Edmonton hasn’t had many options for the kind of big outdoor thermal spas found in the Rockies or Quebec.
That’s about to change.
Enoch Cree Nation is building a massive Indigenous thermal spa at River Cree Resort and Casino, just west of Edmonton off Anthony Henday Drive. It’s set to open in 2028, the same year another major thermal spa is planned for southwest Edmonton.
New renderings show at least six outdoor pools, a stone waterfall wall, glowing tipis and fire pits across the grounds. The post drew hundreds of comments within a day, many from people tagging friends to plan a visit.
The project has already completed a federal environmental review.
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What’s in the River Cree thermal spa
Federal project records list what’s being built:
Outdoor pools
Saunas
Steam rooms
Huts and other amenities in the outdoor spa area
A two-storey spa building, with a footprint of 2,896 square metres, or about 31,000 square feet
A parking lot with 187 stalls
That 31,000 square feet is the building’s footprint. The outdoor pools, saunas and patios are on top of that.
A first look
The renderings show the spa at dusk, from above.
The pools come in curved, natural shapes. Several sit in a cluster in the middle, fed by a long stone wall with waterfalls.
Two lit tipis stand at the front of the grounds. Fire pits line the stone paths, and a covered fire pavilion with seating sits in one corner.
In the centre is a round building with a domed, patterned roof. Wooden cabins line the edges. Those may be the saunas and huts in the federal records, though River Cree hasn’t said which is which.
The main building sits at the back, with a stone base, timber and a wall of windows facing the pools. With its low, wide roofline, it looks more like a Rocky Mountain lodge than a city spa.
These are renderings. The final design could change.
Edmonton could get two major thermal spas in 2028
River Cree isn’t the only one.
Scandinave Spa, which runs spas in Whistler, Blue Mountain and Mont-Tremblant, is building its first Alberta location in Brander Gardens, in southwest Edmonton, on a site overlooking the North Saskatchewan River. It’s targeting summer 2028, with 52 permanent full-time jobs.
If both stay on schedule, the Edmonton area could get two major outdoor thermal spas in the same year. River Cree’s would be west of the city. Scandinave’s would be in the river valley in the southwest.
They’ll likely feel different. Scandinave is built around Scandinavian tradition, with quiet zones and phones put away. River Cree’s design features tipis and fire, and sits next to a casino, hotel and restaurants.
Smaller Nordic-style spas are also coming to the city, including a planned spa called Ró next to The Grindstone in Ritchie.
How a thermal spa works
A thermal spa isn’t a massage-and-facial day spa. It’s built around a cycle.
You heat up in a hot pool, sauna or steam room. You cool down in a cold plunge or shower. You rest. Then you repeat.
Most people spend a few hours going around the circuit.
Thermal spas have become popular destinations in Quebec, and have spread to Ontario, B.C. and the Maritimes. Alberta has fewer of them. Its best-known, Kananaskis Nordic Spa, is about four hours from Edmonton.
In winter, the appeal is simple. Sitting in a hot outdoor pool at -20 C, with snow on the trees, is the whole point.
What will it cost?
That’s the question many people are asking.
River Cree hasn’t announced admission prices, or whether it will offer day passes, memberships or hotel packages.
Pricing could decide how popular the spa becomes with Edmonton residents, especially if Scandinave opens nearby the same year.
The federal review
Because the spa is on First Nation land, it needed a federal environmental review.
Indigenous Services Canada opened public comments on June 1, 2026. On July 22, it ruled the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects. The review is listed as complete.
That doesn’t mean every construction permit has been issued. But it’s a major step.
A similar spa in Saskatchewan
Whitecap Dakota Nation, about 25 km south of Saskatoon, is building Dakota Dunes Thermal Spa next to its resort, casino and golf course. The total cost is expected to reach $52 million, including $15 million from Ottawa.
Both projects follow the same idea: add a spa to a resort people already visit, and give them a reason to stay longer.
River Cree hasn’t released a cost or jobs estimate for its spa.
What we don’t know yet
Prices
An exact opening date
The spa’s official name
Hours, age limits and whether you’ll need to book
Treatments, like massages
Cultural programming. The renderings show Indigenous design, but Enoch Cree Nation hasn’t said what Cree traditions or practices, if any, will be part of the experience.
We’ll update this story when River Cree shares more.
Everything else being built at River Cree
The spa is one part of the biggest build-out in River Cree’s 20-year history.
A 20-storey hotel tower. A $200-million expansion adding 240 rooms, 40,000 square feet of event space and a new pool. It topped out in June and is on track to open in July 2027.
RC Golf & Games. A two-storey, year-round venue with 40 interactive driving bays, rooftop patios, private suites, more than 100 arcade games, eight pool tables and a 75-seat restaurant overlooking the range. It’s slated for spring 2027.
New retail space is being marketed next to the resort.
Hell’s Kitchen. Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant opened at River Cree in September. See the full menu and what it costs.
The $200 million is for the hotel, not the spa.
Together, the projects would turn River Cree from a casino into a year-round destination, with somewhere to stay, eat, play and now soak.
Where it is
River Cree is on Enoch Cree Nation, just west of Edmonton near Anthony Henday Drive and Whitemud Drive. Enoch, known in Cree as maskekosihk, “the people of the land of medicine,” is on Treaty 6 territory.
Sources
Enoch Cree Nation Thermal Spa Recreational Facility, Canadian Impact Assessment Registry
River Cree Golf and Games Recreational Facility, Canadian Impact Assessment Registry
Whitecap Dakota Nation celebrates resort expansion with new spa facility, Indigenous Services Canada, July 24, 2024
Scandinave Spa Edmonton announcement, Scandinave Group
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