Ottawa’s Best Spas; 8 Relaxing Spots to Relax and Unwind

Health and wellness are important parts of living a balanced life. The Ottawa region is full of amazing spas where you can rejuvenate your body and spirit, reduce stress and enjoy a day of self-pampering. Treat yourself to luxurious body treatments, soothing massages, renewing skin care treatments and specialty treatments like isolation floating pods, cryo tanks, reiki and holistic treatments. Escape the everyday and relax and unwind at these amazing spas in the Ottawa region.

Kōena Spa

Founded on the principles of balance, wellness, relaxation, and Hawaiian hospitality, Kōena Spa is the ideal place for a day of complete relaxation. Located only 5 minutes from downtown Ottawa on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River, Koōna Spa specializes in thermotherapy and the art of slow living. Alternate between hot, cold and relaxation in numerous baths, waterfalls, saunas, hammams, and indoor and outdoor relaxation and meditation areas. The Pa’akai Himalayan Salt Room is a unique and beautiful space you won’t want to miss. The entire room is covered in colourful and healing Himalyan salt for the purposes of halotherapy; the use of salt for therapeutic purposes.

Kōena spa also offers several massages treatments, from traditional therapeutic massages to lymphatic drainage, lomi lomi, Thai massage and a unique seashell massage. If you’re looking to indulge in an invigorating body treatment or facial, try their volcanic purity body treatment using hot stones and a rich charcoal scrub, the gua sha facial, or the granite body treatment to renew tired skin.

The spa is divided into 3 zones to accommodate all types of visits; the quiet zone, whisper zone and social zone. Enjoy the tranquility of silence, or gab with friends in the social zone. When you’ve worked up an appetite, head to one of the two onsite restaurants, the Kōena Bistro and Lounge Onō. Kōena Bistro offers a selection of healthy cold-pressed juices, smoothies, salads and sandwiches, as well as pastries, cocktails and other delectable small bites. Lounge Onō, adorned with dimly lit fireplaces, comfy sofas, large windows and a stunning living green wall, has a delicious full-service menu which includes, sandwiches, burgers, as well as tasty starters to share like parmesan fries, poutines, local cheese boards a variety of tartars and healthy salads.

Holtz Spa

A full-service spa located in Ottawa’s historic ByWard Market, Holtz Spa specializes in whole body health and wellness, offering the widest range of treatments and services in the region. With over 10,000 sq. ft of spa facility including a fitness studio, hair salon and restaurant, Holtz Spa is the perfect place to treat yourself to a day of self-care. Indulge in an invigorating massage or body treatment like their swiss goat butter cream cocooning wrap, maple luscious body scrub and wrap, white chocolate truffle wrap or the popular signature Holtz body treatment.

Connect with nature and detox from the stresses of modern-day living including stress and pollution with Holtz Spa’s new forest therapy body and facial treatment. The treatment combines specialty blended forest therapy essential oils with massage, mud mask, facial treatment and scalp massage. Alternatively, the spirit of the forest healing experience is a truly holistic experience using Canadian Forest Tree essences, combined with guided mediation, massage, and vibrational energy work, allowing you to heal the emotional, physical and psychological imbalances in the mind and body.

Holtz Spa also offers unique holistic body renewal treatments like Reiki energy work, craniosacral therapy, chakra balancing, access bars, shirodhara, prakop thai herbal compress, craniosacral therapy, cupping, and lymphatic drainage massage.

Manicures and pedicures, hair styling, medical aesthetics, detox and cellulite treatments round out their wide range of treatments, truly making it the full-service spa experience in Ottawa.

Nordik Spa Nature

The ultimate relaxation retreat in the region Ottawa and the largest spa in North America, Nordik Spa Nature is the perfect place to rejuvenate your mind, body and spirit. Located in the quaint village of Old Chelsea, just 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa, and steps from Gatineau Park, Nordik Spa Nature is a wellness centre focusing on a multi-sensory experience and specializing in thermotherapy. With 10 outdoor baths, 9 saunas, infinity pool, yoga and meditation sanctuary, exfoliation room, outdoor massage pavilions, and a unique salt water floating pool, Nordik Spa is the perfect place to improve your health and well-being in any season.

Thermotherapy, which based on a 2000-year-old tradition founded in Nordic countries, is the main focus of the spa. Follow the circuit and alternate between hot and cold temperatures with periods of relaxation to help improve mental and physical health, sleep and mood. There are both silent and non-silent areas of the grounds, so you can relax in solitude or enjoy a day chatting with friends or family in this idyllic setting.

One of the highlights of Nordik Spa (and our favourite place!) is the Källa saltwater floatation pool, only the second floating pool of its kind in the world. Head underground to this unique pool dug 5 metres into the rock, and containing 10 tons of Epsom salt in 1,200 cubic feet of water, mimicking the Dead Sea. Float effortlessly in the serene setting in water temperatures mirroring your own body temperature, so you never get too hot or cold. Floating neck pillows are available to aid in relaxation, and the pool has a maximum capacity of 20 people, allowing for peace and relaxation. There is an extra charge for the Källa experience, but it is well worth it.

Nordik Spa also offers a variety of wellness services including massage, facials, body treatments and the unique Augfuss ritual. There are also 4 onsite restaurants where you can grab a bite in your robe in between cycles or treatments. Enjoy a healthy meal, gourmet bites, specialty coffees, herbal teas, fresh pressed juices, or head to the Biërgarden offering specialty cocktails and organic micro brewed beer.

If you’re from out of town or celebrating a special occasion with family or friends’ getaway, Nordik Spa also offers accommodation at the Nordik Lodge. With a capacity of 10, just steps from the spa, its rustic, modern elegance is the perfect home base for a weekend wellness getaway.

ISO Spa

Floatation therapy and sensory deprivation is a unique therapy used to heal both the mind and body. ISO Spa specializes in this unique therapy with their modern and technologically advanced sensory deprivation flotation tanks. Immerse yourself in a float tank filled with 1000 litres of water heated to body temperature and mixed with 1,200 pound of Epsom salts, known to soothe aching muscles, reduce swelling, detoxify the body, and rejuvenate skin and hair. You’ll find you float effortlessly in the water, giving you a sense of weightlessness and a momentary escape from gravity. When you close the lid of your tank, you’ll enter the sensory deprivation part of the experience. Begin devoid of sound, light and touch allows your brain to shift into a mental state known as Theta, the optimal environment to focus, visualize, learn, heal and access the subconscious and creative mind.

Each float session lasts 60 minutes, and you’re assigned your own private room with floatation tank, shower and locked door. The floatation tanks measure 7.5ft in length and 4.5ft wide and water is heated to body temperature so overheat or get cold. Floatation therapy and sensory deprivation is thought to be a unique way to restore your mind and body, and definitely a must-try for health and wellness aficionados.

Uppliva Sauna and Steam

Tucked into the trendy neighbourhood of Hintonburg, Uppliva Sauna and Steam is an intimate, modern and cozy Nordic-style spa providing an escape from the busyness of every day life. The spa offers a sauna and steam circuit, including hot vapour and steam, cold waterfall and plunge pool, and relaxation area. The circuit is limited to 15 guests maximum, allowing for an intimate and relaxing experience. You can augment your sauna and circuit experience by adding one of Uppliva’s Wildcrafted spa treatments. The treatments are handmade onsite using botanicals, natural oils, clays, seas salts and honey, and include aromatherapy foot soaks, facial masks, and exfoliating sea salt scrubs. They can be self-applied at leisure during your sauna and steam circuit for the ultimate in relaxation and pampering.

Our favourite treatment at Uppliva Spa is the holistic facial. This is not your typical facial, but rather uses traditional Chinese medicine techniques and organic plant-based skincare to restore proper qi flow and circulation, relax tight facial muscles, lift the skin, prevent fine lines and balances skin tone. With a combination of massage, jade rolling, facial cupping and gua sha, this restorative facial will leave you feeling refreshed and revitalized. Intraoral treatment is optional for those with severe TMJ issues, and acupuncture needles are optional during the facial (placed in your feet and hands, not face), to further add to the benefits of this unique facial.

Renu Spa

When looking your best means feeling your best, Renu Spa is the place to go rejuvenate your look. With 3 locations across the city, Renu Spa offers a variety of esthetic services including massage, body treatments, facials, cupping, manicures and pedicures that will help you feel your best. For those seeking more intensive beauty treatments, Renu spa also offers medical esthetics like microdermabrasion, micro-needling, injectables and laser hair removal, as well as services catered specifically men, and a wide range of high-end beauty products for sale.

Luxii Health Spa

If you’re not afraid of the cold and are looking for a new-age, invigorating treatment, then head to Luxii Health Spa for cryotherapy and compression. The experience begins with stripping down into nothing but a robe, socks and gloves, and stepping into the cryotherapy tank, leaving your head exposed. A technician will then cool you the air temperature around you down to 140 degrees in approximately 3 minutes. Although short in length, anecdotal evidence suggests the benefits of continual cryotherapy can include pain relief and muscle healing, reduction in inflammation, a boost in muscle recovery, aiding in weight loss, and decrease in symptoms from mental and physical health conditions.

Luxii Health Spa is one of the few places in Ottawa you can also enjoy the benefits of IV therapy; the delivery of vitamin, nutrients, fluids, electrolytes directly into the blood stream. While you may have only seen this treatment in movies or tv, IV therapy is popular among those looking for a quick pick-me-up. After a consultation with an onsite registered nurse, you choose from one of the custom drips available including hydration, cosmetic, recovery and energy drips. Each drip takes between 15-90 minutes, during which time you can recline and relax while reading a book or listening to music.

Along with their modern and avantgarde wellness treatments, Luxii Spa also offers a variety of facials including Hydrafacials; a world-renowned treatment that includes deep cleansing, extractions, exfoliation, hydration, combined with high-end products. This rejuvenating facial is safe for all skin types, and you can add a serum booster or LED therapy to your facial for an extra boost (and charge). If you’re looking for medical aesthetics, the medi-spa provides chemical peels, micro-needling, injectables, spider vein removal, cellulite treatment, as well as laser hair removal.

Bode Spa

The only of its kind in Ottawa, Bode Spa is a spa dedicated exclusively to men. With over a decade of experience, the spa provides specialized services for men while providing the privacy and comfort of a male-only environment.

Choose from massages, grooming services, hair removal, as well as a wide range of facials, peels, hand and foot treatments. Take care of your neglected feet with the CMP therapeutic foot fix performed by a Certified Master Pedicurist (CMP) trained in recognizing and treating foot conditions like corns, ingrown and thickened nails, and foot fungus. It’ll leave you feeling relaxed, your feet feeling like new, and will promote future foot health.

For men looking to maintain and care for their beards, the D.I.F. Beard Facial is the perfect cure for dry itchy and flaky skin. The treatment includes a beard cleanse and exfoliation followed by a conditioning beard mask, facial massage, beard brushing, warm oil and balm application, and instruction on how to properly care for beards at home.

Moulin Wakefield Mill Hotel & Spa

The perfect place for a spa getaway, Moulin Wakefield Mill Hotel and Spa provides a sanctuary of serenity for your perfect weekend escape. Located in the village of Old Chelsea, only 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa, the spa is surrounded by forest, gardens, rushing water and tranquility, allowing you to focus on your wellbeing with specialized treatments dedicated to nature. Try the serene Forest Therapy Body Treatment which includes guided inhalation, cleansing, full body relaxation massage with a unique blend of essential oils, grounding mud mask and tantalizing scalp massage.

The Moulin Wakefield spa offers a variety of traditional spa treatments to choose from including massages (including couples massages), facials, mani-pedis, and treatments specifically for men. They also offer an assortment of amazing spa packages, including the girls getaway package, spa and lunch package, date night package and romance package, all of which include a combination of treatments, dining at one of the amazing onsite restaurants, and access to outdoor pool, hot tubs and sauna.