Ten minutes in the sauna.
A minute in the cold plunge pool.
Seven minutes in the solarium lounge for your body to slowly and naturally warm itself.
Repeat.
And repeat again.
It's the ideal 54-minute routine at Loyly, the Okanagan's only floating sauna and cold plunge facility at the Downtown Marina in Kelowna.
"The response has been amazing," said Jessica Rastas, who owns and operates Loyly with her husband, Nick.
"We opened on Christmas Eve and have been almost fully booked since."
Loyly is housed in what looks like a rustic, grey cottage that floats just off the dock at the Downtown Marina at the foot of Bernard Avenue.
Inside this little floating piece of heaven is a cedar sauna that up to seven people can share with a floor-to-ceiling window out to the view of Okanagan Lake.
Next to the sauna is the outdoor cold plunge pool, which is built right into Okanagan Lake.
And then there's the solarium lounge for gradual warming and three change rooms.
"We're getting a lot of people who are familiar with the Scandinavian tradition of sauna and cold plunge as well as a lot of people who are curious and want to try it for the first time and love it," said Nick.
"We've also had a lot of people who come for the sauna and say they'll never do the cold plunge and then end up cold plunging after the sauna to cool down."
Sauna and cold plunge therapy is having a moment.
More and more people are seeking not just the fun and social side of hot-cold, but the physical and mental therapeutic benefits that accompany the adrenaline-and-endorphin rush, from increased circulation, enhanced immune function and muscle repair to fat burning, improved skin and reduced stress.
Jessica has a Norwegian background and Nick a Finnish one.
So they both know about and love the sauna culture the Scandinavians are famous for.
But it wasn't until the couple visited Tasmania -- nowhere near Scandinavia -- that they stumbled across a floating sauna and the light bulb went off.
Back home in Kelowna they contacted dock and boat lift specialist Shoreline to make a platform on floats that the cottage with sauna could be built on.
Shoreline floated the resulting Loyly to the Downtown Marina to be attached to the dock for a season of hot-cold amusement.
The only other floating saunas Jessica and Nick know about in BC are in Victoria and Tofino.
By the way, Loyly is the Finnish word for the moment water hits the rocks in a sauna heater and transforms into a burst of steam.
The steam is considered not just the molecular change of liquid to gas, but an essence, a state of strengthening and relaxation in which you can be carefree, retreat, contemplate and heal in the warmth and love of family and friends.
That may be laying it on thick, but it applies.
Loyly's lease with Downtown Marina is annually for the winter season, Oct. 15 to April 15.
Jessica and Nick aren't sure if they'll find a summer home for Loyly to welcome guests or if it will continue as a winter-only venture.
Jessica also works as a social worker at The Bridge Youth & Family Services, so helps out at Loyly when she can.
Nick works the summer season at Kelowna Cycle, so he can dedicate himself full-time to Loyly in the winter.
Loyly is open 8 am to 8 pm daily for 55-minute sessions.
The 'community' fee is $47.25 for that 55 minutes and you share your session with other people that have booked that time slot.
Or, you can book out the facility for a private 55-minutes for up to seven people for $283.50.
Loyly is finding people love it and want to come back and back.
So, it has five and 10 visit punch passes for community sessions prices at $200 and $380, respectively.
Book online at www.loylyfloatingsauna.ca.
