Arctic Duchess returns with summer saunas and cold plunges

The weather might be starting to cool down, but things are just starting to heat up at Arctic Duchess Adventures.

Popular with locals and tourists alike, the sauna and cold plunge is now offering a summer and fall experience across from Yellowknife’s government dock.

For the past two winters, the Arctic Duchess – named after a nearby ship in Yellowknife Bay – has offered a chance to dip in an insulated tub frozen into Great Slave Lake. 

The summer experience is located a little closer to shore, as the water is calmer on the west side of Jolliffe Island than on the east side facing the open lake.

Owner Jake Olson spent the past few months preparing an old barge, building decks and railings on the flat metal surface, installing saunas and a wall tent, and setting up lounge chairs, change rooms and patio lights.

He says the water is still nearly as cold as it is in the winter, for those wanting a true cold plunge experience, though the air is much warmer.

Olson is tentatively planning to run open-lake plunges and saunas until the first week of October, though an official closing date will depend on how things are looking for fall freeze-up.

Then Olson will be busy moving the saunas around the island and preparing for the winter session, which will start in late December or early January.

As in the winter, the Arctic Duchess is currently available for private sauna bookings for groups as well as communal single-person entries.

Booking runs from 12pm till 10pm Wednesday to Sunday, though extended hours may begin soon for aurora viewing.

Olson has a boat to shuttle people back and forth from the government dock. People with their own watercraft are welcome to paddle or boat over on their own.

Stars align and events start

Olson had been hoping to acquire a barge for a while so he could expand his operations. This spring, he said, “the stars aligned” and former barge owner Dave Smith was ready to sell.

Olson was able to soft launch over Folk on the Rocks, hosting musicians from across the country. One band, he says, returned three times over the course of the weekend. 

Events coming up at the Duchess include the first Fear Barge this Saturday, a play on the barge’s former role as the beer barge at the annual event of the same name. (The barge also supplied the Canol Trail road build and has been back and forth across Great Slave Lake.)

“It’s going to be the first-ever sauna spa slash punk concert, which is an unusual mix,” said Olson of the Fear Barge.

“Basically, we’re going to be hosting a concert here at the sauna facility where we have a punk band playing. There’s gonna be three bands playing and the saunas will be running.”

Bands playing on a boat beside the Arctic Duchess dock include HYFY, Punch Dummies and Refrijerater.

The event will be first come, first served, with entry by donation from 7-11pm on August 16.

Olson also hosted an ambient sound bath event on Thursday night, with music by Sami Blanco accompanying saunas, cold plunging, and self-guided breathwork and open air stretching. Still to come is a sauna and mandala painting workshop with Monique Cudbertson on August 28.

The goal is to host special events biweekly, so keep an eye on the Duchess’ events and workshops page.