Koena Spa Review

If you haven’t experienced a thermal spa yet, the Kōena Spa in Gatineau is great for first-timers. This Kōena Spa Review will tell you everything you need to know before you go.

When I was looking for somewhere to stay in Ottawa for our East Coast Canada road trip, I came across the Château Cartier hotel. I booked it immediately when I saw it had a Nordic spa right on the property. I had wanted to try a thermal spa for a while, and this location looked perfect. Plus, the prices were far lower than those of other thermal spas I had looked into.

If you’re planning to stay at the Château Cartier too, check out my hotel review here. Also, take a look at my guide on the Best Attractions in Ottawa for Families for ideas of things to do on your trip, see my review of the Canadian Museum of Nature, or if you want a done for you plan for Ottawa, check out my One Day in Ottawa post.

In this post, you’ll find my full Kōena Spa Review, along with essential information for your visit.

Know Before You Go

Where: Kōena is located inside the Château Cartier Hotel and Resort in Gatineau, Quebec. It’s only a 15-minute drive from the downtown Ottawa area.

Address: 1170 Chemin d’Aylmer, Gatineau, QC, J9H7L3.

When: Kōena Spa hours run daily from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Saturdays are their busiest days, and evenings generally become crowded too. The best time to visit is earlier on a weekday.

How Much: The current Kōena spa prices are:

$49 Monday to Thursday
$39 Monday to Thursday after 6:00 p.m.
$59 Friday to Sunday and Holidays
$49 Friday to Sunday and Holidays after 6:00 p.m.

What They Provide: Kōena provides towels and a locker, which your wristband unlocks, for free. You can exchange wet towels for new ones at the towel desk near the entrance. They also rent bathrobes for $9.

What You Need to Bring: Swimsuits and sandals are mandatory in all public areas. I’ll share more packing ideas in the tips section below.

Age Requirement: The Kōena spa age limit is 16 years old and over, but guests 16 and 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Where to Stay

We truly enjoyed our stay at Château Cartier Hotel. I loved being able to walk right up to my room after spending a few hours relaxing at the spa.

Check current Château Cartier Hotel rates here.

If this Ottawa hotel isn’t the right fit for you, here are a few other kid-friendly Ottawa recommendations:

Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ottawa West ($)
Delta Hotels by Marriott Ottawa City Centre ($$)
Brookstreet ($$$)
Fairmont Chateau Laurier ($$$$)

What the Kōena Spa offers:

Warm/Hot Therapy

3 Dry Saunas:

MAHANA Sauna: The largest, located inside through the shower area, behind the bistro.
WELA Sauna: A smaller indoor sauna in a separate outdoor building, which also includes a shower and rest area.
PUKALANI Sauna: An outdoor, barrel-style sauna located near the pools.

2 Steam Saunas:

POHALA: The larger steam room, located downstairs off the Himalayan salt scrub showers.
A smaller steam room in the indoor pool area.

Cold Therapy

2 Cold Plunge Pools:

The indoor pool area features a small plunge pool with water falling from above. Stairs on both sides allow you to easily and quickly walk through to cool down.
The outdoor pool has stairs on one side and a waterfall on the other.

Cold Water Buckets:

Located in areas further from the cold plunge pools, you simply dump the bucket over yourself for a rapid cool-down after your sauna session.

Relaxation Areas

4 Hot or Warm Pools:

One large indoor pool with a layered waterfall on one side.
Three outdoor pools, one of which includes a waterfall and an indoor area. Signs next to each pool display the temperature.

A.PONA Salt Scrub Shower Room:

This basement room, with a steam room off it, has salt to spread over your body, and showers along one wall to rinse it off.

PA’KAI Himalayan Salt Room:

Located inside next to the Bistro, this room has three levels with mats where you can lie down, relax, and absorb the benefits of the salt.

AHI Relaxation Room:

This social rest room features four rows of lawn chairs facing outside, with a central fireplace. A windowed garage door opens during warm weather.

HO’O.LA Meditation Room:

Located off the AHI room, this space has six infrared chairs where you can lie back and listen to relaxing music.

SALLE DE REPOS Relaxation Room:

Located in the separate building with the smaller dry sauna, this room has three rows of egg chairs facing a windowed wall that looks out onto the pools.

Outdoor Gazebo:

A small building near the outdoor pools with a relaxation room featuring windows on all four walls, with lawn chairs around the outside and a fireplace in the middle.

Outdoor Relaxation Areas:

Two outdoor lawns offer a variety of options like chaise lounge chairs, couches around fire tables, hammocks, and swinging beds.
Firepits, surrounded by lawn chairs, are scattered throughout the outdoor area.

Dining Area:

Inside, across from the Bistro, you will find a small indoor dining area with tables and chairs, a small central fireplace, and windows overlooking the outdoor pools.

Traditional Spa Services (Additional Fees):

Health Benefits of a Thermal Spa

The thermal spa concept sounds so relaxing—sitting in saunas, enjoying a warm pool, lying in the sun, and meditating. But these experiences offer many benefits beyond simply taking a break from the busy pace of everyday life.

The Thermal Cycle (The Kōena Spa Thermal Experience)

Hot (10-15 minutes): Opens pores, relaxes muscles, and promotes perspiration to release toxins.
Cold (30 seconds to 3 minutes): Releases adrenaline, stimulates circulation, constricts blood vessels, and reduces inflammation.
Rest (15-45 minutes): Promotes deep relaxation, helps the body absorb the benefits and return to a neutral state.
Repeat X 2: Experts recommend three cycles to gain the most benefits.

Benefits of a Thermal Spa

Relaxes muscles, relieves aches and pains, and promotes muscle recovery.
Reduces pressure on joints.
Can help decongest the respiratory system.
Improves circulation.
Promotes deep relaxation.
Can improve sleep quality.
Boosts energy and elevates mood.
Helps skin and hair health.

Food Options at Kōena Spa

You have a few great options for food and drink during your visit!

Bistro Kōena: Located at the center of Kōena, Bistro Kōena offers a good variety of hot and cold drinks (including alcoholic beverages), platters, pastries, desserts, salads, and sandwiches.
ONŌ: Connected to the Kōena Spa, ONŌ is also accessible from the Château Cartier hotel. The spa has a separate dining area, so you can stay in your robe. The menu features American Cuisine with reasonable prices.
KaTO: KaTO is a Japanese-Korean cuisine restaurant, right off the Château Cartier lobby. This makes it a great stop before or after your thermal experience.

Tips for your visit to Kōena Spa

If you want to add a massage or other treatment, book early.
Go during the day. It gets busier and louder in the evenings once hotel guests are back for the night. Aim for a morning or early afternoon visit if you want to avoid the crowd.
Eat before you begin your thermal journey so hunger doesn’t distract you.
Bring a water bottle and ensure you stay hydrated to help with detoxification (refill stations are available).
Bring a hat or earmuffs if you’re visiting in the winter.
Bring or rent a robe; you’ll definitely want it during the relaxation periods.
Bring sunglasses.
Pack a book for the relaxation periods.
Bring a small bag to hold any belongings you plan to use during your journey.

My Kōena Spa Review

Since Kōena Spa allows guests 16–17 with an adult, both of my kids joined me. We visited at the end of our day in Ottawa, after grabbing dinner at ONŌ.

The kids were fine with just towels, but I rented a robe for myself. I was glad I did; it’s genuinely needed for the rest times and felt much cozier while lounging around a fire.

After paying, we headed to the change room to secure our items in a locker. I loved the convenience of unlocking it with my wristband, making it so much easier to bring the necessities without dragging a large bag around.

The indoor pool area was the first thing we saw. Since we didn’t really know the layout, we headed in there to look around. The pool was quite large and not too full. I noticed the smaller pool, realizing it must be the cold plunge, and saw the door to the steam room. We could see the outside area, so we headed out there first, hoping to find a hot tub to start our first thermal cycle.

Outside was busy and crowded. Large groups occupied all the pools, talking loudly amongst themselves. This was not the spa experience I had been expecting. The outdoor pools seemed to function as a social spot for Château Cartier guests. It felt more like a spring break party vibe than a relaxing spa environment.

We checked the temperatures on the pools and entered the warmest one. As soon as we sat down, I realized the pools were not the “hot” part of the cycle. They felt bathwater warm, not the hot tubs I had expected, so I figured these must be the “rest” part of the cycle. The outdoor sauna was full, so we returned inside to try the steam room instead. While it was also quite full, the three of us found space. However, the kids only lasted two minutes. Zen said she needed to leave because she couldn’t breathe, and Brie quickly followed her out.

My first thermal cycle

While the kids weren’t fans of the steam room, I didn’t have any difficulty breathing. I decided to return to the steam room to begin my first thermal cycle while the kids hung out in the indoor pool. While the sauna is marked as a “quiet” area, it was still being treated as a social spot by many guests. The steam was incredibly thick, making it hard to see how far back the seating went, but it didn’t seem very big.

After 15 minutes, I was sweating and ready for a refreshing cool plunge. I had doubts about whether I could actually walk through the cold stream of water, but I did it easily. I loved that the indoor cold plunge pool had stairs on both sides, allowing for a quick walk-through. It cooled me off instantly without leaving me shivering.

Now, I was ready for some relaxation.

The kids headed to another outdoor pool while I took advantage of the nearly empty lawn area to the right of the indoor pool. I found a comfy hammock and decided to meditate to enhance my relaxation. I had really been slacking on my daily practice, so I figured this was a good time to get back into it.

It Was Bigger Than I Realized

I initially thought the low Kōena Spa prices were due to its smaller size compared to other thermal spas I had researched. We had found the three outdoor pools, large indoor pool, two plunge pools, small steam room, small outdoor sauna, gazebo with the fireplace, a relaxation room with lawn chairs, and the outdoor relaxation areas. I had expected there to be more, but $40 was well worth it for what was there.

But when I went back to the locker to grab my phone, I noticed a map. I quickly realized there was so much more inside that we hadn’t seen yet! I found the kids, and we went inside to explore.

We visited the Himalayan salt room first, which was empty and quiet. The mats were comfy, and I honestly could have fallen asleep there. Next, we discovered the meditation room—my favorite rest area. The chairs in there are heated, and this was one room where people actually respected the quiet signs. The only issue was its location off a more social relaxation room; the serene music did not fully block out all the noises from that area.

At this point, the kids decided they were finished and headed back up to the room. This is a significant advantage of staying at the Kōena Spa hotel (Château Cartier); you can stay longer than other members of your party if you want extra relaxation time. It’s also perfect for parents with older children who can stay in the room alone for a couple of hours, or for couples who take turns at the spa.

My Second Cycle:

Ready to explore some more unseen indoor areas, I headed downstairs and found the salt scrub room. After finishing there, I checked out the steam room connected to it, which was much larger than the one in the indoor pool area. While the steam here was just as thick as upstairs, I saw how far back it went when someone opened the door long enough for some of it to clear out. This one was also much quieter than the upstairs location.

There’s a cold-water bucket outside the steam room, but I chose to return to the indoor plunge pool and walk through it instead. Then, it was back to the meditation room to zone out for a while.

My Third Cycle

I felt completely relaxed at this point, but I wanted to complete one more cycle. However, I didn’t want to get wet again since I was somewhat dry. I decided to try the large indoor sauna to dry myself off fully. This sauna was very spacious, offering three levels of seating so you could still lie down when it got a bit busier. Instead of following up with another cold plunge, I sat outside for a few minutes without my robe on to cool down.

For my “rest,” I stopped by the Bistro and ordered a Sangria. Then, I headed outside to find a fire to sit by. I started in the gazebo, but a small group was socializing there, so I decided to find somewhere quieter. That’s when I noticed the other outdoor building. I went inside and found another small, empty dry sauna. Across from it was a relaxation room with a “whisper” sign on the door. I sat alone in there, enjoying the serene music and my drink until they kindly kicked me out at closing time.

Quiet Areas

Several rooms and areas are designated “quiet areas,” with “silence” signs informing guests that they are not social spaces. Throughout the night, I noted these areas marked as quiet spots:

Both indoor dry saunas
Both steam saunas
The Himalayan salt room
The meditation room
The SALLE DE REPOS Relaxation Room (marked as a “whisper” area, not silence)

Unfortunately, many guests ignored the quiet signs, continuing to hold loud conversations in these quiet areas. Again, this wasn’t the spa experience I had hoped for.

Even when people did respect the quiet areas, sounds from outside were easy to hear, mostly because of where they were located. The small steam room is off the indoor pool, the large one off the salt scrub area, the Himalayan salt room is right off the Bistro, and the meditation room is off a social rest area. A better layout would designate one half of the spa for quiet and the other half for social areas.

Kōena Spa Review Conclusion

Rating: 8/10

After my night at the Kōena Spa, I regretted not booking it as the last stop of our East Coast trip instead of the first. It truly would have been a great way to end a three-week road trip. Even so, it definitely helped set my mood for the rest of the trip. Any stress I carried seemed to be gone by the time we headed to our next destination, Quebec City. Despite driving in heavier traffic than I was used to, I was anxiety-free for the rest of the trip.

I spent three hours at Kōena—an hour and a half without the kids—and probably could have stayed longer. My only complaints were the noise in some areas and how crowded it was when we first arrived.

While the crowds were less dense in the indoor areas, it was difficult to relax in any of the pools since they were filled with socializing groups. Luckily, the crowd thinned out by 9:00 p.m. If you are looking for an Ottawa spa to relax in, I strongly recommend going in the morning or early afternoon to avoid the evening hotel crowd.

Still, for $40, Kōena is more than worth the cost. It’s a full-sized thermal spa, offering a great variety of hot/cold therapy and relaxation areas, all at a budget price. If you plan to visit the Kōena Spa, I recommend setting aside at least three hours for the complete experience. Consider staying at the Château Cartier so you can go back to your room to relax, nap, or call it a night immediately afterward.

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Kōena Spa Review + Tips