Best Saunas in Montreal, Canada
RECESS Thermal Station
A sauna social club in Griffintown, steps from the Lachine Canal, built around contrast therapy rather than quiet pampering. One large sauna seats about fifty people and hosts Aufguss, Badstu, soundbath and meditation sessions; a cold plunge and ice bath sit alongside it. Swimsuits are required and full nudity is not permitted. Open daily, from 10am most mornings until 9:30pm, with unlimited weekly passes offered.
Énergie Vitale
A recovery studio on rue De Sorel that treats heat and cold as training tools rather than pampering. Contrast therapy pairs an infrared sauna with a cold plunge, alongside whole-body cryotherapy, leg compression and red-light therapy. A day pass costs $45.99 for the spa, or $79.99 with gym access, and buys ninety minutes of unlimited use with towel service and a fireplace lounge.
Bota Bota, spa-sur-l'eau
A Nordic spa built inside a former ferry moored in the Old Port, where the water circuit runs across several decks with a dry sauna, steam baths, whirlpools and cold baths looking out over the St Lawrence. Its grand sauna hosts Aufguss sessions in which essential-oil steam, music and towel work are combined. Access is reserved for adults 18 and over; the circuit opens 10am to 10pm midweek and from 9am at weekends.
Hammam Andalusi et Spa
A traditional Moroccan-style hammam in LaSalle, near Lachine, which calls itself the first authentic traditional hammam in Québec. The hydrotherapy centre pairs a Turkish steam bath and a sauna with black-soap body scrubs (gommage) and massages, and also runs beauty and hairdressing services and bridal henna. A tearoom can be booked for private events. Appointments are asked for before arriving.
L'Absolu Spa
A small independent spa on boulevard Saint-Laurent in Ahuntsic built around an authentic Finnish hot-stone sauna, where water poured over the stones raises the steam. The house ritual alternates short spells of sweating with cold showers and rest, and the spa also runs flotation baths, massage therapy and a relaxation area. Baths and sauna open Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm and weekends 11am to 6:30pm.
Scandinave Spa Vieux-Montréal
A silent, technology-free Nordic bath house behind old stone walls on de la Commune Ouest, across from the Science Centre. The thermal journey moves guests through saunas, a eucalyptus steam bath, a cold Nordic pool and warm waterfalls in repeated hot, cold and rest cycles. It opens seven days a week with evening hours until 10pm, and guided thermotherapy sessions are offered alongside massages.
Spa Escale Santé
An indoor Nordic bath house on rue Molson in the Angus district of Rosemont. The thermal experience alternates hot and cold cycles across hot saltwater pools, a Finnish sauna, ice-water pools, cold waterfalls, eucalyptus steam baths and relaxation areas, with bathrobe, towel and locker included. Entry is $69.50 Monday to Thursday and $79.50 Friday to Sunday. Swimsuits and sandals must be worn at all times.
Spa Le Finlandais
A large Nordic spa on boulevard Labelle in Rosemère, north of the island, whose grounds are laid out as a tour of world bathing traditions. Cabins include Finnish, Swedish, Russian, Japanese and Viking saunas, a Maya Temazcal and Scandinavian barrels, cooled by the Arctic pool and Norwegian waterfalls, with a Himalayan lounge and Icelandic hot pools. Open every day 8:30am to 10pm.
Strøm spa nordique Île-des-Sœurs
The first of the Strøm spas, set on the shore of Lac des Battures on Nuns' Island a few minutes from downtown. The thermal cycle runs through outdoor whirlpools, hot and cold baths, Finnish saunas, a eucalyptus steam bath and thermal and Nordic waterfalls, with indoor and outdoor relaxation areas around fireplaces, a bistro and massage rooms raised on stilts. Bathrobe, towel and locker are included in the entry price.
Rainspa
A hammam on the third floor of Hôtel Place d'Armes in Old Montréal, among the first in the city. The steam room is heated to 45°C and its rituals follow the North African sequence of black soap, kessa-glove exfoliation, rhassoul clay wrap and argan oil massage. A shared hammam session runs $45 for an hour and a private one $160, with full rituals from $165. Open daily from 9am, until 8pm midweek and 9pm at weekends.
Spa St. James
The spa of the Ritz-Carlton on Sherbrooke Ouest, spread over 5,500 square feet with twelve treatment rooms, waterfalls and a relaxation lounge with fireplaces. Guests booking a treatment gain access to the hotel's indoor saltwater pool, sauna rooms and steam rooms. The spa opens 9am to 6pm from Sunday to Tuesday and until 7pm from Wednesday to Saturday, while the pool runs from 6:30am to 10:30pm daily.
Spa William Gray
A thermal spa on the upper floors of Hôtel William Gray in Old Montréal, whose circuit takes in a Finnish sauna, a eucalyptus steam bath, a herbal sauna, experiential showers, a cold room and what the spa calls Montréal's only Himalayan salt room. A seasonal outdoor pool on the terrace is heated for year-round use and looks out over the old town rooftops.
Club Sportif MAA
A downtown athletic club on Peel Street, descended from the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, whose members swim, play squash and train before using the spa floor. Finnish saunas and steam rooms are available both in the dedicated spa area and inside the locker rooms, alongside hot tubs and massage treatments. The spa runs 9am to 7pm on weekdays and 11am to 3pm at weekends.
Espace Thomas
A wellness club on Saint-Denis in the Plateau, housed in a refurbished church that also holds a gym, group-class studios, a wine bar and a small hotel. Its spa floor pairs a steam room and sauna with a hot and cold spa on the outdoor terrace that runs year-round. Doors open early on weekdays, from 6:30am to 10pm, and from 8am to 8pm at weekends.
RECESS Thermal Station
A sauna social club in Griffintown, steps from the Lachine Canal, built around contrast therapy rather than quiet pampering. One large sauna seats about fifty people and hosts Aufguss, Badstu, soundbath and meditation sessions; a cold plunge and ice bath sit alongside it. Swimsuits are required and full nudity is not permitted. Open daily, from 10am most mornings until 9:30pm, with unlimited weekly passes offered.
Énergie Vitale
A recovery studio on rue De Sorel that treats heat and cold as training tools rather than pampering. Contrast therapy pairs an infrared sauna with a cold plunge, alongside whole-body cryotherapy, leg compression and red-light therapy. A day pass costs $45.99 for the spa, or $79.99 with gym access, and buys ninety minutes of unlimited use with towel service and a fireplace lounge.
Bota Bota, spa-sur-l'eau
A Nordic spa built inside a former ferry moored in the Old Port, where the water circuit runs across several decks with a dry sauna, steam baths, whirlpools and cold baths looking out over the St Lawrence. Its grand sauna hosts Aufguss sessions in which essential-oil steam, music and towel work are combined. Access is reserved for adults 18 and over; the circuit opens 10am to 10pm midweek and from 9am at weekends.
Hammam Andalusi et Spa
A traditional Moroccan-style hammam in LaSalle, near Lachine, which calls itself the first authentic traditional hammam in Québec. The hydrotherapy centre pairs a Turkish steam bath and a sauna with black-soap body scrubs (gommage) and massages, and also runs beauty and hairdressing services and bridal henna. A tearoom can be booked for private events. Appointments are asked for before arriving.
L'Absolu Spa
A small independent spa on boulevard Saint-Laurent in Ahuntsic built around an authentic Finnish hot-stone sauna, where water poured over the stones raises the steam. The house ritual alternates short spells of sweating with cold showers and rest, and the spa also runs flotation baths, massage therapy and a relaxation area. Baths and sauna open Monday to Friday 10am to 8pm and weekends 11am to 6:30pm.
Scandinave Spa Vieux-Montréal
A silent, technology-free Nordic bath house behind old stone walls on de la Commune Ouest, across from the Science Centre. The thermal journey moves guests through saunas, a eucalyptus steam bath, a cold Nordic pool and warm waterfalls in repeated hot, cold and rest cycles. It opens seven days a week with evening hours until 10pm, and guided thermotherapy sessions are offered alongside massages.
Spa Escale Santé
An indoor Nordic bath house on rue Molson in the Angus district of Rosemont. The thermal experience alternates hot and cold cycles across hot saltwater pools, a Finnish sauna, ice-water pools, cold waterfalls, eucalyptus steam baths and relaxation areas, with bathrobe, towel and locker included. Entry is $69.50 Monday to Thursday and $79.50 Friday to Sunday. Swimsuits and sandals must be worn at all times.
Spa Le Finlandais
A large Nordic spa on boulevard Labelle in Rosemère, north of the island, whose grounds are laid out as a tour of world bathing traditions. Cabins include Finnish, Swedish, Russian, Japanese and Viking saunas, a Maya Temazcal and Scandinavian barrels, cooled by the Arctic pool and Norwegian waterfalls, with a Himalayan lounge and Icelandic hot pools. Open every day 8:30am to 10pm.
Strøm spa nordique Île-des-Sœurs
The first of the Strøm spas, set on the shore of Lac des Battures on Nuns' Island a few minutes from downtown. The thermal cycle runs through outdoor whirlpools, hot and cold baths, Finnish saunas, a eucalyptus steam bath and thermal and Nordic waterfalls, with indoor and outdoor relaxation areas around fireplaces, a bistro and massage rooms raised on stilts. Bathrobe, towel and locker are included in the entry price.
Rainspa
A hammam on the third floor of Hôtel Place d'Armes in Old Montréal, among the first in the city. The steam room is heated to 45°C and its rituals follow the North African sequence of black soap, kessa-glove exfoliation, rhassoul clay wrap and argan oil massage. A shared hammam session runs $45 for an hour and a private one $160, with full rituals from $165. Open daily from 9am, until 8pm midweek and 9pm at weekends.
Spa St. James
The spa of the Ritz-Carlton on Sherbrooke Ouest, spread over 5,500 square feet with twelve treatment rooms, waterfalls and a relaxation lounge with fireplaces. Guests booking a treatment gain access to the hotel's indoor saltwater pool, sauna rooms and steam rooms. The spa opens 9am to 6pm from Sunday to Tuesday and until 7pm from Wednesday to Saturday, while the pool runs from 6:30am to 10:30pm daily.
Spa William Gray
A thermal spa on the upper floors of Hôtel William Gray in Old Montréal, whose circuit takes in a Finnish sauna, a eucalyptus steam bath, a herbal sauna, experiential showers, a cold room and what the spa calls Montréal's only Himalayan salt room. A seasonal outdoor pool on the terrace is heated for year-round use and looks out over the old town rooftops.
Club Sportif MAA
A downtown athletic club on Peel Street, descended from the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, whose members swim, play squash and train before using the spa floor. Finnish saunas and steam rooms are available both in the dedicated spa area and inside the locker rooms, alongside hot tubs and massage treatments. The spa runs 9am to 7pm on weekdays and 11am to 3pm at weekends.
Espace Thomas
A wellness club on Saint-Denis in the Plateau, housed in a refurbished church that also holds a gym, group-class studios, a wine bar and a small hotel. Its spa floor pairs a steam room and sauna with a hot and cold spa on the outdoor terrace that runs year-round. Doors open early on weekdays, from 6:30am to 10pm, and from 8am to 8pm at weekends.