The hot and cold of it: Quebec company building $50M nordic spa in Parkland County

As a spa experience goes, it's one that will leave you hot and then cold.

Edmonton-area devotees of nordic spas will be able to dive in at a new facility to be built in Parkland County, Groupe Nordik announced in a news release Wednesday.

Construction on the $50-million project is expected to begin in 2021.

"Our vision for this thermal spa will be incredibly distinctive and exceptional for Canada," Groupe Nordik CEO Martin Paquette said in the release. "This spa will draw its inspiration from the roots of wellness traditions from all cultures, adapted by and for Canadians."

The Parkland County spa is the first foray by Gatineau, Que.-based Groupe Nordik into Alberta but it isn't the province's first nordic spa.

Kananaskis Nordic Spa at the Delta Lodge in Kananaskis opened in early 2018. It features three outdoor pools heated to different temperatures.

The nordic spa experience involves heat — saunas, steam rooms or hot tubs — followed by cold, such as an ice-water plunge, and then a rest period before repeating the cycle.

Groupe Nordik is not revealing the exact location for its Parkland County spa.

"We are now working hand-in-hand with Parkland County, and wish to respect the steps of approval and processes involving public, stakeholder groups and the regional board," company spokesperson Marianne Trotier said in an emailed statement.

The spa will be the fifth owned by Groupe Nordik, which has two in Quebec and one in Winnipeg. Construction on a fourth, in Whitby, Ont., is to begin next month. The company's Outaouais spa, near Ottawa, sees more than 230,000 guests each year; the Winnipeg spa, which opened in 2015, is visited by 95,000 people each year.

Rod Shaigec, the mayor of Parkland County, said the project will create more than 450 jobs — some during construction and others when the business is in operation.

"The many benefits this business will bring to the region include employment opportunities both during and after construction, increased tourism to the region and well as physical and mental health benefits," Shaigec said in the release.

The company said it expects to announce a spa for the Calgary area soon.