The best Montreal spas to rest and refresh

Even if a spa says it’s all about ‘drifting away’, few places take it as far as this one: A refurbished ferry boat floating on the Saint-Lawrence River in the Old Port, Bota Bota’s one of the top-tier luxury spas in town that features five full decks of saunas, steam baths, whirlpools, showers and cold baths, body and facial treatments, and massage rooms. As you dip in and out of their waters and services, drop your anchor in one of their relaxation areas fitted with hammocks or grab a bite at their onboard restaurant. Don’t miss paying a visit when their event packages are available, which include guided Pilates or yoga classes, or movie nights on occasion.

The oasis-on-an-island feel here’s complete with its location on Nuns' Island. Secluded from the city core among a grove of trees, this spa focuses on the use of natural surroundings to enhance its focus on thermal experiences, massages and beauty treatments. Plunge into a hydrotherapy ritual of hot and cold waters before getting every ounce of tension in your body massaged out, followed by one of their events like lunar nights, wellness retreats, or their bistro with Scandinavian-inspired cuisine made from local products (plus brunches on Sundays, natch).

If you’re ever wondering where that wave of eucalyptus in the air’s coming from in Old Montreal, this is the source. Step inside, lock your phone away—seriously, you’re obligated to lock your phone up—and start treating yourself to a full Scandinavian series of water circuits, starting with warming up in a sauna before dunking in cooler Nordic baths, relaxing, and getting back to body temp under a warm waterfall. We recommend you pony up and plan to be here for the full day, intermittently passing out on the beanbag chairs—they don’t judge nappers, and neither do we.

This Old Montreal hotel’s giving other spas in its neighborhood a run for its money with its combination of thermal circuits, massages and body treatments with full package experiences like its bed filled with warm quartz sand where you receive acupuncture and body massages (not to mention the holistic Kansa Wand foot massages!). Even if you’re looking to keep it cheap, the range of options in the thermal circuit—salt, rain, sauna, steam, herbal and ice therapies—goes for a song at $60 (or $45 if you booked a stay at the William Gray Hotel).

Ranked one of the best spas in the country, the Guerlain Spa at the Four Seasons has eight treatment rooms (including one couple’s suite) plus body treatments, facials and massage services galore. Whether you're seeking revolutionary anti-ageing facials promising renewed skin and immediate results, or meditative massages, this spa is for you. Bonus: Enjoy access to the skylit swimming pool and poolside daybeds.

A superb all-rounder for fans of hydrotherapy, this spa located to the east of the downtown core also doubles down with a specialization in osteopathy to contort you into comfort and get that chi realigned. From body and facial care and massages to extensive bath-based offerings and hair removal—making this place a great one to prep for a wedding—this place also puts a lot of effort towards the little things, like the pH balance of its baths or its ionized fountain for drinking water in its most pure form.

Avie Spa, located inside the Marriott SpringHill Suites, is a warm, relaxing sactuary in the heart of Old Montreal. They specialize in high-end products and services tailored to your needs: massages, facial and body treatments, manicures, pedicures, waxing, hair and makeup, and more.

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Part of the offerings at the Place d'Armes Hotel, this health and wellness spa’s main attraction is a full hammam bath filled with eucalyptus vapors (plus a selection of teas to enjoy after you sweat out those toxins). A total of ten facial and body treatments are also available in conjunction with the bath, from massage packages to exfoliations and facial treatments. If you found yourself at this hotel for a staycation with a date or significant other, grab one of their couples’ packages to clean up after getting down and dirty.

Located inside the luxurious Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel, this spa embodies the experience of escaping the city without leaving it, given its location in the downtown core. While it caters to business crowds, it’s far from exclusive when considering the bonuses it offers: Two hours of facials, manicures, pedicures, massages and/or body treatments here get you full access to the hotel’s indoor pool, jacuzzi and fitness center. And if you’re looking to gift a man in your life, take note: This place likes to offer male-oriented treatments like basalt stone massages, triple facials and ‘executive’ pedicures.

This is the spa you want when you want the full eat-drink-relax-sleep-repeat package. The Hôtel Le St-James alone sports luxury rooms and one of the best restaurants in Old Montreal, but when you’re wondering what to do in between sleeping off a multi-course extravaganza downstairs? Jump into the steam baths and sauna, hand yourself over to the massage therapists, hit the hot stones or get a body wrap done; it’s all here, inside of a beautiful space featuring the old masonry often found in this historic part of town.

Nothing says returning to the comfort of the womb like climbing into an egg-shaped isolation chamber, and that’s what this spa in La Petite-Patrie is all about. Their Epsom salt-filled waters keep you suspended on the surface of the water for a full hour of escape in a private room. Make the most of your visit by preceding or following up your session with their massage services and a hot shower, experiment with some light therapy or their NeuroSpa, a ‘zero-gravity’ chair that uses music with comfortingly hypnotic effects.

First and foremost a gym and health centre in a refurbished church, this Plateau-based address also features a spa that makes for the ideal post-workout session. There’s a hot and cold spa that’s available year-round—who doesn’t want a hot tub in the winter?—alongside massage services that range from Shiatsu to sport-centric methods that will either get back up on your feet or relaxed and down for the count. Bonus: The thermal baths are included in gym memberships.

Don’t miss passing by this spa in Les Cours Mont Royal, located inside the commercial portion of the Underground City. One of those legacy spas that’s been serving Montrealers for years—two decades and counting!—its specialty lies in the range of rejuvenating beautification services it offers among swanky digs. High-end facials, body wraps, massages and the ultimate pedicure and manicure delivered on massage chairs; it’s one of those playground-style spas to bring a friend, date or partner and enjoy jumping from luxury to luxury throughout the day before (or after) you start shopping nearby.

This Mile End spa likes to ‘warn’ its customers that prolonged exposure to its form of care results in a euphoric addicition, and we can get behind that. Customers come here for the therapeutic massages, private infratherapy saunas, facial treatments and massages, or just to dig into their selection of organic products made by hand from local and fair trade ingredients. 

Billing itself as the top ecofriendly spa in town, this holistic spa excels on one hand for the different types of facials, vegan manicures and pedicures (toxin-free) it offers, with a specialization in massages, beauty and body treatments on the other. Making a point of using organic products—and that includes the in-house juice bar—makes this place a good guilt-free option that will satisfy the most devout vegan or environmentally conscious spa seeker.

A student-friendly operation facing Lafontaine Park, Centrale Parc offers a boutique setting with offerings that go easy on the wallet without skimping on prerequisite quality. Massage, body care, baths and facials are the primary drawcards here, but there are clinical options for those looking for mental and physical pain relief as well: Fasciatherapy for body tissues, cranial therapy for the head-centric pains, kinesitherapy for movement and osteopathy for muscles and joints. If you’re looking for something completely guided, the spa ritual packages to have you letting go and drifting away in no time.