Thermea Spa Village Whitby — Attraction in Whitby

Thermëa Whitby is amazing! I’ve been a few times now. Lots of saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, cold plunge pools, rest areas…something for everyone.

I love the guided aufguss sauna rituals in Logga. Start with the Discovery one if you are new to this, as it’s only 8 minutes long. An artisan leads you through the sauna process, with their chosen music and a selection of essential oil infused snowballs over the fire. They use towel and fan techniques to move the hot air around the sauna space.

I’ve paid extra for Kalla, the underground salt floating pool. I enjoyed about a half hour of rest down there but gave up and left when loud groups of people came in, ruining the vibe by taking pictures and talking loudly with friends. I went back a couple more times that day but it was the same thing. One group wasn’t even floating at all, but sitting in the shallow salt water, telling stories amongst their friends as if they were sitting at a bar or restaurant. There are lots of social spaces available for this on-site. This isn’t one of them. I don’t feel like I got my value for this add-on at all because it wasn’t relaxing with the excessive noise.

The Rassoul add-on is fantastic! It’s held inside a steam room. An artisan guides your group through self-applied body scrubs, masks and rinses, finishing with a treat of hot tea and Turkish delight. Highly recommend.

I have only had good experiences with the staff at Thermëa. They seem to be happy with their jobs, which comes across in their guest interactions. On multiple visits I have had extensive conversations with Justine. Super engaging and friendly, she has shared lots of information regarding the spa facility, rituals and also the restaurants. She’s a gem and should be recognized as such.

The on-site food…it’s great! The Grilled Cheese in the Lounge may be one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. It’s stuffed with bacon jam, feta, and cheddar on multigrain bread. Just eat one already. The Village Burger and the Jerk Chicken Sandwich are also good. They make homemade soups. The Curried Split Pea was a winner. Dessert…one word: Churros.

When you visit Thermëa, bring a change of clothes, sandals, a water bottle, hat and sunglasses. That’s all you need. They provide robes, towels, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion etc.

Between sauna and hot tub hopping, if you want to catch a nap you’ll find hammocks, beds and sun loungers around the property. On our last visit, my friend and I found ourselves in the A-frame rest building, that has a fireplace inside. We grabbed blankets and passed out on wooden loungers with foot stools that they have positioned under heat lamps. It was wonderful.

Although it’s already great, there are a few things that would improve the Thermëa experience: A membership or discounted bulk pass purchase for guests who want to visit more often Some kind of reward/points/incentive program Include thermal spa access with your RMT massage purchase like they do at Scandinave - Blue Mountain Add more stations to get hot tea around the village, not just up in the treatment area. Add more beds with cushions and hammocks around the property. These are in high demand and hard to get. Have staff more present in Kalla to address noisy groups - it’s meant to be a silent floating space, not a club/bar atmosphere. Add some quick grab and go snack items to the food line up - maybe you go up to the Biergarten bar to purchase them? A self-serve fridge with wrapped sandwiches, yogurt, protein shakes, smoothies, packaged salads, fruit cups for sale. That sort of thing. Not everyone wants to sit down for multiple served meals when at the facility for a long stay. Address people leaving their personal items on the cushioned beds, to reserve them while they are off doing other things. I spoke to an employee about this and was told that guests are not allowed to do this but that the staff aren’t supposed to move their belongings when they do.

Overall this place is a great find. Go alone, go with friends, just go and go often. You’ll be...

Overall it is an ok experience. The place needs a lot of improvement. The pools are not upto standard. They definetly do not reach the posted temperatures. It is like littling in a lukewarm tub. The saunas are good. They provide the desired effect that you would expect from the different types of saunas. They have many to choose from. There are many hygiene concerns in the facility. Firstly, the showers do not get cleaned and serviced enough. They have some amenities though they are substandard. Is it that people just don't know? I mean for the price it is quiet disappointing. They provide soap that doesn't really lather and your skin continues to smell like chlorine even after you take a shower. The cotton swabs for your ears are not tapped separately where you share a glass contained with everyone's wet after shower hand liquid on all the Q-tips. The bathroom doesn't seem to get disinfected or cleaned frequently for the amount of patrons use the facility. At any given time after 7pm you will find towels and robes left in shower stalls wet, used and disguarded. This clogs the drainage of water and I encountered two people slip from the puddles. As for the unsanitized environment. There is a faint sent of mold and cleaner trying mask it. I have other concerns regarding cleaning and cleanliness, though these will be sent to the management in a kind and concise manner. There are too many for this small format. There needs to be more care. This is not a public pool and you pay the same very high price no matter what time slot of the day you are placed in to come. I will get back to that later. There are things that are good. It is is nice to get away in the GTA. It is like going to a two and half or three star hotel with a spa without the hotel, but you are paying the price of a hotel room for each person that enters no matter what time your allowed booking is made for. We came as a party of twelve and we all had to come at different times. The manager at the time said that the times are placed inorder to allow for everyone to have space, though they still have paid time slots at 7pm for the same price. This seems like a bad business practice and it turns clients away and leaves them with a bad experience. The spa seems to try to convey a sense of what a Scandinavian type spa should be. The food is basic fare, burgers, fries, pasta, grilled salmon. The restaurant has a lovely view of the outdoors and a roaring fire in the centre situated fireplace that gives a warm enduring vibe to the lounge area. The dining area has a resto pub feel with everyone sharing whispers and tasty cocktails. This was one of the high points of the facility. Hats off to the bartenders and their waitstaff. The soar part of this all is that this and all Thermea facilities are not consistent. This facility seemed understaffed. This time we went on a public holiday and there were not enough attention to detail and this location lacks sufficient signage. For example, The salt herbal cleansing stations where not designed for the amount of shower that are there. People were using their hands instead of being patient and waiting for their turn to use the one provided laddle. Salt does kill almost any bacteria, though who wants to use the herbal salt after some sweaty person, fresh out of the steam sauna, pushes their hand into the bowl. Also, not all the showers were working so people were doubling up under each of the working showers. I fell that this must be an issue that has come up more than a few times and I am not the first person to notice or say anything about, yet this seems to be a regular thing for the management. It feels like they don't really use the facility and just work there. They have two wheelchair accessible washrooms though both seemed closed and not accessible at the time I wanted to see them, which is quite disconcerting. I did check multiple times. As for the staff, they are the other high point of the visit. Their customer service is good. They are not intrusive, yet they are attentive to your...

From booking to arriving to relaxing to leaving…everything was pure ease. Happy I chose Thermea to celebrate my birthday…all day long.

The experience began with calming music accompanying the walk on the path to the entrance. Parking is easy and complimentary but the lot itself is gravel and dirt which could be improved. Staff welcomed us with friendly smiles as we checked-in digitally through the touch screens. The ID bracelet makes it easy to access the locker and pay for things at the spa. Note, my friend checked if they did anything special for a birthday or special occassion, they said they do not. The locker room/washroom was very clean and equipped with essential toiletries. The shower stalls are thoughtfully designed with a little area to get ready without getting wet from the shower and a lock on the door for privacy. Each locker is spacious and stocked with a robe and towel (there is supposed to be a clear bag for your wet bathing suit; mine was missing so it was a good thing I brought an extra). Also make sure you bring your own slides or flip flops. At 8am it was quiet. There is a map illustrating the layout, which was very helpful because there is so much to experience! We started in a hot pool. There are 5 saunas of varying heat and elements. After trying all of them my favourite was the Aroma sauna which is infused with herbs. The hotter eucalyptus steam room was another favourite with it’s unique lighting in the ceiling and very steamy which I loved. There are a few different styles of cold plunges which provides a balance of the quintessential plunge. We appreciated the scheduled ‘rituals’ facilitated by ‘ritual artisans’. The ‘Discovery Aufguss’ was a treat for the senses taking us on a journey through scents from essential oils like mandarin orange to wake up the senses, eucalyptus and tea tree oil. Guided meditations are also offered in one of the rest rooms which was very relaxing. I loved the other indoor rest space with a fire in the middle and heaters above to keep us warm. Blankets are supplied by the spa, which is a nice touch for colder days. I did bring my own blanket and noticed other people brought their own as well. For the colder days it would be good to have some more indoor rest spaces. The hammocks and outdoor fire pits weren’t warm enough when you’re wet and it’s chilly. We exchanged our towels throughout the day and it is great to have that service.

By the afternoon we decided to indulge in a snack. We chose the Biergarden since the Resto offers more full meals. Enjoyed the rosemary truffle chips which are a generous portion, vegan and seasoned perfectly, however, the dip is not vegan (they use vegan mayo but mix it with dairy sour cream, which is unfortunate for vegans). A server in the Biergarden was so kind and offered to get me vegan mayo on its own from the Resto downstairs. It was fun to lounge and eat in our robes. *One major suggestion is to have more healthier food options, especially more options for vegans. Although I had the chips (it was my bday), normally fried or heavy food and alcohol is counterproductive at any time throughout a hydrotherapy experience which cleanses and detoxifies the body. The best food before, during and after is grounding and clean like oatmeal for breakfast, smoothies, sandwiches, wraps, bowls… I did see they have a quinoa bowl, but a review said it was bland so we didn’t try that. I was tempted but avoided alcohol to receive the full cleansing benefits of hydrotherapy.

It became really busy by the afternoon, but it was Easter Sunday so when I revisit I’ll likely choose a less busy day and time.

Thermea was wonderful to enjoy with someone, and also on my own for a quieter time when I stayed longer until the evening. Thoughtful, clean, well designed and equipped. We felt like we were transported very far away! Daytime was reviving with the sun peaking through. The evening was cozy with lights, views of the stars and soaking in tranquility until I departed feeling nourished, relaxed and very well taken care of mind,...