I am concerned.
Concerned that once again, a piece of Kitsilano’s public waterfront may be drifting away from its intended purpose. This time, the issue is the proposal to install a floating HAVN sauna spa in Heritage Harbour at the Vancouver Maritime Museum.
At first glance, the idea might sound harmless—even appealing. Who could object to a spa? But the real question is not whether saunas are pleasant. The real question is whether a commercial spa belongs in Heritage Harbour at all.
Heritage Harbour was not created as a commercial marina or an entertainment venue. It exists for a very specific reason: to support the mandate of the Vancouver Maritime Museum and to preserve maritime heritage. The harbour functions as a living extension of the museum itself—home to historic vessels, educational programming, and maritime interpretation.
A private spa, no matter how tastefully designed, is simply not part of that mission.
Supporters of the proposal argue that the museum needs new revenue streams and that a partnership with HAVN could help support museum programming. No one disputes that cultural institutions face financial challenges. But the solution cannot be to introduce unrelated commercial activities into spaces that were never intended for them. Once a heritage harbour becomes a platform for private businesses, the line between cultural space and commercial waterfront quickly begins to blur.
Which leads to the second issue: precedent.
If a private spa can occupy part of Heritage Harbour, what comes next? A floating restaurant? A bar? A hotel? These are not hypothetical questions. Cities everywhere struggle to protect public waterfronts once commercial uses begin to creep in. Vancouver has long prided itself on preserving public access to its shoreline. That principle should apply just as strongly here.
There is also the matter of neighbourhood compatibility.
Kitsilano Point is not an entertainment district. It is a small residential enclave adjacent to Vanier Park and several cultural institutions—the Maritime Museum, the Museum of Vancouver, and the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. These institutions share something important: they are quiet, educational, and compatible with the surrounding community.
A year-round commercial spa introduces a very different type of activity—more visitors, more traffic, and more noise in a harbour where sound carries easily across the water.
Some proponents have suggested that the harbour space is “underused” and needs activation. I would respectfully disagree. Heritage Harbour is not empty space waiting for a business concept. It is a specialized heritage facility whose purpose is tied directly to the preservation of maritime culture.
In other words, it is already doing exactly what it was meant to do.
None of this is to say that wellness tourism or floating spas are inherently bad ideas. Cities around the world have embraced them in appropriate locations—typically commercial waterfront districts or redeveloped industrial harbours. Heritage Harbour at the Vancouver Maritime Museum is neither of those things.
It is a civic cultural site on public land.
Before approving a proposal that would fundamentally change how that space is used, the City should ask a simple question: Does this project align with the purpose for which Heritage Harbour was created?
If the answer is unclear, caution is warranted.
Public waterfronts are precious. Once their character changes, it is almost impossible to restore them. For that reason alone, Heritage Harbour deserves careful stewardship.
It should remain what it was intended to be:
A harbour for maritime heritage, open to the public—not a platform for private spa operations.
Please click on this Shape Your City link and let the City of Vancouver know how you feel about this matter.
You can also sign this Online Petition.
Last modified: March 22, 2026
I live in Kits Point and am a strong supporter of the Havn spa initiative.
Our waterfront and waterways are extremely underutilized compared to other world-class waterfront cities like Sydney and Copenhagen.
Both of these cities have extensive programming on their waterfront areas that fosters community and brings their cities to life. By contrast, our waterfront—from Kits Beach through to and around False Creek—is relatively inactive and offers few opportunities for the public to truly enjoy the waterfront setting.
It’s a missed opportunity that False Creek isn’t a swimmable body of water with swimming docks and cafés at various points, as you’d find in Copenhagen and Sydney. It’s also disappointing that the operator of the new restaurant at Kits Beach can’t serve an area of chairs on the beach, which is common in many European beachside cities.
The green spaces and waterfront areas that surround the Maritime Museum could offer so much more given their prime location and setting. The Darling Harbour play area in Sydney provides a glimpse of how a city can program urban waterfront.
Havn is a small but significant step forward in embracing a vision for our waterfront, creating opportunities for people to experience our incredible waterfront setting in ways that aren’t possible today.
As a Kits Point resident, I am a strong supporter of the HAVN spa initiative.
Importantly, this kind of initiative could help support the long-term sustainability of the Vancouver Maritime Museum. By generating additional interest and revenue, HAVN can play a role in ensuring the museum continues to preserve and share Vancouver’s maritime history. From what has been presented, the design also appears to complement the marina’s longstanding role as a home for boats and vessels of cultural and heritage significance, aligning with the museum’s broader mandate.
In its current state, the harbor feels somewhat underutilized and not fully appreciated for what it could offer the community. Thoughtful additions like HAVN have the potential to bring more people to the waterfront, support local institutions, and create a space that is more actively enjoyed year-round.
I also think there’s an opportunity here to encourage more people to safely access and enjoy the water. Swimming and cold-water exposure are increasingly recognized for their physical and mental health benefits, and a facility like HAVN could help make that experience more accessible and appealing to a broader range of people.
False Creek is one of Vancouver’s most beautiful settings, and many global coastal cities have found ways to thoughtfully activate similar spaces while still respecting their character. I believe this proposal is a step in that direction.
I also am a Kits Point resident and I also support HAVN. I understand some of the concerns of the writer above but disagree with most of them.
For those that aren’t aware, the HAVN project will help with the funding concerns of the Maritime Museum,.. y’know, the quiet institution mentioned above. It is a creative, innovative approach and I think worth trying. HAVN is a boat, the beauty of that is as easily as it can be towed in,.. it can be towed away – this is far different that a tall building being built on the beach.
It is true, this will be a change for the area. So was Expo was for Yaletown and the Olympic Village was for the end of False Creek. But the city evolved – as they do when they grow. I’m sure it was also a change for the Squamish people when we all move into Kits point…
Also, for those that have not stood near the original HAVN in Victoria,.. it is not loud. It is a spa, and kind of a whispery one. The car traffic might increase,…yes, which I would agree we should do something about like maybe put in a little ferry from other parts of the city, a carshare hub, bikeshare, and scooters nearby… oh wait! It has that.
Walking on that beach is better than a spa – stop this plan
I’m a resident of Kitsilano and am a firm supporter of the HAVN floating spa. These kind of low impact, healthy, and unique experience will add to the beautiful Kitsilano experience that we all love. This is a “public access” spa (albeit with a for profit model) that is offering something not provided by the City of Vancouver. It’s not diminishing City reserves, it’s not requiring City funding, and it’s generating much needed revenue and funding for the Maritime Museum. Increased foot traffic can perhaps spill over into renewed interest and visits to the Maritime Museum. I believe that this can be as popular and successful as the “restaurant/ bar” that opened above Kits Pool last year. I would love to see all those City owned concession stands be opened up to various qualified private operators offering healthy food (w beer & wine) in a fun / open atmosphere. It would be wonderful to have this from Spanish Banks all the way through the False Creek / English Bay area and into Stanley Park ..all along the waterfront.
I live in Mt Pleasant and cycle around Heritage Harbour all the time. I am also an avid swimmer and my favourite beach Vancouver is the beach at Heritage Harbour. I vehemently oppose the HAVN barge spa for all of the reasons illustrated by the writer of the original article. I cannot imagine anything more ill thought of than this plan. The environmental impacts, the loss of the harbour’s use as it was originally intended, the increased traffic for the area – have any of these concerns been addressed by those in favour of this plan? Sure, the barge spa is a neat idea and apparently works very well in Victoria’s Inner Harbour – where there is adequate space for it. Do not bring in a barge that is massively out of scale with everything around it. It’s positively ludicrous. It is once again, another idea that appeals to wealthy elites for whom it is intended. It will not be “available to everyone” at $85 a head to come on board. Of course, this city’s mayor is in favour of this kind of development, demanding that anything cultural or artistic make its own way, so the city doesn’t have to contribute to it. One of the comments above suggested cold water being beneficial. Well, how about people just get into the gorgeous cold ocean which is right in front of them? It’s marvellously therapeutic – and it’s free.