Six hours after having my phone taken, I didn't want it back. The Nordik Spa Village, the largest outdoor spa in North America, located in the hills of Gatineau Park near Ottawa, enforces a strict no-phone policy. Upon arrival at 7am on a May morning, phones were locked away with outside clothes before entering activity areas.
Three Zones of Silence and Socializing
The complex is divided into three zones: silence, whisper, and social. This structure crushed any hopes of chatting with friends during relaxation. As someone who listens to music while reading and podcasts while getting ready, silence was initially horrifying. Yet, I decided to dive headfirst into the experience.
Instead of phones, guests receive a wristband pre-loaded with a balance for purchases at four restaurants or add-on experiences. This eliminated any reason to think about screens for the rest of the day.
The Thermal Cycle Experience
The spa spans forested hillside terrain with nine outdoor baths, including an infinity pool, eight distinct saunas, cold plunge pools, icy waterfalls over rock faces, outdoor firepits with Adirondack chairs, and massage pavilions tucked among trees. Spruce and birch tower overhead, with Gatineau hills rolling beyond the treeline. Entry costs CAD99 (just under £50) for unlimited access from 9am to 11pm.
The entire experience is built around the thermal cycle, an ancestral ritual of hot, cold, and rest practiced for over 2,000 years. The process is simple: heat for 10–15 minutes in one of eight saunas (some candlelit and cathedral-quiet, others with music or scented steam), then cold via plunge pool, icy waterfall, or bucket shower for 10–15 seconds, followed by at least 20 minutes of rest. During rest, adrenaline gives way to what the spa calls “happy hormones.”
Unexpected Relief from Stimuli
I didn’t anticipate how quickly the absence of noise and stimuli would feel like relief. Personal highlights were the saunas and hot stone beds; on multiple occasions, I closed my eyes for what felt like 10 minutes but was nearly half an hour. My mind cleared noticeably, and racing thoughts slowed to stillness. Doing nothing usually came with procrastination guilt, but between the second sauna and third rest, that feeling disappeared. For the first time, I was just there, existing.
By 11am, when our group of six reassembled for lunch, the vibes had shifted. Some of us walked more slowly and spoke more calmly. As a Gen Z individual with a dependent relationship with technology, I had forgotten my phone existed.
Final Cycle and the Kalla Pool
For the final stretch, my friend Julie and I completed one last full cycle, whisper-chatting through sauna, cold plunge, and rest. The cherry on top was Kalla, an underground, candlelit saltwater flotation pool. The spa accurately describes it as a refuge where absolute calm brings instant relief. Lying back in water dense with Epsom salt, arms and legs rise on their own; when ears go under, soft music fills the water. Fifteen minutes felt simultaneously like two and like forever.
We left after six hours that felt like the most genuinely restful of my life, surrounded by alpine forest, exposed rock, and still water. A few weeks on, my friends and I are already planning our return. According to the spa staff, the thermal cycle has been practiced for over 2,000 years. Nordik Spa Village also has locations in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Whitby, Ontario. Air Transat offers year-round direct flights from London Gatwick, Manchester, and Glasgow to Toronto, with seasonal direct services from London Gatwick to Montreal and Ottawa; Ottawa return fares from £367 per person.
