Vancouver Island
Hot springs on Vancouver Island
There are fewer than the internet suggests, and the ones that exist are worth the trip.
- 8 places on this page
- 15 towns
- 4 upcoming
Geothermal springs we can confirm
Park & Nature
Nism̓aakqin Park (Hot Springs Cove)
Tofino
4.7on GoogleRated 4.7 out of 5 on GoogleMarine provincial park at Hot Springs Cove with natural hot springs.
Wellness & Spa
Hot Springs Cove Campsite
Tofino
4.2(17)Rated 4.2 out of 5 from 17 reviewsWhy the list is short
Genuine geothermal springs are a geological accident, and Vancouver Island has very few of them. Most are remote: reached by boat or floatplane and then a boardwalk, as a full-day trip rather than an afternoon. That remoteness is most of the experience and all of the cost.
Everything else marketed as a "hot spring" here is a heated pool, a spa tub or a wellness centre. Those can be excellent. They are not hot springs, and this page will not call them that.
Planning a real soak
Budget a whole day and book the transport before you book anything else — the boat or the floatplane is the constraint, not the spring. Weather cancels trips, so build in a spare day if you have travelled a long way for it.
Tide matters at coastal springs: the lower pools are the hot ones and the sea cools them on a big tide. Operators time their departures around this, which is another reason to go with one rather than improvise.
If you go
- It is a day, not an hour
- Boat or floatplane, a boardwalk each way, and a weather-dependent schedule. Plan nothing else that day.
- Book the transport first
- Seats are the bottleneck in summer, and cancellations for weather are normal. Leave a spare day.
- Nothing is provided
- No towels, no lockers, no shop. Carry water, a towel, footwear you can walk a boardwalk in, and take your rubbish out.
- Check before you drive
- Access roads and trails close. Check the site is open the week you travel.
Warm water without the geology
Spas, pools and wellness places with a page on Enjoy Vancouver Island. Not hot springs, and not pretending to be.
Wellness & Spa
Derma Spa Nanaimo
Nanaimo
5.0(562)Rated 5 out of 5 from 562 reviewsWellness & Spa
Rise Medical Aesthetics
Nanaimo
5.0(452)Rated 5 out of 5 from 452 reviewsWellness & Spa
Setri Nordic Spa
Duncan
5.0(261)Rated 5 out of 5 from 261 reviewsWellness & Spa
Japanese Head Spa by Ana
Victoria
5.0(182)Rated 5 out of 5 from 182 reviewsWellness & Spa
Nanaimo Elements Spa
Nanaimo
5.0(163)Rated 5 out of 5 from 163 reviewsA day spa on Uplands Drive in Nanaimo doing facials and body treatments, massage and reflexology, waxing, manicures, pedicures, brows and lashes, with Éminence…
Wellness & Spa
Uplift Medical Aesthetics BC
Nanaimo
5.0(116)Rated 5 out of 5 from 116 reviewsSoaking etiquette
These are small pools in a fragile place, usually with no facilities, no staff and a queue. Rinse before you get in, take everything out with you including the obvious, keep voices down, and do not use soap or shampoo anywhere near the water.
Swimwear norms vary and change through the day. Read the room rather than the internet, and if the pool is full, wait — the whole point of getting there was the quiet.
Hot springs by town
Places, events and things to do, town by town.