The Rise of Design-Led Wellness: Canada’s Top Spas and Retreats to Visit Now
In an age where wellness has become a performance metric as much as a personal pursuit, the new frontier isn’t just what you do for your body—it’s where you do it. Across Canada, a wave of design-forward wellness destinations is reshaping the notion of self-care, transforming it from a checklist of treatments into a fully immersive experience. These are spaces where architecture, landscape, and curated programming collide to create a sense of sanctuary: quiet, restorative, and distinctly Instagrammable without sacrificing substance. From alpine bathhouses perched above glacial lakes to minimalist urban medispas, these destinations are more than services; they are statements, inviting guests to slow down, recalibrate, and invest in themselves.
BASIN
Lake Louise, AB
Perched on the shores of Lake Louise, beneath the shadow of the Victoria Glacier, BASIN is a modern reinterpretation of the centuries-old bathhouse, brought to life by architect Matteo Thun. Opening its doors earlier this fall, the indoor-outdoor facility is designed as a thermotherapy haven at 5,200 feet above sea level, blending Nordic sauna traditions with luxury wellness rituals.
Visitors move through a curated sequence of heat and water experiences: Finnish and Bio saunas, Aufguss ceremonies led by global sauna masters, steam rooms, hot stone massage spaces, and a Himalayan salt relaxation room. Pools are temperature-varied, including an infinity pool that spills onto the outdoor terrace and a reflexology circuit to stimulate circulation. Guests can follow one of five “wellness trails”—such as the Stillness Trail for deep relaxation or the Presence Trail for grounding—or simply wander at their own pace, letting the alpine landscape guide their experience.
Minimalism and sustainability inform every design decision, from organic textures to conscious material sourcing. The Glacier Lounge serves light, seasonal dishes alongside adaptogenic tonics and premium Champagne, reinforcing BASIN’s dual focus on internal and external luxury. It’s a spa where architecture, nature, and ritual are inseparable, and where the Rockies themselves become part of the treatment.
Surface Dermatology
Oakville, ON
Step inside Surface Dermatology and the familiar sterility of medical aesthetics evaporates. Designed by Montreal’s Atelier Carle, the Oakville-based clinic turns a suburban business park location into a space of warmth, light, and intimacy. The 700-square-meter facility reimagines dermatology as a restorative experience, where architecture and care intersect.
A double-height central core capped with a skylight floods the space with natural light, diffusing across walnut-clad reception areas and treatment rooms designed for comfort. Minimalist lines and warm textures replace clinical rigidity, making each visit feel like a retreat rather than an appointment. (A cafe nestled within the facility, named Sojourn, also adds to an immersive experience.) Treatments range from advanced laser therapies and injectables to bespoke skincare regimens, but the real innovation is spatial. Surface Dermatology demonstrates how thoughtful design can humanize medicine, encouraging reflection and calm alongside results-driven procedures.
30 Hazelton
Toronto, ON
Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood has long been synonymous with high-end fashion and dining, and now it has a medspa to match. 30 Hazelton, the latest venture from INK Entertainment, fuses the company’s entertainment pedigree with a new era of luxury self-care. The 4,200-square-foot, three-story spa is sophisticated, contemporary, and unapologetically elevated, featuring nine treatment rooms named after Yorkville streets, a private top-floor lounge, and bespoke experiences in partnership with Dr. Barbara Sturm.
From Korean-inspired layered facial treatments to cutting-edge laser technology and non-invasive contouring, the spa’s menu emphasizes both results and ritual. Every treatment is designed to be as much about the journey as the outcome, with design playing a pivotal role in the guest experience. Calming palettes, minimalist furnishings, and curated lighting create a sense of repose, while the cityscape peeks through floor-to-ceiling windows, connecting urban sophistication to personal restoration. 30 Hazelton is less a clinic and more a destination. It’s a place to emerge not just looking revitalized, but fully renewed.
Othership
Toronto, ON
In the heart of downtown Toronto, Othership is not your typical urban wellness center. A guided sauna and ice bath studio, Othership blends the intensity of thermotherapy with a social, ritualized approach to well-being. Sessions are led with precision, emphasizing nervous system regulation, breathwork, and mindful presence.
The Yorkville space, for example, is sleek yet welcoming, with natural wood and stone accents evoking a Scandinavian bathhouse sensibility. Participants cycle between heat and cold, cultivating both physiological reset and mental clarity. The design encourages a subtle communal energy—strangers share silence, reflection, and recovery—turning a wellness routine into a ritualized, almost meditative social experience.
PRML
Calgary, AB
PRML brings an elevated social sensibility to Calgary’s wellness scene, blurring the line between spa, social club, and aesthetic sanctuary. The facility’s programming includes curated classes, recovery treatments, and innovative body therapies, all staged within interiors that feel both intimate and expansive. Though the brand emphasizes performance recovery, the design maintains a contemplative aesthetic—clean lines, muted tones, and textural touches ensure that guests feel cocooned, yet energized, during their visit. The space is a modern nod to the idea that wellness should be as visually satisfying as it is restorative.
Why Design Matters
What links these spaces (whether the alpine grandeur of BASIN or the urban sophistication of 30 Hazelton) is a design ethos that prioritizes experience. Architecture is not incidental; it’s therapeutic. In each case, the layout, materials, light, and spatial choreography contribute directly to the guest’s state of mind. Modern wellness destinations are proving that self-care isn’t merely about the treatments on offer, but about the context in which they occur.
In a culture increasingly defined by noise, schedules, and screens, these sanctuaries offer the ultimate in luxury: a pause. Here, cold plunges, medispas, saunas, and thermotherapy circuits offer portals into a slower, more intentional mode of being. The next time you seek wellness, consider the architecture as much as the amenity; the best experiences treat the body and restore the senses.
