Kingston couple opens Nordic Spa on their property

A Nordic-inspired spa has opened at a local couple’s home in Kingston with the goal of promoting healing and community in a private and intimate setting.

After returning to their roots in Kitsap County from Seattle in 2020, Brett and Jen Owens are striving to create community by opening a Nordic Spa run out of their home. The Velvaere Nordic Spa, located near Hansville, was born out of what Brett calls a hairbrained idea. “I was researching the health benefits of saunas and hot and cold therapy and said, ‘I’m going to build one myself.’” Although his wife, Jen, admits that the idea took some convincing for her. So, in 2022, the Finnish sauna that was the seedling of the Velvaere Nordic Spa was built, and the “hairbrained idea” started to grow into something more.

As the parents of young children with many friends in that same walk of life, the Owens started inviting friends over to share in the spa experience, taking shifts between supervising their children as they played and having time to connect with each other without their phones, and doing something good for both their bodies and minds. This time, the hairbrained idea came from Jen, saying, “I think we should share this with the community.” That’s just what they did. After some work, the Velvaere Nordic Spa officially opened to the public in November of 2024.

What is a Nordic Spa, and what makes the experience unique to Kitsap County? The Nordic Spa experience, also known as a Scandinave Spa or Thermal Spa, is hydrotherapy based around a cycle of hot and cold. Guests alternate between hot spaces, such as saunas, and cold plunges to soothe muscles, reduce stress, flush out toxins, and improve circulation. This process is followed by a time of rest to allow the body to return to a normal temperature.

“When you go from hot to cold and let yourself warm up naturally,” Brett explained, “that’s where the dopamine comes from.” Both Brett and Jen noted several times that one of their favorite things about running Velvaere is encouraging people to try the cold plunge, which features a cold tub with a chiller that keeps it at an average of 47 degrees, and watching people challenge themselves to do it. “I love when they leave, and they are so proud of themselves,” Jen said when asked about her favorite part of running the spa.

While traditionally in Nordic countries these kinds of spas are located outdoors in wooded areas, in the United States, most spas are fully indoor facilities. This is another element that sets the experience at Velvaere apart. As it is located at their home, the Owens were able to create an entirely outdoor space for their spa experience while still allowing for complete privacy for their guests. “Spas can be… uppity… stuffy,” Jen said, “we wanted the opposite of that.”

Both Brett and Jen work full-time jobs in addition to running Velvaere, which gives them the freedom to operate the spa according to their goal of sharing a healing space with the community in a slow, intentional way. Both noted that taking care of their family is their number one priority, but, as people who are always trying to improve themselves, they wanted to share that passion with others. As part of their mission to connect more deeply and intentionally with the community, the Owens donate spa packages to auctions at local schools and offer flexibility in their available hours to those who might reach out with an unusual schedule, striking a balance between growth and intentionality.