Built From a Personal Story

Arctic Heat Retreat began with one person's recovery. On the business's blog, the founder writes about going through a traumatic experience and then months of sleeping only two to three hours a night. A session in the sauna at a local community centre brought back the feeling of being tired at bedtime, and a routine of cold plunges in the morning and sauna in the evening became part of the founder's healing.

Once recovered, the founder wanted to bring the ritual to the Fraser Valley. After a year of planning, fundraising, and working with regulators, Arctic Heat Retreat opened in Fort Langley in 2024, and it describes itself as the first properly health-approved sauna and cold plunge facility east of Vancouver.

Small on Purpose

The space is deliberately intimate. Each session is limited to three guests, who share one sauna and a rainfall shower but each get their own cold plunge tub. Book one spot and you may share with up to two others; book all three and the session is private, even if only one or two people come.

The tubs are a point of pride. In a blog post about opening, the founder explains that Fraser Health required fresh water for cold plunges rather than recirculating systems, so every tub is drained and refilled before each session, with no chlorine. The Township of Langley even classed the tubs as bathtubs under the plumbing code, and the founder writes that the build ended up costing more than $200,000.

How a Session Works

Standard sessions run 65 minutes, and longer 90-minute sessions are offered at some weekday times. The facility suggests 15 to 20 minutes in the sauna followed by one to two minutes in the cold plunge, for two or three rounds. The sauna is kept at 190 degrees Fahrenheit and allows löyly, water poured on the rocks for steam. The plunge runs about 7 to 8 degrees Celsius in winter and 12 to 13 in summer, and staff will add ice if you want it colder.

Towels, water, tea, and electrolytes are provided, and each session closes with a warm towel and a peppermint-infused cold cloth. Bring a bathing suit. Guests must be 15 or older, and anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian. If better sleep is your goal, the business's blog suggests longer sauna rounds paired with shorter, gentler plunges.

What Guests Say

Arctic Heat holds a perfect 5.0-star Google rating across more than 220 reviews. Testimonials on its website describe the space as "super relaxing, yet extremely clean," and one first-timer called it "personal, clean and not intimidating." Another guest said they look forward to an appointment "all week."

It also works as an outing with friends. One guest called it "a perfect outing for a group of 3 friends," and another appreciated that a group booking meant "it was only us in the space." No experience is needed: the website says most first-timers are brand new, and staff will walk you through it.

Visit

Arctic Heat Retreat is in Unit 5 of the Heritage Manor building at 9124 Glover Road in Fort Langley. Sessions are booked online at arcticheatretreat.ca, where current times are posted.

Arrive about 15 minutes early to find parking. There is customer parking behind the building, reached from Church Street, plus marked Heritage Manor stalls in the Living Waters Church lot off Glover Road. Questions can go to info@arcticheatretreat.ca.