Best Nordic Spas in the West

From the ancient Romans to Indigenous groups throughout North America, people around the world have employed the revitalizing contrast of sweaty heat and bracing cold for thousands of years. This tradition is particularly strong in Scandinavia and Finland, and it has gained popularity in the United States in recent years, as the wellness boom has led resorts and small spas to incorporate Nordic-style saunas and cold plunges or contrast therapy into their therapeutic programs.

Whether you’re looking to jump off a sauna deck into the San Francisco Bay, wash off the sweat in an icy Montana creek, or do a hydrotherapy circuit in the Alaskan wilderness, these are the best places in the West to do a Scandi-style hot-cold cycle.

High Country Motor Lodge in Flagstaff, Arizona

Once a Holiday Inn for travelers on Route 66—an iconic road that’s celebrating its centennial this year—this Flagstaff hotel got a glow-up in 2022, becoming the High Country Motor Lodge. The reimagining of the property consisted of sleek updates to the rooms (including cabin-style “Cosmic Cottages”) and the debuts of an indoor-outdoor bar and lounge and a Nordic spa. The spa has two private spaces, each with a sauna, changing area, and firepit, in addition to a shared cold shower and access to a communal outdoor pool. The experience is available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and 50-minute sessions—enough time to cycle through a sauna, a shower, the pool, and your firepit—can be booked for $50 Monday through Thursday and $75 Friday through Sunday. The starting rate is for two guests, with a $20 fee for each additional person and a maximum group size of six.

Fjord in Sausalito, California

Otis Redding famously got the inspiration for “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” while staying on a houseboat in Sausalito, and the Marin County waterfront is an even better place to be “wastin’ time” now, thanks to Fjord. The spa features two electric-powered aspen saunas installed on a salvaged platform floating at the end of a marina. The saunas reach roughly 190 degrees, and guests—who can book shared 90-minute sessions between 7:30 a.m. and noon or private two-hour blocks in the afternoons and evenings—can step out and take the plunge right into the bay, which dips down near 50 degrees during the winter months. “We’d learned a lot about Nordic and Baltic countries where sauna isn’t a luxury treatment, it’s just part of everyday life,” says Fjord co-founder Gabe Turner. “What stuck with us wasn’t the aesthetic—it was the ritual. We wanted to re-create that same cycle of heat, cold, rest, community, but in a way that felt natural to the Bay Area. People here already jump in the bay; we just built the warm place to come back to.”

Utah Lake Sauna in Provo, Utah

Built on a marina in Utah Lake State Park, shvitzing distance from the Provo Airport, the Utah Lake Sauna has a target temperature of 190 degrees, seating room for eight, a Himalayan salt wall, and a cold plunge tub, along with Adirondack chairs where you can sit and watch the sun set over the Beehive State’s largest freshwater lake. It’s open daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., and a 75-minute community session slot costs $36 (with a 10% discount for those who purchase a 10-session pass).

Ebb & Ember in Portland, Oregon

The mighty waters of the Columbia River look a little more welcoming these days, thanks to the January 2026 opening of Ebb & Ember. Moored at the Elevated Tides Marina in the North Portland Harbor, the floating sauna (with a second sauna in progress) offers social sessions as well as a private option for up to 10 guests, with memberships available for dedicated spagoers. Sessions last 1 hour and 45 minutes, with availability from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Cold plungers can take the leap off the roof of the sauna into the river, where winter temperatures can dive into the 30s and 40s. The water is warmer in the summer, and the trade-off is late sunsets and clear skies, meaning more time to take in views of the Cascades.

Bodhi Farms in Bozeman, Montana

At the eco-resort Bodhi Farms just outside Bozeman, Montana, the wood-fired sauna has three levels of seating, with the heat increasing as you sit higher. Sessions last for 90 minutes, with the option to hop into the waters of Cottonwood Creek or cold plunge in the snow during winter. The sauna is free of charge for resort guests, and private sessions are available for those not staying on property ($150 for 1–2 people, $250 for 3–6 people).

Wild Haus Floating Saunas in Seattle, Washington

Take in views of the Seattle skyline, relax in the 160-degree to 200-degree heat, and plunge into the lake or use the onboard cold bucket shower for contrast therapy, all while the floating wood-fired sauna is piloted around Lake Union by a licensed captain. The Seattle-based founders of Wild Haus partnered with a Swedish sauna designer to create the glass-enclosed boats that guests can book for 90-minute communal sessions ($150) or private charters ($900–$1,200 for up to six passengers). During peak times—both summer and the colder winter months—the team advises reserving several weeks in advance, especially for weekends and sunset hours.

Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska

If anywhere in the United States is a climatic match for Scandinavia, it’s Alaska, so the Alyeska Nordic Spa seems a natural fit for the Last Frontier. Located at the Alyeska Resort, an Alpine-style ski destination in the Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska, the 50,000-square-foot spa features several heat rooms, including a cedar barrel sauna, a halotherapy sauna with a Himalayan pink salt wall, and a large cabin sauna. It also has three cold plunge pools, as well as relaxation spaces where guests can return to equilibrium at the end of each hot-cold cycle. The resort recommends going through the circuit three to four times for peak benefits—although you’ll surely be tempted to do more to maximize enjoyment of the peaceful setting, which is adults-only, cell phone–free, and nestled amid an Alaskan timber forest. The circuit is available from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. A full-day hydrotherapy pass starts at $125, and the Ultimate Experience, which includes a one-hour massage, starts at $245. Reservations are available up to three months in advance.