Saunoa Sets November 13 Opening for Its Ottawa and Toronto Floating Saunas
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Bookings are open for 90-minute sessions at both waterfront saunas. A single visit is C$45, and the Ottawa sauna uses the river as its cold plunge.
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Saunoa will open both of its floating saunas on November 13. The new one is moored on the Ottawa River beside the National Capital Commission’s River House, and the other sits on Toronto’s harbourfront at 275 Queen’s Quay West. Bookings are open for both.
The National Capital Commission went looking for a company to design, build and run a floating sauna near the River House in August 2025, and confirmed Saunoa as the operator in September. CTV News Ottawa reported the November 13 date on November 5, after Saunoa posted it on its website.
Ottawa: two sauna rooms, with the river as the plunge
The Ottawa sauna has two sauna rooms, and one is designated accessible. Bathers cool off in an enclosed river plunge built alongside it or step straight into the open river, which is unsupervised and has no lifeguard. Saunoa lists hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, and CTV reports the sauna will operate year-round.
Changerooms, lockers and a lounge are on the sauna, while washrooms and the Bytown Café are at the River House. There are no showers on the sauna itself. The River House showers run from June to September.
Besides shared community sessions, CTV reports staggered-entry sessions in Ottawa, with eight guests entering at a time, 10 minutes apart.
Toronto: a deck plunge under the CN Tower
In Toronto, the sauna is moored a short walk from Union Station, with a plunge tub on the deck, cold-water showers, changerooms and lockers. Both locations offer community sessions shared with other guests and private sessions that reserve the whole sauna for one group.
Every visit lasts 90 minutes, which Saunoa says is enough for two or three rounds of heat, cold and rest. The saunas run at 185 to 203°F, and guests throw water on the stones themselves.
A single session is C$45, before tax and a service fee
A single 90-minute session costs C$45, about US$32. New guests can buy three sessions for C$99, and a 25-session pack brings the price down to C$34 a visit. Saunoa’s prices are before HST and a 7% service fee. Community sessions are for guests 18 and older.
Private sessions in Ottawa for up to 24 guests cost C$500 Monday to Thursday and C$900 on Fridays and weekends, according to CTV.
SaunaNews first reported Saunoa’s plans for both waterfronts in October, before either opening date was set. Across the border, KOS Sauna runs a floating sauna on Saratoga Lake in Upstate New York.
