg is 3° F, with the contrast between outdoor cold air and heated pools at its most intense December through February.
• Located on the edge of the city with free parking, there is no public transit route, so a car or rideshare is needed.
• On-site dining is a bonus worth booking as part of the full experience.

12. Northern Lights Resort & Spa

Whitehorse, Yukon

The Yukon, in the Canadian North, might take a bit more time to reach, but it delivers a spa experience like no other.

The Northern Lights Resort and Spa is one of the only places in the world where you can follow up your massage with the greatest light show on earth. Enjoy a Finnish or infrared sauna, ground yourself on the barefoot sensation path, or get that well-earned massage.

Then cuddle up in a warm blanket and look up at the swirling greens and blues of the aurora borealis.

Whitehorse sits in the auroral oval, one of the best zones on the planet for northern lights visibility. Aurora season runs late August through April, with peak activity between September and March.

QUICK FACTS

• Whitehorse has minimal urban light pollution and the resort sits outside city limits for cleaner aurora viewing.
• On clear nights during peak season it is possible to see the aurora at least three nights a week in Whitehorse (aurora visibility depends on weather and is not guaranteed).

Frequently asked questions

What is the largest spa in Canada?

That would be Nordik Spa Village Chelsea, right outside Ottawa. Ten outdoor pools, nine saunas — it's the largest in North America, not just Canada. If you're asking about hotel spas, the Fairmont Spa in Banff covers about 40,000 square feet.

Which Canadian spa has the most treatment options?

Ste. Anne's Spa in Grafton, Ontario has more than 35 on the menu — hot stone, reiki, facials, body wraps and more. It's also one of the few spas that actually encourages you to talk and laugh instead of keeping quiet.

Where can you see the northern lights at a spa in Canada?

At Northern Lights Resort and Spa in Whitehorse, Yukon, you can sit by the bonfire and watch the aurora. Peak season is September through March, and on clear nights  when the Kp number is from 3-5, they are most visible.

What are the best spa destinations in British Columbia?

BC has two on this list: Ancient Cedars Spa at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, right on the edge of old-growth forest and the Pacific, and the Boathouse Spa at Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Victoria, which does seaside mineral baths overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

What is Nordic or Scandinavian spa bathing?

This is a hot-cold-rest cycle that Finnish and Scandinavian cultures have been doing for centuries: heat up in a sauna or pool, plunge into cold water, rest, repeat. Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain, Nordik Spa Village Chelsea and Thermëa Spa Village in Winnipeg are all built around the practice.

Are Canada's top spas open year-round?

Most of them, yes. A few are actually better in winter — Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain and Thermëa both lean into the cold air and hot water contrast. Northern Lights Resort is mostly a September through March destination if you want the aurora. Ancient Cedars Spa in Tofino closes every year for the month of January, typically re-opening in early February.

Is there a floating spa in Canada?

Yes — Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau in Montréal's Old Port is a converted ferry moored in the harbor with outdoor thermal pools, saunas, steam baths, cold plunges and treatments across the different decks. They added a second boat in 2026 with a big Aufguss sauna.

Sources

Ancient Cedars Spa, Wickaninnish Inn: wickinn.com/ancient-cedars-spa/

Balnea Spa: balnea.ca/en/

Boathouse Spa, Oak Bay Beach Hotel: oakbaybeachhotel.com/relax/boathouse-spa/

Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau: botabota.ca/en/

Fairmont Spa, Fairmont Banff Springs: fairmont.com/en/hotels/banff/fairmont-banff-springs/wellness/spa.html

Fox Harb'r Resort & Spa: foxharbr.com/

Fox Harb’r Hydro Wellness Studio: foxharbr.com/spa-wellness/

Nordik Spa Village Chelsea: chelsea.lenordik.com/

Northern Lights Resort & Spa: northernlightsyukon.com/

Scandinave Spa Blue Mountain: scandinave.com/blue-mountain

Spa Eastman: spa-eastman.com/en/

Ste. Anne's Spa: steannes.com/

Thermëa Spa Village Winnipeg: thermea.ca/