Hot, Cold, Rest and Repeat

Personal wellness has become a priority for many over the last few years. Today, people often value a proactive approach to health, seeking out intentional ways to rest and reset. It’s part of the reason for the rise in popularity of hydrotherapy. 

Inside Cedar & Steam, guests find rejuvenation. The local spa offers affordable and flexible options to contrast therapy and a steam and sauna experience.

Affordable and accessible 

In 2016, Cedar & Steam CEO and founder Brandy Millar began to build the spa concept as an easy entry point to everyday wellness. “At the time, you had to book a massage to get access to sauna and steam,” she recalls. “Providing wellness as accessible and affordable was really big for me. I found that there was just a really high threshold for people to get into it.” 

Millar adds that there was also a community component missing from the wellness landscape at the time. “People were looking for spaces where they could go and sometimes be social, bring a friend, connect with their partner, have more intimate conversations and do something healthy for themselves.”

In 2019, Cedar & Steam opened its doors to offer just this. Price points are affordable, and Cedar & Steam’s locations were purposefully located within the city, easily reached for a quick weeknight steam and sauna. Today, guests continue to enjoy the accessibility. They can drop in between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday to Wednesday, and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday to Sunday, and jump from steam rooms and dry saunas, to the cold shower, to the feature Himalayan salt sauna.

“The goal was never simply to build another spa. We wanted to create a modern wellness experience that felt social, intentional and grounded in how people actually want to slow down and recover today,” says Millar.

The brand evolution

Cedar & Steam’s original location in Avenida Village is a boutique spa: small but mighty, where community can gather in an intimate, wellness-focused space. Yet there was a natural evolution waiting to happen as guests shared that they wanted additional wellness experiences. So Millar listened. 

Enter Cedar & Steam’s new west location at Canadian Olympic Park.

“The evolution of our west location allowed us to expand beyond sauna and steam into more immersive wellness experiences like guided breathwork, contrast therapy and intentional recovery experiences designed around how people actually want to feel,” says Millar. 

The new spa introduces intentional forms of wellness and recovery. Guests will find a cold plunge pool, the new Lava Sauna (for those seeking an even hotter experience), the custom-designed Chakra Sauna (created specifically for immersive breathwork sessions) and an outdoor patio. 

“What separates us from our competitors is our evolution. We didn’t just put the same footprint in the west that we did in the south; they complement one another,” says Millar. “We looked at what we could do, what we could add that our customers, consumers and community wanted, and how we could still stay true to our roots of being accessible and affordable.” 

Cedar & Steam’s pricing is tiered, giving guests options. With a multi-location membership, guests can flow between both locations. Or they can choose single drop-in passes or multi-session packs, both of which are available at each location, meeting each guest where they are on their individual wellness journey.

For more information or to reserve, visit cedarandsteam.com/appointments/ 

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