Ten years of wellness at Thermea

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This article was published 23/04/2025 (469 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thermea Spa Village Winnipeg is celebrating a decade as Manitoba’s premier Nordic spa. This milestone coincides with spa owner Groupe Nordik’s 20th anniversary in Canada, as North America’s largest provider of Nordic spa experiences.

Thermea has been rebranded under Group Nordik’s ‘Spa Villages’ banner. With sister locations in Chelsea, Quebec, and Whitby, Ont., the new era will usher in fresh rituals, immersive events, and a growing community.

“Coming to Thermea is an investment in yourself, in your wellness, and in your relationship with others,” general manager Jeff Mayo said. “It’s a great pleasure to be able to provide guests with the opportunity to take time for themselves, and a great honour for Thermea to be an iconic part of the Winnipeg landscape.”

Thermea follows the 2,000-year-old practice of thermal cycles, which involves heating up your body, quickly cooling it down, then relaxing for a bit – in that order. Doing multiple cycles is said to flush toxins, improve circulation, and boost endorphins, leaving you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

Thermea is home to the Gëser hot tub, the Tempër pool, and the icy Polabër plunge. There is the Finlandia group sauna, the tiny, barrel-shaped Barik sauna, and two Vaporo steam saunas scented with orange or eucalyptus essential oils. The Relaxa pavilion replenishes with fruit-infused water and herbal teas, and there are different areas for resting. My favourite place is on the heated stone bed. I also enjoy hanging out in Fläm, the open-air log cabin with a fire pit at its centre.

So what’s new at Thermea Spa Village Winnipeg? First, they’ve enhanced their ‘village rituals’ program. This has long included the German-originated Aufguss ritual with scented snowballs, mesmerizing music, and a towel performance that wafts waves of aromatic wind around the hot room. A new offering is the Arboreal ritual, designed to transport you to the heart of Canada’s boreal forest with birch branches and foliage keeping the scented air flowing. Also new on the program are guided meditations, and yoga-inspired stretching sessions.

The spa’s footprint has increased in size, too, with the addition of the seasonal Edena ‘forest beach’ that begins behind Relaxa and stretches along the forested side of the site. Here you’ll find the Biërgarden with traditional hot pretzels and wood-fired pizza. This expansive new area houses lounging beds, hanging chairs, and on really hot summer days, rainforest misting. The summertime ‘chef’s table’ can seat up to 12 people for gourmet multiple-courses with wine pairings, and can be booked for one big group or reserved as single seats.

Normally, Thermea is a 16-plus facility. However, twice each year – once in summer and once in winter – it now host ‘family discovery’ days. On these two dates, families with kids of any ages can take in fun workshops, mini spa treatments, and a special kids menu, in addition to all the usual spa facilities.

When you go to Thermea make sure you are hungry, because the food at Le Restö is absolutely exquisite. The spacious restaurant setting boasts natural light through floor-to-ceiling windows, and the rustic ambience is accentuated with earthy artwork, flickering fireplaces, and glowing candles on the tables. Speaking of, the table-tops are made from local elm trees which had to be cut down, and which have been repurposed by Winnipeg company Urban Lumber.

The eclectic and delicious dishes are made with fresh ingredients sourced locally and from across Canada. The green goddess salad is vegan and gluten-free, with roquette greens, shaved radish, fried garlic hemp hearts, grated manchego cheese, and zesty green dressing. The lentil power bowl is vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, made with roasted walnut dressing, charred red cabbage, aged balsamic zucchini, pickled radish, kale chips, hemp hearts, and mixed micro greens. Incredible.

For hot dishes, the wild mushroom confit is cremini and oyster mushrooms, truffled cheese, and aged balsamic fried rosemary, served with a side of garlic toasties upon which you can heap cheesy-mushroomy-goodness. The bison meatballs are made from Manitoba bison, brown butter ricotta, romesco sauce, fresh basil, and basil jalapeno olive oil, accompanied by toasted sourdough. Save room for dessert, because if you’ve never tried pavlova (and I hadn’t) it was divine.

Thermea is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Morning spa-goers will discover the Pop Up Café with breakfast on a bun, pastries, hot drinks, kombuchas, and two kinds of mimosas. For those who come in the evenings, a glorious way to end any spa day is by watching the sunset fade away, sitting around one last fire, and taking a moment to take in the night sky after you’re finally able to break away from a wonderful place.