Bota Bota's new 20,000-square-foot second vessel opened July 15 in Montreal, lifting the floating spa's annual capacity from 170,000 to 225,000 visitors and betting that sauna-goers now want conversation as much as silence.

Co-founder and president Geneviève Emond confirmed the expansion to the Montreal Gazette, describing a project paused by COVID-19 and revived by post-pandemic demand. "That definitely put the brakes on the project," she said of the pandemic, which hit just after the barge purchase. "But exiting the pandemic, we realized pretty quickly the interest was still there."

What does the new pavilion change?

The second vessel departs from the original boat's silence-first model. It adds:

• accessible locker rooms plus a gender-neutral section;
• multiple cold-plunge stations;
• the spa's first indoor bath;
• guided Aufguss ceremonies combining sauna sessions and cold baths.

Quiet conversation is allowed on the new vessel — a deliberate split between a contemplative circuit on the first boat and a social one on the second. "There is a more social part to it that we don't have in other spaces," Emond said.

The capacity gain matters commercially, but Emond framed the investment around service breadth: "There was an increase in capacity, but it's also about giving more experiences, more different experiences, and better experiences than we've had traditionally."

Who else is chasing social wellness?

Bota Bota is not alone. Griffintown's Recess markets itself as a "social wellness club," combining saunas, cold plunges, meditation and breath work. Joy Wellness Club opened in downtown Montreal this spring on the same thesis: people want to "take care of themselves together." Both sell single sessions and monthly memberships, building recurring revenue into a traditionally walk-in business.

The demand driver, in Emond's reading, is generational. "Younger people are drinking less, going out less, but they still need to socialize," she said. "They still need to get out. And they're finding ways to do it without hurting their health."

Psychologist Joe Flanders, founder of experiential-therapy collective Refuge, links the trend to smartphone-driven overstimulation. Hot-cold cycles "create this huge surge of the parasympathetic nervous system," overpowering the stress-driven sympathetic response, he noted.

He cautions operators, though, that mixing sociability with retreat can conflict. Taking a break from overstimulation is many visitors' primary goal, and meeting both needs at once "could undermine" it. "I don't know if it's going to work as well," Flanders said of the hybrid model, while acknowledging the underlying need is real.

What about the visitor mix?

Tourists account for 30 to 35 percent of Bota Bota's summer clientele. Since last summer, U.S. arrivals have decreased "as expected," Emond said, though New York, California and Florida still send visitors. The trade war has redirected flows: Ontario travellers are up "very consequent[ly]," Mexico is growing, and France remains a core international source market.

Emond rejected the idea that the category has peaked. Wellness in Quebec is growing and "it's not a fad," she said.

Pricing and positioning

Water circuits start at $65 for two hours; massages and treatments start at $130, depending on the period. Emond positioned the offering as "an affordable luxury; it's not super-affordable," noting promotions, tiered pricing and competitor options in the city.

She argued day spas now substitute for discretionary purchases beyond the category. It "definitely replaces more" buying material goods, and serves as a stand-in for travel: "you don't always have the time or the money to go on a vacation."

For the wider industry, the play to watch is whether guided, noise-tolerant formats like Aufguss can coexist with silent circuits under one brand — and whether membership models at Recess and Joy Wellness Club pull social bathing into recurring revenue. Bota Bota's first full high season on two vessels, and its Ontario visitor counts, will be the next data points to track.