SASKATOON -- Saskatoon could be home to the province’s first Nordic spa in the next few years.

Scandvik Hotels, a local group with experience in the hotel industry, is proposing a Scandinavian Boutique Wellness Hotel and Spa development to be built in The Willows area.

The group says the adult-only spa will feature multiple outdoor thermal/cold plunge pools, saunas, steam rooms, massage and treatment rooms. They say the amenities will be accessible 365 days a year, which the group says aligns with the city's winter strategy.

Nordic spas are popular in Europe and eastern Canada and some have been popping up with great success in western Canada, said Travis Batting, president of Scandvik Hotels.

The facility will have 120 guestrooms, a 100 seat lounge/restaurant with a three-season patio, meeting space, fitness classes and outdoor relaxation centres.

“Our goal is to de-stress our customers by 130,000 hours. So we’re taking 130,000 hours of stress in Saskatoon,” Batting said.

Batting expects the project to be completed by 2023. He says by then the tourism industry should be back on its feet, serving pent up demand following restrictions from the pandemic.

“We want the travel dollars to stay within Saskatchewan, to stay within Saskatoon. And I think COVID really does highlight how important the tourism industry is to Saskatoon.”

Batting says zoning approval is still needed from City Hall before construction can begin. He says he would like construction to start sometime this summer.