There's an Incredible Spa With 5 Pools Underneath Portland, Oregon, at This New Hotel

These days, it seems like any hotel with a spa calls themselves a “wellness destination.” But at Cascada Thermal Springs + Hotel in Portland, Oregon’s Alberta Arts District, that moniker feels well-earned. A few hours after I checked in, on a drizzly, chilly spring evening in Portland, I was laying flat on my back in a darkened room, illuminated by lanterns, surrounded by a dozen locals who had come in from the cold. Together, it felt like we were transcending to another plane as our practitioner, Stephanie Starnes, combined crystal singing bowls, gongs, and her own melodic voice into a high vibration sound bath that far surpassed anything I had tried before. (And I’ve done a lot of sound baths.)

Sound healing is just one of several health- and wellness-focused classes and experiences offered at Cascada, including yoga, guided breathwork and meditation, pilates, and high-intensity interval training. Cascada might be in the heart of one of the city’s most vibrant neighborhoods, but the sense that you’re getting away from the busy, frantic energy of urban life makes it feel like a wellness retreat you’d find in the wilderness. That feeling is also largely thanks to the property’s centerpiece: The thermal springs and spa, a vast, two-floor collection of pools, saunas, and treatment rooms, which can easily take up a half-day if guests partake in the full hydrotherapy circuit of differing soaks and temperature-controlled plunges.

“This is our first hotel project,” says Danya Feltzin, executive vice president of SolTerra, a Pacific Northwest–based company that initially focused on alternative energy, on a tour of the new LEED platinum–certified building. Unlike most of the high-end hotels here, which are downtown, Cascada is located in a part of town that feels totally Portland, where the people you see passing by are almost all locals. “We didn’t want to feel separate from the community,” Feltzin explains, and indeed, most of the folks I saw (and overheard) in the spacious lobby area seemed to be Portlanders who were meeting up with friends, taking meetings, or grabbing coffee between appointments.

By the time I checked out a few days later, after chatting with a handful small business owners that run the cafés and art galleries lining Alberta Street, I was all-in on the boutique feel of Cascada. Yes, you’ll come away centered, after incredible sound healing or meditation sessions and hours in an otherworldly series of therapeutic baths and pools. And yes, you’ll love the low-key yet beautifully designed feel of its clean-lined interiors. But you’ll also leave feeling like you understand Portland better, after staying at a hotel that embraces its neighbors.

Here’s what it’s like to stay at Cascada, including visiting the hotel’s thermal springs and spa.

The Rooms

I was lucky to snag a two-bedroom suite on the fourth floor, which felt like my very own apartment—a feeling that’s heightened by the views over the Alberta Arts District, with no other hotels in the immediate surroundings, only charming craftsman homes and the lovely indie businesses that line Alberta Street. The sustainability factor is evident here, too, from the timber ceilings to cork-upholstered sofas, organic wool-and-cotton, king-size mattresses, and the limestone plaster walls. And even the starting category rooms come with kitchenettes and washer/dryers, a nice touch for guests who’d rather cook for themselves or for extended stays in the city. The bathroom was a particular pleasure, with its sleek stone slabs in slate gray, deep soaking tub, and heavenly, natural botanical-scented body wash and shampoo.

Food and Drink

Cascada will eventually have four food-and-beverage outlets, though during my visit, only two were open: Terra Mae, the hotel’s primary restaurant, and Alberta Street Coffee, a casual lobby cafe. I had dinner at Terra Mae on a mid-weekday evening that felt more like a Saturday night, thanks to a high-energy dining room full of both hotel guests and Portland locals (clearly, tables here were in-demand). The restaurant’s theme is Japanese and Portuguese fusion (the Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach Japan in the 16th-century), and among the best items I tried included a Fisherman’s Stew, made with black cod, miso, tiger prawns, and clams in a seafood broth; a rich udon with Mentaiko roe, cream, butter, garlic furikake, and soy egg; and dumplings filled with linguica (a type of Portuguese sausage), leeks, cabbage, peri-peri chili crisp, curry, scallion, and black garlic.

Alberta Street Coffee, meanwhile, was great for caffeinating in the morning and grabbing the pre-made, nutritious high-protein bowls and sandwiches for lunch (in line with the wellness ethos, no seed oils are used in food preparation here).

Activities and Experiences

The underground thermal springs and saunas (which the hotel calls The Sanctuary) were really the focal point of my stay at Cascada. Originally, I had planned to try them only once, but I enjoyed them so much I went back twice more. But before you get to the subterranean level, there’s another popular hangout spot, which is called The Conservatory: an 82-degree tropical-themed space, outfitted with a swimming pool, a 25-foot living wall, and rare flora curated in partnership with the Portland Botanical Garden. Since it’s enclosed in a special type of energy-producing glass, this area is saturated in natural light, even on the most overcast days, and gives the place a sunny, social atmosphere that’s in contrast to The Sanctuary below, which forbids conversation and phones in order to maximize a sense of peace and quiet. On my visits, it appeared that the majority of guests were locals (including couples and friends), further proving my hunch that Cascada is just as much a neighborhood hangout as a hotel. In addition, later this year, the property will debut an outdoor thermal pool area.

Elsewhere, there are two large, bright and airy gyms—one for strength training and one for cardio, both using TechnoGym equipment.

And one of the best activities is right outside the door. Take a stroll down the main commercial length of Alberta Street, which goes on for 20 blocks or so, to get a sense of what a thriving, creative Portland neighborhood feels like. (My favorite was Vivienne, a shop dedicated to cookbooks.)

The Spa

Aside from the baths, the subterranean floor contains treatment rooms for facials and massages, and it’s a popular option to go straight from a few hours’ soaking and sauna time to meeting with a therapist or facialist. Massages are customized to the individual, and incorporate various techniques like deep tissue, Swedish, and aromatherapy (add-ons, like CBD and hot salt stones, are available too; and the botanicals used are ethically-sourced). Facials are customized, too: before my treatment, I had a full conversation with my aesthetician about my skin, any issues to focus on, and even my favorite thing about facials (in my case, a scalp massage), and she completely delivered. Like my sound bath, I’ve had plenty of massages and facials — the ones at Cascada were some of the best.

Family-friendly Offerings

While the larger apartment-style guest rooms can be great for families who want more of a residential experience while staying in Portland (the ability to cook in the kitchenette and the washer/dryers are major bonuses), it should be noted that The Conservatory and The Sanctuary—Cascada’s major draws—are for those 21 years of age and older.

Accessibility and Sustainability

The hotel is fully accessible, and the sustainability bona fides are many: Cascada is only the second LEED platinum-certified hotel on the west coast, and its environmentally-friendly elements range from the “green” roof (which supports biodiversity, and extends roof longevity while growing herbs and vegetables for the on-site restaurant) to the rainwater harvesting, which supplies 15 percent of the hotel’s annual sanitary water use. The sustainability efforts here are also aesthetically pleasing, with three living walls featuring almost 1,000 plants, improving air quality and regulating indoor temperatures.

Location

One of the advantages of staying at Cascada is the sense that you’re in one of Portland’s most interesting neighborhoods and are truly getting a sense of what the city is like for those who actually live here. The hotel sits on Alberta Street, the main drag of the Alberta Arts District, which is dense with independent restaurants, cafes, bars, bookstores, galleries and boutiques, and you could easily spend a long weekend here without ever having to get inside of a car, since all of the above are within easy walking distance. Even during the chilly and gray few days I visited, the area had a great energy that comes from pedestrian traffic and people enjoying the local businesses. It’s also a quick 20 minute ride to Portland’s new international airport.

How to Get the Most Out of Your Stay

As an independent hotel, Cascada is not part of any loyalty program. While use of the baths is an additional fee, hotel guests get a discount. Doubles from $299 a night.