Nestled in a grove of trees on a property in Shawnigan Lake, there is a Nordic spa that will help those who visit reconnect with themselves and the west coast natural landscape that surrounds them.
NYÜBU is the first Nordic spa in the Cowichan Valley area and is the passion project and business dreamed up by owner Megan Northey who runs the day-to-day and is oftentimes the one greeting the spa’s visitors.
Northey says that NYÜBU is a Zen Buddhist term that means “to go into the mountains to reconnect oneself to the gods.”
She began the spa as a way for herself to reconnect with herself after working abroad in some strife-stricken areas.
“I had worked abroad for a lot of years in conflict countries,” Northey told Victoria Buzz.
“I came home and really needed to heal from some PTSD and things and so the meaning of [NYÜBU] is just going somewhere where you’re safe enough to reconnect yourself with the essence of life.”
The spa features a small fenced in deck with a cedar wet sauna, maintained at around 180°F, two cold plunge tanks, a shower, a dunk bucket, seating areas, complimentary tea and lemon water and a propane fireplace which can be enjoyed any time of year.
Nordic spas like NYÜBU are meant to provide people with access to “hydrotherapy,” which is a branch of alternative medicine or healing where people’s bodies can be treated by using various temperatures of water.
A typical hydrotherapy circuit would have a visitor of a Nordic spa such as this do cold treatment, hot treatment and then rest the body before beginning the circuit again, however, Northey says she prefers to let people lead themselves through it as they choose to.
“We really like people to just do what feels good for their body, so we try not to dictate or get people to subscribe to any protocol they might be hard on themselves about,” Northey explained.
She added that she wants people to leave the spa “feeling connected to themselves.”
“[I want people] to feel like they’ve had the chance to get away from all the external things in the world and to tune into their bodies and their hearts, leaving feeling calmer and reconnected to the earth.”
After opening in October 2023, NYÜBU has gained a lot of notoriety in the Cowichan area and Northey says that she hopes it will continue to attract those looking for relaxation and self-care, but also has plans for “NYÜBU 2.0” in the future.
NYÜBU also has the benefit of being quite affordable for those needing some self-care with 90 minute sessions being only $30. Private sessions where the entire spa is yours will cost $270.
When was the last time you gave yourself a ‘me day’?
Check out the pictures of the NYÜBU space below.
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