Vancouver City Council approves HAVN floating spa on Kitsilano waterfront | Daily Hive

Concept of HAVN Saunas at Vancouver Maritime Museum's Heritage Harbour in Kitsilano Point. (Vancouver Maritime Museum)

Just over three years ago, HAVN opened its first Scandinavian-style sauna and spa destination in Victoria Inner Harbour, created by repurposing a Second World War-era naval barge.

Following its immediate success in Victoria, HAVN began pursuing a second location in a central area of Vancouver, using a barge identical to the one at its first location. The company initially explored using the Northeast False Creek dock at the Plaza of Nations, but those plans with the property owner fell through in Spring 2025.

“We officially got nowhere to put the barge,” stated HAVN in May 2025. “Sorry, Vancouver.”

After making a public appeal on social media to find a suitable Vancouver location, HAVN eventually found a potential partner and site with the Vancouver Maritime Museum (VMM) on the Kitsilano waterfront. The partnership was formally announced by the company and museum in November 2025, and a rezoning application was submitted in January 2026.

On July 28, 2026, the application by HAVN and VMM was the final agenda item considered at the last public hearing of the current Vancouver City Council term, ahead of the October civic election.

In a unanimous decision, after hearing from public speakers, City Council approved the rezoning to permit HAVN as a permanent attraction at the Heritage Harbour marina, which is immediately north of the museum building. VMM asserts the partnership will create a major new long-term revenue stream for the non-profit organization, helping support its mission of celebrating and educating the public about Canada’s maritime history.

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HAVN’s Vancouver floating spa using the repurposed Second World War-era barge will feature about 9,400 sq. ft. of floor area, with the barge’s height reaching 40 ft. (12 metres) above the waterline. The barge will be positioned on the marina’s outermost berth, permanently moored as a stationary fixture. It will offer a circuit of saunas, hot baths, cold baths, and areas for relaxation, with both indoor and open-air environments.

HAVN founder and CEO Nick Van Buren told City Council his business does not offer massages or other traditional spa treatments and will be both alcohol-free and phone-free. Some areas are completely silent, while others permit quiet conversation.

The 1943-built barge’s historic character complements the marina’s longstanding role as a home for boats and vessels of cultural and heritage significance, aligning with VMM’s mandate to preserve and celebrate maritime history. VMM’s anchor exhibit is, of course, the historic St. Roch vessel, contained and preserved inside the VMM building, but Heritage Harbour is a lesser-known gem.

Heritage Harbour is a free outdoor exhibition — a part of the museum. It is a curated collection of about 15 privately-owned vintage wooden boats, with a sign for each heritage vessel displaying details about the boat, and the marina is also served by False Creek Ferries. Moreover, the site enjoys spectacular panoramic views of Burrard Inlet, the downtown Vancouver skyline, and the mountains.

Location of Vancouver Maritime Museum’s Heritage Harbour marina, the future site of HAVN Saunas. (Google Maps)

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Concept of HAVN Saunas at Vancouver Maritime Museum’s Heritage Harbour in Kitsilano Point. (Vancouver Maritime Museum)

havn floating spa kitsilano vancouver maritime museum

Concept of HAVN Saunas at Vancouver Maritime Museum’s Heritage Harbour in Kitsilano Point. (Vancouver Maritime Museum)

HAVN’s annual revenues will be enough to cover VMM’s entire annual operating deficits

During the public hearing, David Jordan, executive director of the VMM, told City Council the agreement with HAVN will generate $250,000 annually in moorage revenue for his organization. He described such revenue as particularly valuable because it provides a predictable source of income that can grow over time, compared with government operating support that has remained relatively static and corporate funding that can fluctuate.

Jordan stressed that the museum is not facing imminent financial collapse without the partnership, but said the added revenue would enable it to significantly improve what it offers.

“The ship’s not going down. We’ve been doing really well. As I mentioned, everything’s trending in the right direction,” Jordan told City Council.

“So without it, we’re not gonna fail, but we need to do better. So Vancouver deserves a better maritime museum,” he said, noting that this would enable a clear departure from the status quo.

Over the past four years, Jordan said VMM’s admission revenue has increased by 50 per cent, and gift shop revenue has grown by 500 per cent. It has also raised more than $1.5 million toward renewing the St. Roch vessel and expects to raise another $500,000.

But he said the VMM has lost four curators, an archivist, and two program coordinators over four years, with former employees leaving for higher-paying positions or more affordable communities. As a result, the museum is now producing a new exhibit only about once every year to 18 months, while peer institutions are able to refresh their offerings more frequently.

According to VMM’s annual financial statements, the non-profit organization has recorded consecutive operating deficits in recent years. For the 2025 fiscal year, it recorded $2.18 million in operating expenses against $1.93 million in operating revenues, resulting in an operating deficit of about $250,000.

A $250,000 annual increase in revenue directly from HAVN’s moorage lease would effectively be enough to fully cover the 2025 operating deficit.

The single largest operating expenses in 2025 were wages and benefits ($1.46 million) and exhibits ($286,000), while its largest operating revenue sources were government grants ($852,000), admission fees ($325,000), pay parking fees ($168,000), donations/sponsorships/events ($160,000), retail/gift shop sales ($160,000), rental income ($113,000), and Heritage Harbour ($94,000).

For the 2024 fiscal year, VMM saw a $190,000 operating deficit from $2.28 million in operating expenses against $2.09 million in operating revenues. In 2025, year-over-year compared to 2024, wages and benefit expenses went up by about nine per cent, exhibit expenses went down by about 25 per cent, government grant revenue decreased by about eight per cent, admissions revenue went up by nine per cent, donations/sponsorships/events revenue decreased by 12 per cent, retail/gift shop sales revenue jumped by 19 per cent, rental income soared by 69 per cent, and Heritage Harbour Revenue revenue increased by 22 per ent.

St. Roch vessel inside the Vancouver Maritime Museum. (Vancouver Maritime Museum)

Vancouver Maritime Museum. (Autumn Sky Photography)

The lasting major financial benefit generated by HAVN was echoed by the leaders of neighbouring attractions.

Lorraine Lowe, executive director of the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre, which is located just to the east in Vanier Park, highlighted the distinction between another government grant and an ongoing commercial revenue stream.

“The agreement gives the maritime museum a $250,000 annual payment it earns rather than applies for, and that’s the part that matters. It’s the revenue, not a grant. The government operating funding to the museum has been flat for roughly over 20 years. The costs have not been flat for 20 minutes,” said Lowe.

“We look at the deferred maintenance list. Admissions and grants won’t carry a civic cultural institution through the next several years. A reliable revenue stream the museum controls is the difference between managing decline and planning a future. This is what responsible stewardship looks like, finding creative ways to build self-sustainable revenue streams so that we can optimally serve our community.”

Adding to the cluster of attractions found at Vanier Park

Ryan Hunt, CEO of the Museum of Vancouver, which shares a building with the space centre, similarly argued that HAVN would give more people a reason to visit the wider Vanier Park’s civic cultural precinct and could generate spillover visits to the area’s other museums and attractions.

“Getting people into Vanier Park is one of our number one challenges. This brings another destination into our neighbourhood,” said Hunt.

He suggested the idea of the Museum of Vancouver potentially pairing the spa with its existing wedding and event business, while describing the annual earned revenue anticipated by the VMM as a potential “game changer” for that attraction’s future.

Duncan Watts-Grant, executive director of the Vancouver Fringe Festival, spoke about the financial pressures facing non-profit cultural organizations and supported the museum’s effort to build a more sustainable operating model.

Tom Lancaster, general manager of CMHC Granville Island, pointed to Granville Island itself as a longstanding local example of commercial revenue being used to subsidize cultural uses. He said Granville Island uses revenues from profitable commercial tenants to support more than 300,000 sq. ft. of below-market arts and cultural space, roughly 110 festivals and events annually, and about $400,000 in annual funding for cultural partners without direct taxpayer funding.

HAVN Saunas in Victoria Inner Harbour. (HAVN Saunas)

However, the proposal drew some opposition from local residents, particularly over its scale, the commercial use of the public waterfront, perceived view impacts from certain locations, navigation and dredging, effects on swimming at the adjacent Teatotaler Beach, and additional vehicle traffic and parking pressure.

Former Vancouver city councillor Colleen Hardwick, who previously served on VMM’s board of directors for more than five years and is currently running for mayor with TEAM for a Livable Vancouver, was among those who urged City Council to reject the proposal during the public hearing.

“I appreciate that the Maritime Museum needs money, but financial necessity does not justify sacrificing the institution’s core purpose or turning over part of a public heritage harbour to a private commercial enterprise,” said Hardwick.

She also questioned whether the arrangement meets the City’s obligations under the public trust and raised concerns that dredging or altered navigation patterns could negatively affect the area’s beach swimming.

The area’s lands were granted to the City by the provincial government in 1935 under a public trust for public recreation and enjoyment. City staff determined that the proposed quiet, wellness-oriented activity is compatible with that purpose, noting that the barge itself would be moored over water rather than occupy parkland and would function as another tenant of the existing marina. City staff also noted that HAVN’s preliminary work indicates dredging will not be required, but if that changes, the matter would fall under federal authorities.

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Location of Vancouver Maritime Museum’s Heritage Harbour marina, the future site of HAVN Saunas. (Vancouver Maritime Museum)

There are also unusual regulatory considerations because the floating structure does not have conventional foundations or footings. Under the current municipal regulations, the City cannot issue the barge a conventional building permit or occupancy permit. Instead, its design and construction are expected to be overseen by an accredited marine surveyor.

But new water and sewer connections are expected to run from Ogden Avenue toward the marina, generally following Chestnut Street and an existing park pathway. HAVN will be responsible for its own operating, servicing, and infrastructure costs, including expected site electrical upgrades.

Because the barge is not expected to require a conventional building permit, it is also not expected to generate development cost levies (DCLs). City staff asked HAVN to voluntarily contribute about $300,000 — roughly equivalent to the DCL that would otherwise apply to its total floor area — toward growth-related capital projects such as parks, childcare and engineering infrastructure, but the company declined.

VMM gets a new nominal lease through 2045

Earlier in the day, before the public hearing for the rezoning application and without any discussion or debate, City Council also separately swiftly unanimously approved a new extended long-term lease that will keep VMM at Kitsilano Point through 2045 while incorporating the additional feature of the HAVN floating spa. The leases for the space centre and Museum of Vancouver are also set to expire in 2045.

VMM, which has operated there since 1959, had technically been operating without a new formal lease since 2000. Under the agreement, it will pay a nominal rent of just $10 for the first 10 years, representing an estimated City subsidy of about $790,000 per year. The City also currently provides roughly $480,000 annually in maintenance and operational support, while estimated annual capital needs total another $463,000.

City Council also approved the related sublease framework that will allow HAVN to operate at Heritage Harbour.

In supporting the rezoning, ABC city councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung — who initiated the November 2025 member motion that kicked off the process — described the concept as a distinctive addition to Vancouver’s waterfront and compared it with floating hydrotherapy destinations she has experienced in other cities, including Montreal.

“Certainly, yes, it financially supports the museum and complements it. It brings extra interest to the area. Very noteworthy that it was supported by the other cultural organizations on Kits Point, but it also complements their maritime mission because it is a World War II barge. It’s a great sustainability story. It’s a great history story,” said Kirby-Yung.

“It brings history in there with repurposing something. It gives new life to something that has historic impact. It gives people a chance to sort of extend that learning about and appreciate maritime history from within the museum to outside the museum. And it’s also complemented by the wooden boats.”

HAVN Saunas in Victoria Inner Harbour. (HAVN Saunas)

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