Thunder Bay Wellness Retreats: Relax, Recharge, Repeat

Surrounded by Lake Superior’s waves, dramatic cliffs, and quiet forest trails, Thunder Bay is the ideal place to slow down and reset. This Northern Ontario city offers a wide range of wellness retreats and relaxation experiences that invite you to care for your body, calm your mind, and nourish your spirit. Whether you're planning a solo getaway or a weekend with friends, these self-care travel options in Thunder Bay will leave you refreshed and reconnected.

Multi-Day Wellness Retreats Near Thunder Bay

Namaste in the North has a variety of wellness retreats year-round at several sought-after sites near Thunder Bay (such as Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Rossport or Obonga Lake), as well as custom evening or day-long retreats upon request. Take part in yoga and meditation sessions geared to beginners, try a mindfulness program, or opt into activities like a sauna, cold plunge, kayaking and more. Meals and accommodations are included.

Creative Counselling is offering a “healing for the helpers” retreat for social workers, counsellors, therapists, nurses, front-line workers and others in helping professions, in September 2025. This three-night retreat takes place at Kashabowie River Resort, just over an hour’s drive west of Thunder Bay. Optional activities include yoga, art and EDMR therapy sessions, all in gorgeous natural surroundings. Meals and accommodations are included.

Far North Retreats is a road trip away from Thunder Bay—it’s about a three-hour drive north of the city to the ruggedly beautiful Obonga Lake, just to the west of Lake Nipigon. Depending on the weekend you choose, activities on offer include intuitive painting, yoga, meditation, crystal healing, sauna, kayaking, paddleboarding and drum, despacho or cacao ceremonies. Meals and accommodations are included.

If running is your self-care, check out this new offering from Up River Running, a Thunder Bay running event organization. At “run camp,” you spend an August 2025 weekend at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, just a short 30- to 40-minute drive from Thunder Bay. There, you can hang out with other runners, take part in guided runs that promote connection and adventure, and try out strength and mobility sessions. Meals are included (bring your own tent).

Thunder Bay Half-Day & One-Day Mindfulness and Wellness Experiences

Also known as forest bathing or shinrin-yoku, forest therapy is a way to connect to natural environments through guided cues and gentle walking. In Thunder Bay, the environmental organization EcoSuperior offers two- to four-hour forest therapy sessions in local natural areas such as Centennial Park.

Reach out to Wellness in Bloom to create a custom retreat for your group. Your personalized program can be your choice of meditation, yoga, self-care practices, and informative workshop that cover themes like stress relief, inner connection, navigating menopause, and empowerment tools. These retreats can be a day or half-day, throughout the year.

Combine art and yoga at a 2.5-hour group workshop hosted by popular local artist Vik Wilen at the Goods & Co. Market. Start with 45 minutes of yoga, followed by a guided art lesson that incorporates bright colours and natural landscapes in Vik’s signature style. In summer 2025, new day-long events include a sea kayaking and painting trip to Caribou Island on Lake Superior, and a hiking and art outing to Silver Falls Provincial Park. 

Thunder Bay Yoga & SUP Self-Care Experiences

Combine the very best of yoga, sauna and a cold plunge right in Lake Superior. Visit Art of Yoga to book a yoga session overlooking the big lake, including some offered on the lakeside deck, followed by a sauna and/or a dip in the lake (yes, even through the ice!)

Level up your yoga practice with SUP yoga, offered by Metsä Health & Wellness. They have group yoga sessions on stand-up paddleboards at local waterways, such as Silver Harbour on Lake Superior, and Surprise Lake and Little Dog Lake just to the northwest of the city. In the winter, watch their social media pages for details on candlelight yoga.

The “Where to Yoga in Thunder Bay” Facebook group page is a good resource to find out about different yoga-related classes and events going on around the city, as well as breathwork workshops, sound bath sessions and more. Popular local yoga studios include The Bodymind Centre (more than 60 yoga classes per week, as well as Pilates), Ananda Studios (15+ styles of yoga classes) and Modo Yoga (10+ yoga styles, including hot yoga). Thai Healing Center  has options that include Thai massage, yoga and meditation sessions. 

Authentic Finnish Sauna Culture at Kangas Sauna

Thunder Bay is famous for its sauna culture, thanks to the Finnish heritage of many of its residents (it’s home to the highest per capita Finnish population outside of Finland). If you’re not lucky enough to be visiting someone with a sauna, Kangas Sauna is a great alternative. Book one of their private saunas, which comes equipped with its own change room and shower Then head to their restaurant for some Finnish pancakes or homemade pie… another form of self-care!

Spas, Massages & Local Self-Care Products in Thunder Bay

Massages, facials and other relaxing treatments are an important part of self-care for many. Take your pick from several Thunder Bay day spas: local favourites include Drift Day Spa, Spa Euphoria, Evoke Salon + Spa and Pure Salon Day Spa. And of course, a self-care souvenir is always a fabulous idea. Pick up some small-batch, hand-crafted personal care products from local makers—consider Bare Organics, Boreal Body, North Star Naturals, Lovely Body, McChristie’s Bath & Body Co. and White Cedar Remedies. 

Unconventional Stress Relief at Thunder Bay's New Rage Room

If quiet and calm are not for you, be sure to check out Bash Bays, the city’s new smash room, where you can get outfitted in safety gear and then grab a hammer or a bat and cathartically smash an assortment of dishes, old electronic equipment and more. The venue now has splatter rooms too, where you don protective clothing, and, together with your buddies, fling neon paint around a room that’s equipped with black light so you can see your handiwork glow.

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