Ontario Construction News staff writer
Oro-Medonte Township will soon be home to a luxurious outdoor day spa inspired by the tradition of sauna use in Finland and Scandinavia.
VETTA Nordic Spa officially broke ground on a 26-acre parcel of land in a serene forest of mature maples and pines at the top of Horseshoe Resort north of Barrie last week.
“The ground-breaking of VETTA Nordic Spa is an exciting time for Oro-Medonte and the County of Simcoe. Not only will VETTA Nordic Spa provides a unique experience for guests in a beautiful peaceful setting, it will complement existing tourism businesses in the area, and provide an opportunity for job creation,” said Oro-Medonte Mayor Harry Hughes.
“We would like to personally welcome VETTA Nordic Spa to Oro-Medonte and extend congratulations to Eric Harkonen and his team for reaching this milestone.”
VETTA will be one of Canada’s premier outdoor Nordic spas operating year-round, offering guests the opportunity to take time to “relax and reconnect with others, escape the fast-paced North American lifestyle, and recharge physically and mentally.”
The $17 million project includes a main building to house a lobby, offices, change rooms, a bistro and massage rooms, swimming pools, steam rooms, saunas, landscaping and surface parking.
Construction will get underway immediately, and they expect to be open in late 2020.
The facility will recognize traditional Finnish design and sauna customs with modern details that will offer opportunities for personal and social rejuvenation.
Services will highlight the Nordic practice of thermotherapy through transcendent saunas, steam rooms, and luxurious hot & cold pools. Social interaction is an essential part of Finnish sauna tradition and will be actively encouraged and welcomed while also respecting designated quiet zones.
VETTA will offer massage therapy services, a Scandinavian-inspired bistro restaurant, several indoor and outdoor relaxation areas including a solarium, hammock lounge, and fire pits), and a future chalet/corporate meeting facility.
There will be two large, signature saunas, one of which emulates a popular public sauna outside Helsinki, Finland. With features like warm mists, central fireplaces, and meditative water features, these saunas will encourage relaxation and an appreciation of the natural elements.
Meanwhile, another spa company, Groupe Nordik Inc., says it plans to expand to have 10 spas across Canada within the next 10 years.
The company started construction of a location in Whitby in October, says Martin Paquette, the company’s founder and chief executive officer.
Construction costs are rising, he told the Globe and Mail. As an example, the cost to build Nordik Spa-Nature in Chelsea, Quebec, cost $3.2 million to build in 2005 – though Paquette says the company has invested another $38 million n renovations and expansions over the past 15 years.
“The one we are starting to build in Whitby will probably be close to $40 million. Edmonton, same thing, we’re looking at a $35 million to $40 million project and Calgary might be $45-million to $50-million,” he says.
Paquette says the Whitby project is “going to be the first private company to build wth a CCDC 30 contract.
The CCDC 30 standard is based on the integrated project delivery (IPD) model, where the developer, contractor and other key participants share financial risks and potential projects.
“The IPD construction delivery model really seeks to get rid of that adversarial model,” Tim Sportschuetz, a Vancouver-based lawyer who specializes in construction law, was quoted as saying by the Globe and Mail. “It focuses on sharing responsibility between the key project participants.”