That fabulous floating sauna has popped up again on the downtown waterfront

The Loyly floating sauna and plunge pool is once again on the downtown waterfront garnering admiring looks and prompting hot-and-cold therapy dreams.

"We're excited to be back downtown," said Nick Rastas, who owns and operates Loyly with his wife, Jessica.

"Downtown was so much busier than we anticipated last season, so we expect an even bigger season this time around."

Loyly debuted Oct. 15, 2023 to April 15, 2024 as the Okanagan's only floating sauna and cold plunge pool at Downtown Kelowna Marina.

This season, it got going a little earlier on Oct. 3 and will stretch to April 30.

"The plunge pool water temperature is 15C right now, so it's good for beginners or people that don't like the water too cold," said Rastas with a laugh.

But, of course, the water temp will only get more frigid as the season goes on because the cold plunge pool is actually a little square of Okanagan Lake cut out from the floor of the floating sauna.

However, that's the point.

Plunging for a minute or two in freezing water is good for you, especially when it's sandwiched between 10 minute sessions in the cedar sauna.

The Loyly sauna, by the way, has a massive floor to ceiling, wall to wall window for Okanagan Lake views.

The alternating hot-cold therapy is not only fun and exhilarating and social when you're in a group, but it's also touted to have health benefits from increased circulation, enhanced immune function and muscle repair to fat burning, improved skin and reduced stress.

New this season are longer session times of 70 minutes.

You can book as an individual for $45 and join other people in what's called a community session or a group of up to six people can book the whole facility out for 70 minutes for $270.

Book here: https://www.loylyfloatingsauna.ca/

From now until Oct. 9, Loyly is open from the first session of the day at 2 pm to the last of the day at 7 pm.

From Oct. 10 to April 30, hours are extended daily from the first session at 7 am to the final one at 7 pm.

Loyly also has special 2-hour, full-moon sessions for $90 on the nights of the lunar spectacles throughout the season.

Those sessions also include some breathwork exercises with a yoga instructor.

Loyly appeals to people familiar with the Scandinavian tradition of sauna and cold plunge as well as those that aren't and want to give it a try.

Nick has a Finnish background and Jessica a Norwegian one, so they knew of the Scandinavian obsession with hot-cold therapy.

But, it was actually in Tasmania (nowhere near Scandinavia) that they came across a floating sauna and a light bulb went off.

They returned to Kelowna, had boat lift specialist Shoreline build a floating platform that a cottage with a sauna and plunge pool could be built on and started the business.

By the way, Loyly is the Finnish word for the moment water hits the rocks of a sauna heater and bursts into steam.