The Best Spas in Montréal, Canada

Bota Bota might be Montréal’s most famous spa, and for good reason: it’s an actual boat, anchored in the St. Lawrence, with water views from every imaginable angle. You can enjoy the full roster of spa treatments here – massages, body treatments and more – and, as locals know, you can even invest in a membership that grants regular access to the boat’s indoor and outdoor pools. The greatest outdoor experience, though, is a swimming platform perched above the chilly waters of the St. Lawrence. If you’re merely feeling peckish, an on-site restaurant serves up superlative cuisine for the complete boutique experience.

Located in central Old Montréal, this traditional Nordic spa boasts everything from a Finnish sauna to a eucalyptus-scented steam bath. Trained masseuses offer a full menu of massages, and the spa is within walking distance to many of Montréal’s attractions, making it among the city’s more convenient relaxation stopovers.

In some ways, SKYSPA is the perfect blend of urban and restorative experiences. Occupying the rooftop terrace in the Dix30 center on the outskirts of Montréal, SKYSPA – which is open through all four seasons – offers a vista of the city that can’t be beat. In addition to the steam rooms, saunas and whirlpools, SKYSPA offers a bistro with compelling fare (and a nicely curated wine list, to boot). It’s a true paradise in the sky, perched high above the city.

The experience at Spa Escape Santé incorporates a wide array of spa options, from the beauty oriented to the relaxation oriented. Visitors can indulge in Icelandic-style baths, a cleansing waterfall and a series of other water features. The spa also offers massages, facials and more involved procedures like microblading, electrolysis and laser hair removal.

At Strøm Spa Nordique, you might as well be worlds away from the hustle and bustle of Montréal; it feels that removed and tranquil. In Nuns’ Island, a Montréal neighborhood full of trees and waterfront areas where the spa is located, urbanity feels very far away indeed. The main attraction at Strøm – apart from the comprehensive menu of spa services offered – is the thermal bath program. The system of outdoor whirlpools, thermal baths, saunas, steam baths, waterfalls and relaxation areas with fireplaces provide the best in thermotherapy, which is a system of circuits designed to immerse the body in both hot and cold temperatures for maximum wellness.

On the third floor of Hôtel Place d’Armes you’ll find Rainspa, a spectacular, 2,500-square-foot space dedicated to everything from manicures to LED treatments. Unlike many of Montréal’s other spas, which borrow from the Nordic tradition of saunas, spas and overall wellness, Rainspa uses Morocco and Turkey for inspiration. In the sprawling hammam, a Turkish steam room, visitors can benefit from the steam treatment, which promotes the elimination of toxins, improved blood flow and better respiration. You can visit the hammam for a fee, but any visitor to Rainspa who purchases a treatment that takes 60 minutes or longer is granted free access.

Of the offerings specific to Spa Centrale Parc, the chocolate bath is, perhaps, the most well known. Dark chocolate and essential oils are combined to create a bath that both helps with serotonin levels and promotes healthy skin. Other unique experiences curated by this particular spa include goat’s milk baths, mud baths and infrared saunas. Located in Montréal’s Le Plateau-Mont-Royal neighborhood, the spa overlooks the stunning Parc La Fontaine.

In the Rosemont neighborhood of Montréal, you’ll find one of the city’s most interesting and tech-savvy spas. Spa Ovarium employs the PSiO treatment, which offers guests headphones, specialized goggles and a sensory treatment that increases relaxation. In it, an LED light is presented before the eye, moving in a rhythm that is supposed to shift the body from a state of alertness to a state of complete relaxation. PSiO is not available for all Ovarium offers, though. But for those who like PSiO, they can also test out NeuroSpa, an armchair that propels people into simulated zero gravity in order to allow them to achieve a more relaxed state. This treatment also involves headphones, which emit vibrations that are supposed to communicate with the spinal column in order to relax the central nervous system. And that’s not all: Ovarium boasts isolated floatation baths, which are sensory-deprivation chambers filled with water and Epsom salt.

Cloud is an appropriate name for this spa, which is filled with natural elements. Entering Spa Cloud can feel, at times, like entering nature itself: wood, soft lights and organic surfaces reign. There is a menu of beauty- and wellness-minded treatments. The spa even offers cryotherapy, a therapeutic treatment that involves extremely cold temperatures that are supposed to help treat chronic pain, skin conditions and mood disorders.

The Hotel William Gray has a reputation in Montréal as one of the most elegant and refined accommodations, and its spa is no exception. The hotel occupies two buildings, both of which date back to the 18th century. The spa itself is an extension of the hotel’s luxury services. A warm quartz massage bed, a Himalayan salt room, a hot and cold thermal circuit, several saunas and sound therapy are just some of what the spa offers. During the warm months, the spa also features an outdoor pool.