Tucked deep in the woods of Salt Spring Island, Arbutus View Thermal Spa feels more like a secret than a destination. The drive itself will slow you down. You leave the main road and pass through trees and forest houses, ending up in a cedar-covered retreat surrounded by old-growth forest and the sounds of birdsong.
“We’re surrounded by huge tracts of undeveloped land,” Simon, one of the owners, tells me as we look out into the woods. “You can hear the birds chirping, see eagles circling overhead, and sometimes deer walk by. It's very down-to-earth.”
Simon and his wife Michaela founded Arbutus View after years of traveling to Europe's famous spa resorts. “I love water. I'm a Pisces,” he said with a smile. “When we got here, I thought I was going to retire. We started with a small B&B and a hot tub for guests, and I would spend hours in it thinking about how nice it would be to share that experience with other people. So I convinced Mikayla to stop doing the B&B and focus on creating a hot spring spa.”
That was less than two years ago, and today, the spa offers two private spa circuits: the Nordic Spa Circuit and the Salish Spa Circuit. Each room has a sauna, hot tub, cold plunge pool and shower. Salish Raceway has added a comfortable indoor suite for resting between races. All sessions are booked privately, meaning guests have the space completely to themselves. The spa is dog-friendly and clothing-optional, staying true to the owners' belief in natural comfort and freedom.
Spa – the cornerstone of modern health
Arbutus View’s Chilly Falls is where you get deep into the action. Simon, who built the spa with his wife Michaela, swears by it: “I take a cold bath every day for three to five minutes. It wakes you up and makes you feel twenty years younger.”
Alternating between hot and cold is nothing new. The practice dates back to ancient Roman bathhouses and Nordic saunas, and today it's a cornerstone of modern wellness. The benefits are physical and mental. Heat dilates blood vessels, while cold constricts them, creating a natural pumping effect that improves circulation and supports heart health. Contrast reduces inflammation, relieves tension, and helps muscles recover faster. It also stabilizes the nervous system, lowers stress hormones, and promotes mental clarity and focus.
Simon practices every day. His wife uses it more often. “She has type 1 diabetes, and when her blood sugar goes up, cold drinks help bring it down. It's really beneficial.”
When my daughter and I visited, the hot tub and sauna felt dreamy and deeply relaxing, while the cold dips inspired a mixture of fear and laughter. She hesitated at first, hovering over the water and screaming at the thought. I've done this before, but even for me, those first few seconds take your breath away. Then there is peace. Your focus will narrow. You stop thinking about anything else.
We alternated between hot and cold, each round being a little easier. By the third dive we were laughing uncontrollably, half out of shock, half out of joy. The forest lay still around us as we followed the melting and trembling route. In the small changing room outside, fluffy towels and a cup of cinnamon tea kept us grounded. The space is simple, rustic and relaxed.
Before we left, I found Mikayla and gave her a big hug, she was still giddy from the cold water and felt ecstatic and renewed.
Natasha Netschay runs a PR and communications agency in Vancouver and teaches writing courses at SFU. She also writes wellness articles for travel, yoga, and mental health media.
