8 Best Spas in Montreal Where You Can Relax and Unwind

Hôtel Le Crystal, Downtown Montreal

Located in the centre of Montreal, at Hôtel Le Crystal you’re just a block away from Rue Sainte-Catherine. This is the city’s main shopping hub, home to department stores like La Baie d’Hudson and countless independent retailers and malls. It’s also the closest hotel to the Bell Centre complex—a five-minute walk from hockey games and concerts.

Balance Montreal entertainment with the hotel’s relaxing Amerispa. From here, take in views of the skyline and the verdant Mont-Royal park beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows. Work out in the gym, unwind in the Swedish sauna or take a dip in the indoor heated saltwater pool. Relax in the hot tub on the wooden rooftop terrace and take in the cityscape. Treatments include the skin-plumping Valmont facial and the Gentle Shea Butter Body Wrap, a skin-nourishing blend of grapefruit and mango essential oils and soothing shea butter.

Hôtel Le Crystal is a spa apartment hotel, so each suite feels likes a home away from home complete with a kitchenette and dining space, separate living area and bedroom. However, there’s no obligation to cook. The hotel’s on-site restaurant serves authentic Thai cuisine, with classic dishes such as coconut shrimp and papaya salad, tom yum soup and pad thai.

Hotel Le St-James Montreal, Old Town Montreal

Hotel Le St-James is one of the oldest hotels in the city. Built in 1870, it’s a restored merchant bank situated in lively Old Montreal. The building’s history is reflected in the architecture and the interior, with moulded walls and ornate ceilings throughout.

Guest rooms feature traditional dark wood furnishings, such as four-poster beds and marble bathrooms. The sumptuous decor continues in the hotel’s XO restaurant, with crystal chandeliers and ornate woodwork. Book an alcove for a private dining experience, where you’ll find culinary delicacies such as filet mignon and rack of lamb on a menu of classic European dishes.

The hotel’s underground Le Spa is in the old bank vault. Here, two grand candlesticks flag a preserved stone wall. Opt for a soothing hot-stone massage or invigorating Swedish rub, then try the luxurious caviar facial treatment. The spa’s primary product line is Pevonia, created by renowned Swiss biologists and containing all-natural botanical ingredients. Complement your treatments with a steam bath and sauna for a wellness indulgence in a hotel steeped in history.

Hôtel Place d’Armes, Old Town Montreal

The first boutique hotel in Old Montreal, the award-winning Hôtel Place d’Armes is spread across four 19th-century buildings. Opposite the world-famous Notre-Dame Basilica, it’s at the centre of the Old Town.

The hotel’s full-service Rainspa has expert practitioners on hand to combine ancient therapies with the latest technology in wellness treatments. The long, pink pedicure suite calls out for friends to indulge in a group pampering session. Among the highlights is the spa’s hammam. This traditional Middle Eastern steam bath invigorates the skin, stimulates circulation and soothes muscles. Body treatments include Japanese acupressure shiatsu and Thai yoga massage. For serious facial therapy, microdermabrasion is available for optimum skin renewal, or try the high-tech Nuface method, which uses micro-current light-wave technology to improve firmness and help reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Guest room design includes century-old exposed brick or high ceilings, styled with traditional furnishings in keeping with the building’s era. The hotel’s Brasserie 701, with French classics like beef tartare and escargots, is a local favourite for its buzzing urban vibe. The hotel’s atmosphere is still lively at seven on Monday mornings when you can join the running club for a combined cardio workout and tour of the city.

W Montreal, Downtown Montreal

It’s contemporary and clean-line design all the way for the W Montreal. Creative room concepts include striking yellow and gold accents and French rococo-style feature walls. Large windows overlook Victoria Square park across from the main entrance.

The hotel’s Away® Spa continues the cosmopolitan theme, offering body treatments from around the globe. The anti-inflammatory and detoxifying Grotta Giusti Mud Bath involves purifying, warm Italian mud, while the Mediterranean Aromasoul massage uses dried black-olive pits to exfoliate the body. Oriental Aromasoul begins with a cream rice exfoliation followed by a rebalancing massage to aid energy flow through the meridians, said to help blood circulation and regulate the organs.

The W’s 24-hour Sweat fitness centre is fully equipped, and its vibrant wall mural is sure to inspire a workout. For post-workout sustenance, check out the on-site Nom-Nom Cantine, with its quirky wall designs and tasty Asian dim sum, Taiwanese fried chicken and crispy squid.

Hotel Omni Mont Royal, Downtown Montreal

Hotel Omni Mont Royal is located in downtown Montreal, in the historic Golden Square Mile district. Light-filled loft-style guest rooms, with views of the city to the south and Mont Royal Park to the north, feature Italian-marble bathrooms stocked with designer toiletries.

The hotel’s EQlib Medispa is much more than a spa; it’s a sophisticated beauty and aesthetics institute. They offer elegant manicures and pedicures, luxury facials and relaxing massages—such as Reflexology or the Basaltes Hot Stones massage—but you can also book medical aesthetic treatments. Choose from collagen induction therapy, Derma-Roller micro-needling or the better-known chemical peels, fillers and Botox injections. The Phytomer Sea Holistic treatment uses Thai-inspired boluses, filled with soothing sea salt crystals and lavender, to relax the body and mind.

Dining at the Omni Mont Royal includes the relaxed Le Petit Opus Café, offering a menu of local flavours like classic French onion soup, maple-glazed Atlantic salmon and duck confit. Finish with traditional crème brulée or a selection of Quebec cheeses. To offset those bistro indulgences with a workout, head to the state-of-the-art fitness centre overlooking the bustling street below. If you prefer a more private workout, grab a Get Fit Kit for room use—which includes a floor mat, hand weights, elastic bands and towels. Venture out to the seasonal open-air rooftop pool and sundeck, or soak in the heat of the Jacuzzi indoors.

Hotel Bonaventure Montreal, Downtown Montreal

Hotel Bonaventure Montreal, encompassing the top two floors of a 17-storey commercial complex, is directly connected to Montreal’s famous Underground City—the 32-kilometre subterranean pedestrian network linking metro stations and shopping centres. Rooms are tastefully decorated in shades of coffee and cream, filled with mahogany furniture and offer views of the gardens or the city.

Signature dishes at the Bonaventure’s Le Kube restaurant include melt-in-your-mouth Angus beef tenderloin with mushrooms, mousseline potatoes and foie gras sauce, plus an aromatic vegetable curry with kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk, basmati rice and tofu croutons.

At the Bonaventure, spa treatments are provided as an in-room service for optimum privacy and relaxation. Pampering and beauty treatments are courtesy of MiaSpa, and include facials and deep-tissue or Swedish massages. But the jewel in this hotel’s crown is undoubtedly the 2.5 acres of rooftop gardens. Here, the outdoor year-round-heated pool and Jacuzzi are surrounded by lush greenery, streams and ponds filled with koi carp, creating a real “resort in the city” vibe. With towering birch trees and evergreen pines, it’s hard to believe you’re directly above the busy streets of Downtown Montreal.

Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, Downtown Montreal

Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, with 950 rooms and suites, is a community within itself. In addition to the usual amenities, you’ll find a European-inspired urban market; the Nascarat, a hot new night spot; and Kréma, an inviting coffee lounge with a central fireplace. The main restaurant, Rosélys, is open all day, serving dishes with local and seasonal ingredients. When available, the abundant seafood platter includes the likes of lobster, oysters, Nordic shrimp, whelks, clams and snow crab.

Start your spa break in the wellness centre, where you’ll find the indoor pool, Jacuzzi and sauna. Your guest room will be comfortable and contemporary, with a dynamic interior—including a vibrant feature wall.

For treatments, visit the Moment Spa for peace and luxury in its zen-like environment. Facilities include three deluxe mani-pedi stations and eight private rooms. A signature treatment is the Moment Spa Massage, consisting of slow, enveloping and draining manoeuvres to relieve accumulated tension in the body, and using soothing bamboo, water lily and hibiscus oil to rejuvenate and re-energize. The treatment ends with a refreshing and moisturizing mist to gently bring you back to the present.

The Ritz-Carlton Montreal, Downtown Montreal

The Ritz-Carlton Montreal, in Downtown’s Golden Square Mile historic district, dates back to 1912. It’s one of Canada’s most renowned hotels—former guests include Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill. Rooms are unsurprisingly elegant, blending historic elements, such as period art and mouldings, with modern amenities like in-room Nespresso coffee machines. All rooms feature luxurious linens, marble bathrooms and heated flooring, while suites have a cozy fireplace and oversize soaking tub.

Begin your wind-down in the rooftop wellness sanctuary and indoor saltwater pool that overlooks the city before pampering yourself with treatments at the Spa St. James. Detox the skin with a body exfoliation and seaweed wrap, buff and polish with a maple sugar scrub, or try the Banana Leaf Ritual experience. The Advanced Facial with Oxygen Blast is a cutting-edge treatment, which uses the spa’s exclusive O2 oxygen machine, nourishing the skin with high-grade oxygen, minerals, peptides and amino acids to give it a radiant glow.

Post-pampering, head for a gourmet meal in the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, Maison Boulud. Chef Daniel Boulud brings traditional French dishes with a modern flair, such as pink snapper and octopus ceviche with beets and citrus, as well as rhubarb cooked in sugar crust, with yogurt mousse and chamomile sorbet. Private dining rooms are available—ideal if you’re staying with a group of friends.