Scandinave Spa: Hydrotherapy

The Scandinave Spa in Whistler is popular in Vancouver for its traditional Scandinavian hydrotherapy pools. It is roughly a 5 minute drive from Whistler village.

We tried the Scandinave Spa last year in November during the Remembrance Day long weekend. When we arrived at 11am on the Sunday, we were told to add our name to the waitlist unless we had a massage appointment (if you did, you can go right in). We were recommended to come back at 3pm. This is a 3-4 hour wait. If you are trying to visit the spa during a long weekend, please keep this in mind.

Before (waiting)

We arrive back at 2:30pm and wait some more in their lobby, which is really busy and way more filled up than the photo below:

There is a little cafe where you can order some coffee/tea and lunch, but we mostly sit in the window nook until a staff walks around and calls our number.

Access to the baths cost us around $86 + a robe rental. If you have your own robe, probably best you just bring it unless you really want a photo of yourself in their robe.

My boyfriend and I separate to change and meet outside at the entrance of the baths. Before we enter the baths, we see a bunch of signs that say “No talking” and “No pictures”. This is a silent sanctuary for people to relax.

We try our best to follow these rules and don’t talk to each other, making it really hard not to giggle or laugh because we are children. We snap some pictures at the stairs before heading to the pools.

Hydrotherapy

There is a process to how the hydrotherapy works (italicized is copy taken from their website):

1. Go into the “hot pool” for 10-15 minutes. Raising the body’s temperature dilates the blood vessels on the surface of the skin, reduces blood pressure, and increases blood flow to the skin and muscles, thus initiating a state of calmness and introspection.
2. Go into a “cold pool” for a few seconds. This step causes the skin’s pores to close thus shutting in the heat from step one. These refreshing stations promote a shift in blood pressure, encouraging the body to flush toxins, the muscles to release tensions, allowing you to fully engage in the benefits of the circuit.
3. Relax for 10-15 minutes. During this final step, the cardiovascular system regulates itself. After spending time in the hot and cold environments, it is recommended to rest the body to help stabilize blood flow and heart rate.

TLDR: hot > cold > relax > repeat. Cool, easy. I can do it.

Below are my thoughts as I followed the process.

Hot

-Loewe goes into a hot pool-

Ahhh this is nice. Feels like a warm bathtub filled with strangers.

I can stay here forever.

I am afraid to go to the cold pool. It looks very cold.

Falalal so relaxing.

Cold

-Loewe sees someone go into a cold pool that has a mini waterfall in it-

-Loewe watches this person stand under the waterfall for a few seconds and then walk back out-

Okay I’ll just do what that person’s doing.

-Loewe puts one toe into the cold pool-

Hollllyyyy shit.

-Loewe steps into the cold pool-

Ohhh my god.

-Loewe wades quickly to the waterfall before she changes her mind-

-Loewe screams a high pitch curdling horror scream and ruins everyone’s peaceful tranquility-

-Loewe leaves embarrassed as people laugh and/or give dirty looks-

Relax

There are a few different places you can choose to relax. There are solariums (sun rooms), hammocks and other mid-temperature areas where you can lie down on a bed or reclining chair.

Our favourite spot is the second floor of a cabin where there are padded floors (?) because we can lie down and cuddle together. We literally slept on the higher mattress of the photo below:

We see people reading books, bringing their own blankets and sleep masks and taking a nap, etc.

There are also different types of saunas you can try. I personally cannot breathe in saunas but I did sit awkwardly in a very crowded one for a few minutes.

If you are not wet or if you are visiting in the summer, you may want to rest in the hammocks and chairs outside.

Final thoughts

I really enjoyed the hydrotherapy process and the environment of the Scandinave Spa. I found the hydrotherapy process really did get my body to relax. Granted, it would’ve been 100x better if it wasn’t as crowded on a long weekend. It was a romantic activity to do with my boyfriend but we will not be frequent customers due to value for money.

Why do I think it may not be value for money? Because these are just hot and cold pools. They are not hot spring water, mineral water, etc. It’s just a hot tub and a cold tub. $80 for access to hot and cold pools isn’t significantly worth it, especially if you only follow the hydrotherapy process once (one cycle) and then fall asleep in a relax room for 3 hours (but hey if that helps you relax then whatever). Also my book got wet and ruined.

How do I think there is value for money? Well, you can spend as long as you want once you get in so that’s a plus. In my opinion, this experience would have been more worth it if we had booked a RMT because:

1. Reduce our 3 hour wait time
2. Cover our bath access (no need to pay separate $80)
3. Partially cover the total cost

If you’ve never been to Scandinave Spa, it’s definitely worth a try either with your SO, mom, or a group of girlfriends. It is a relaxing experience and refreshing not to talk or be on any devices. It’s a beautiful location with great nature views regardless of if you go in the summer or winter. Staff are wonderful.

Sincerely, Loewe