Salt Spring Island · Private thermal spa

The whole forest,
just the two of you.

A private sauna, hot-tub & cold-plunge ritual in the old-growth — hosted, unhurried, and shared with no one else.

Book your private circuit See the ritual

★ 5.0166 reviews #1 of 10 spas on Salt Spring 2026 Travellers’ Choice

Not a spa — a ritual

Heat until you melt. Cold until you gasp. Rest until you forget the time.

Europe has done this for centuries; we brought it home to the arbutus and old-growth. You move the circuit at your own pace — the fear turns to laughter somewhere around the second round.

Cedar sauna · ~90°C

Melt

Ten minutes in the wood-fired barrel, the forest framed in the porthole window. Shoulders drop. Breath slows.

Cold plunge · ~8°C

Shiver

One breath, then in. A minute that resets everything — circulation, mood, the whole nervous system. You’ll feel twenty years younger.

Fireside · warm

Rest

Wrapped in a robe by the fire pit with tea, a hammock, and birdsong. Then you do it all again.

Repeat two to three rounds — the whole thing is yours for 90 minutes to three hours.

The part everyone wonders about

Three quiet worries, answered before you ask.

First-timers hesitate on the same three things. Here’s the truth of how it actually works at Arbutus View.

You share it with no one else

Every booking is fully private and exclusive — just you and whoever you bring. No strangers, no shared circuit, ever. Clothing optional, because it’s only ever your people.

The cold won’t be too much

You set the pace and we walk you in — a breath, a minute, back to the heat. The plunge is a shared little adventure, not an endurance test. Most people are laughing by round two.

Nothing is rushed

No timer counting you down, no attendant hovering. The forest is yours for the full session — soak, sit by the fire, do another round. Leave when you’re ready.

Guests at the hand-carved Arbutus View sign with personalized gift bags from the owners

Simon & Michaela

Built by two people who do this every single day.

After years of pilgrimages to Europe’s great thermal spas, Simon and Michaela started with a little B&B and one hot tub — then built the full ritual into their old-growth forest. Simon still takes the cold plunge every morning. Michaela uses the cold to help manage her Type 1 diabetes. This isn’t a franchise or a front desk; it’s their practice, and they host every guest through it themselves.

“The cold plunge wakes you up — it makes you feel twenty years younger.”

Choose your escape

Three ways to have the forest to yourselves.

Every experience is private, hosted, and includes robes, towels, herbal tea and the fire lounge. The Nordic circuit is dog-friendly.

Nordic · private for two View from the cedar barrel sauna onto the forest

Forest Reset

Nordic circuit · 90 min

Sauna, hot tub, cold plunge and shower in the trees, entirely to yourselves. The signature ritual.

$190 /2 guests Book

Salish · get it to yourself Guests in the cedar hot tub at dusk

Forest Reset

Salish circuit · 90 min

The same private circuit with a cosy indoor rest suite between rounds — the whole space, no one else.

$170 /2 guests Book

The full evening Two guests relaxing in robes by the fire pit

Ultimate Escape

Nordic circuit · 3 hours

Make a day of it — locally-sourced food gathered around a warm fire, plus the full unhurried circuit.

$550 /group Book

Add an island-inspired charcuterie & cheese board to any session.

The setting

Acres of old-growth, and the only sound is the forest.

Tucked into undeveloped Salt Spring forest among the arbutus trees — birdsong, the occasional eagle or deer, cedar decking, and a hand-carved sign at the end of the road.