Bota Bota Spa: Montreal’s Floating Nordic Spa Explained

The Bota Bota spa Montreal visitors spot from the Old Port promenade is a black-hulled boat that started life in 1951 as a river ferry and now holds saunas, steam rooms, hot pools and cold plunges on several decks, plus a garden on the quay and a newer second vessel. It sits in the Old Port, about a ten-minute walk from the metro, and it is at its best on a cold evening, when steam rises off the decks in front of the downtown towers. Here is how it works, what is on each deck, what it costs in autumn and winter 2026–27, and how to get the most from a visit.

All prices and hours below are Bota Bota’s own, read on its website in October 2026; prices are before tax unless stated. For how Bota Bota compares with Strøm, Scandinave, Balnea and the other thermal spas around the city, see our guide to Nordic spas near Montreal.

Bota Bota at a Glance

From River Ferry to Floating Spa: The Story of the Boat

Bota Bota’s hull has had three lives. According to the spa’s own history, the boat was built in 1951 as the ferry Arthur Cardin, which carried passengers across the St. Lawrence between Sorel and Saint-Ignace-de-Loyola, near Berthierville, through the 1950s and 1960s. In 1967, the year of Expo 67, it was converted into a floating theatre called L’Escale.

The third life began in 2008, when the Émond family, led by Geneviève and Daniel Émond, bought the boat with the idea of turning it into a spa. Architect Jean Pelland and Sid Lee Architecture designed the conversion. The hull was widened and stabilised in dry dock at Sorel, relaunched in March 2009, towed to the Old Port in August 2010 and opened to the public in December 2010. The name, the spa says, evokes the sound of a falling drop of water in Japanese.

Since then Bota Bota has kept growing: a restaurant in 2013, the garden on the quay in 2015, a floating sauna in 2017, the Plein Sud terrace in 2020, Reconnexion Thursdays in 2023 and its own parking lot in 2025. It welcomed its one-millionth visitor in August 2021. The latest addition, the Pavillon, a second vessel designed by Sid Lee and moored at right angles to the original boat, is its newest space.

What’s on Board, Deck by Deck

The experience is less about counting pools and saunas than about moving between levels. This is how the spa describes its installations, from the top down. Temperatures are the spa’s own.

Sun Deck

The top of the boat is the most exposed level. It has the City Sauna, an outdoor cold plunge, a round hot bath and open terraces facing downtown. In winter this is where the contrast between hot water and cold air is strongest.

Boardwalk Deck

This level holds the River Sauna, which hosts guided meditations every hour, a steam bath, an indoor cold bath and shower, a multiform bath, the main relaxation room, a meditation room and terraces. If you only have two hours, this deck and the Sun Deck give you a full circuit.

Intermediary Deck and Main Deck

Between the two, the Intermediary Deck holds the Grand Portholes room, a rest area with views out through the hull’s round windows. The Main Deck, at water level, has a sauna over the water, a relaxation room, a floating terrace, an outdoor cold shower and La Traversée, the on-board restaurant.

The Garden

On the quay beside the boat, the garden adds a second circuit in a greener setting: a steam room, a sauna at 88 °C, an outdoor cold plunge, a cold shower, a pool at 29 °C, a jet bath, terraces, a hammock room and a relaxation room called the crew quarters.

The Pavillon

The newest part of Bota Bota is a second vessel. On its second level are an indoor bath at 37 °C, an Aufguss sauna at 75 °C, cold baths at 15 °C and terraces; on its third level, an outdoor bath at 38 °C, an indoor relaxation room and more terraces. The Pavillon has four cold baths in all.

The Aufguss sauna is the Pavillon’s highlight. Aufguss is a German sauna ritual in which a sauna master pours scented water on the hot stones and fans the heat around the room. Sessions last about 30 minutes, are included in the water circuit and need no booking. They run Monday to Thursday 11:00–21:00 and Friday to Sunday 10:00–21:00, hourly, and every 30 minutes on Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00 to 15:30.

How to Do the Water Circuit

Bota Bota’s circuit follows the classic Nordic routine. The spa’s own guidance is to heat up for 10 to 15 minutes, cool down for 15 to 60 seconds, then rest for 20 to 30 minutes, and to repeat the cycle three or four times.

1. Heat: a sauna, the steam bath or a hot pool. Start with a hot pool if saunas are new to you.
2. Cold: a cold plunge or cold shower. Short is fine; the spa suggests up to a minute.
3. Rest: a relaxation room, the Grand Portholes room, a hammock in the garden or a terrace lounger wrapped in your robe.

Three or four full cycles take more than two hours, so the two-hour Pause is enough for a taste but tight for a full routine. The four-hour Layover gives you time for the whole boat, the garden and the Pavillon, plus an Aufguss session and a meal.

Bota Bota Spa Montreal Prices for 2026–27

Bota Bota prices the water circuit by the length of your visit and by the date. Every date falls into one of four price periods, shown on a colour-coded calendar on the spa’s prices page. The prices below are before tax.

Which Days Cost What

On the calendar for October 2026 to March 2027, most Mondays to Thursdays are Period 1, the cheapest, while Fridays and Sundays are mostly Period 3 and Saturdays Period 4. Period 2 covers a scattering of holiday-type dates, such as 11 and 26 November and 21 to 24 December, and the week between Christmas and New Year is priced at the top rate. Check the calendar for your exact date before you book.

Two more price rules matter:

• Evening discount. From Friday to Sunday, visits starting from 17:00 get an extra $10 off.
• Time slots are strict. You book a specific slot, and if you stay longer, the next slot is charged automatically. Time spent in the restaurant counts toward your slot.

A two-hour Monday visit at $65 is the cheapest way in; a Saturday full day at $155 the most expensive. For most visitors, a weekday Layover at $75 is the best value: four hours for $10 more than the two-hour Pause.

Memberships and Gift Cards

Regulars can buy a PAUSE+ membership by phone: $210 for three months, $390 for six months or $495 for a year, before tax. It takes $25 off every Pause visit, bringing the two-hour circuit down to $40–$60, and it cannot be transferred. Gift cards are sold in amounts from $25 to $500.

Massages and Treatments

Bota Bota’s massage therapists are registered massage therapists, and the spa issues receipts for insurance claims. Massage prices also follow the four periods:

Some techniques cost extra; a 60-minute Swedish massage starts at $130 and a 60-minute strong-pressure massage at $140. Two things catch people out. First, a massage does not include access to the water circuit; book both if you want both. Second, the tip is not included, and the spa suggests 15%. Massages run Monday to Thursday 9:40–22:00 and Friday to Sunday 9:00–22:00. Duo massages are booked by phone on 514-284-0333.

Eating and Drinking on Board

La Traversée, the restaurant on the Main Deck, serves a seasonal menu from 11:00 to 20:00 every day, with last orders at 20:00. There are no reservations, and it has 42 seats indoors and 22 on the terrace. You can eat in your robe between cycles, and it is also open to people not using the spa, through the reception.

Alcohol is sold, with wine from $14, beer from $9 and cocktails from $11.50, but the spa limits guests to two drinks per visit, which is sensible between saunas. Outside food and drink are not allowed. For dinner after your visit, Old Montreal’s restaurants are a short walk away; our Montreal food guide has ideas.

Special Events and Themed Nights

Bota Bota runs a regular programme of events on top of the normal circuit. Those listed on its events page for autumn 2026 include:

• Reconnexion Thursdays, every week: phones and cameras are allowed on board that day, under conditions set by the spa, and quiet conversation is welcome, which suits couples and friends.
• Meditation Wednesday, on the third Wednesday of the month, from 18:00 to 21:00 (21 October and 18 November 2026).
• Ciné-Spa evenings in the garden on 27 October and 17 November 2026.
• Yoga on 12 November 2026.
• Pirate Layover on 6 November 2026, from 9:00 to 14:00, the one time teenagers aged 12 to 17 can come, with a parent. Otherwise the spa is strictly 18 and over, because of its liquor licence.

Check the events page for later dates; the programme changes with the seasons. For what else is on in the city, see our Montreal events calendar.

Rules and What to Bring

Bota Bota supplies a robe, a towel and a locker. Everything else is up to you.

• A swimsuit suitable for the water. Required.
• Sandals. Mandatory and not provided, so bring your own; you cannot walk the decks barefoot.
• Not your own robe. The spa does not allow outside robes; use the one it provides.
• No phones or cameras on board, except on Reconnexion Thursdays, and camera glasses are banned at all times.
• A wool hat in winter, for walking between outdoor pools with wet hair.
• Payment on site. You pay when you arrive.

Other rules worth knowing: the spa is open every day except 25 December, so plan around it if you are in town for Christmas in Montreal; the outdoor areas close for 30 minutes after thunder; and you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before your visit, after which the full price is charged. Service dogs have limited access. For accessibility questions, such as stairs between decks, call the spa on 514-284-0333 before you book.

Getting to Bota Bota

The boat is moored at the western end of the Old Port. You board at the McGill entrance, at the corner of rue de la Commune and rue McGill. The spa’s postal address, 535 rue de la Commune Ouest, is not where you board, so do not send a taxi there.

Getting to Bota Bota Spa Montreal by Metro

Take the Orange line to Square-Victoria–OACI and use the Saint-Jacques exit, then walk south on rue McGill towards the river. The spa puts the walk at about 10 minutes. STM buses 715, 61 and 75 also stop nearby, and the spa says it is close to several BIXI bike-share stations. Our getting around Montreal guide explains fares and passes.

By Car

Bota Bota opened its own lot near 730 rue Mill in 2025, for spa guests only, at $31.25 including tax, or $25 if you book parking with your visit. The Grand Quai lot, about 10 minutes’ walk away, starts at $35, and the King Edward Quay lot, about 15 minutes’ walk away, costs $25 for under three hours and then $5 an hour.

A Four-Hour Visit, Step by Step

The four-hour Layover is the sweet spot for a first visit. Here is one way to use it on a winter weekday afternoon, starting at 13:00.

• 13:00–13:20: arrive and change. Board at the McGill entrance, check in, collect your robe and towel, and lock your phone away. Your slot has started, so do not linger.
• 13:20–14:10: first cycle on the Boardwalk Deck. A hot bath to warm up, the River Sauna (join an hourly guided meditation if one is starting), the indoor cold bath, then the main relaxation room.
• 14:10–15:00: second cycle in the Pavillon. Time it for an Aufguss session in the 75 °C sauna, cool off in one of the 15 °C cold baths, then rest in the indoor relaxation room upstairs.
• 15:00–15:30: a late lunch. Eat at La Traversée on the Main Deck; remember the time counts toward your slot.
• 15:30–16:30: third cycle in the garden. The 88 °C sauna or the steam room, the outdoor cold plunge, then a hammock in the hammock room.
• 16:30–16:45: last look from the Sun Deck. A final hot round bath with the city in view as the light goes.
• 16:45–17:00: shower and change. Finish on time, or the next slot is charged.

First-Timer Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting sandals. They are mandatory and not provided. Pack a pair you do not mind getting wet.
• Booking the two-hour Pause for a full routine. Three or four cycles, as the spa recommends, do not fit comfortably in two hours. Take the Layover if you can.
• Overrunning your slot. The next slot is charged automatically, and lunch counts toward your time.
• Booking a massage and expecting the pools. Massages do not include the water circuit; book both.
• Taking a taxi to the postal address. Ask for the corner of rue de la Commune and rue McGill instead.
• Bringing teenagers. Under-18s are only admitted at Pirate Layover events, with a parent.
• Cancelling at the last minute. Inside 24 hours, the full price is charged.

When to Go

Bota Bota is open year-round, and the experience changes with the seasons.

• Winter is the classic time. Snow on the decks, steam over the hot pools and a cold plunge in freezing air make the contrast the circuit is built on. Dress warmly for the walk; our winter clothing guide has the list, and Montreal in winter has more cold-weather ideas.
• Monday to Thursday is the cheapest part of the week. Walk-ins are usually possible outside peak periods.
• Saturdays are the most expensive; the spa strongly recommends booking.
• Weekend evenings from 17:00 get $10 off, and the city lights make them the most atmospheric.
• Summer turns the decks and garden into sun terraces, and the cold plunges become the highlight.

Bota Bota Spa Montreal vs the City’s Other Thermal Spas

Bota Bota is the obvious pick if you are staying downtown or in Old Montreal and do not have a car. Its strengths are its location, the views, the variety of spaces on the boat, in the garden and in the Pavillon, and the strict quiet. Its limits are the 18-and-over rule, the timed slots and the smaller outdoor space compared with the big forest spas outside the city.

For a larger outdoor circuit on the island of Montreal, Strøm Nordic Spa on Nuns’ Island is the main alternative, and it admits visitors from 16. For a forest setting, the spas in the Laurentians and the Eastern Townships are a day trip away. Our Nordic spa comparison lays out the prices and age rules side by side.

Making a Day of It in the Old Port

Bota Bota sits at the western end of the Old Port, so it pairs naturally with a day in the old town. A few combinations:

• Museum, then spa. Spend the morning at Pointe-à-Callière, the archaeology and history museum on the city’s founding site, a short walk east, then book an afternoon Layover. Our museums guide covers it.
• Old Montreal walk, then evening spa. Walk rue Saint-Paul, Place Jacques-Cartier and Notre-Dame Basilica while it is light, then board at dusk. The Old Montreal guide has a walking route.
• Spa, then dinner. Finish with dinner in Old Montreal or Griffintown, both within walking distance.
• Stay nearby. If the spa is a highlight of your trip, a hotel in Old Montreal puts you a short walk from the boat. Our where to stay guide compares the areas.

For the rest of the city, see our things to do in Montreal guide and a Montreal itinerary that leaves room for a slow afternoon on the water.

Frequently Asked Questions