AIRE Ancient Baths Might Just Be Toronto’s Most Luxurious Escape

By Adriana Ermter

Walking along Front Street, we follow the arrows and signs pointing us toward AIRE Ancient Baths, expecting the entrance to reveal itself immediately. Yet, as we stand inside a concrete courtyard surrounded by tall buildings, it takes us a moment before spotting the oversized, wooden doors tucked behind a corner, almost hidden. It feels like discovering a secret entryway—one that opens from the bustle of downtown Toronto and into a tranquil setting.

Inside is dim, lit only by flickering candles and a handful of wall sconces and our eyes have to adjust. Instrumental, Middle Eastern music plays softly in the background and instead of the white, bright, polished aesthetic typically associated with modern spas, we find brick, timber, filled bookshelves and an old-fashioned fireplace. Two oversized lanterns rest on the floor. An old printing press sits in a corner. On a wooden bench, a couple sits in front of a wall withsquare cutouts, each indent flickers with the light of a small candle. Another woman rests on a linen sofa. We take the leather one.

A receptionist dressed in an understated suit greets us, quietly offering tea and water. Behind him, past the reception desk, shelves hold vintage books alongside metal-looking antique teapots. We notice the details because there is nothing else demanding our attention. No television. No rush. No digital noise. The atmosphere is intimate without feeling hushed. It’s like we’ve stepped into another era.

And that is precisely the point.

AIRE occupies a 1912 Edwardian building that once belonged to Copp Clark, a publishing company and the property’s literary and industrial past has been deliberately woven into its new identity. The heritage building retains elements of its original character, while the 23,000-square-foot space has been transformed into a candlelit world of thermal baths, stone, water and quiet. It’s hard to believe we’re in downtown Toronto. 

The luxury Spanish brand’s decision to put its first Canadian spa in the middle of the city rather than somewhere remote is intentional. As Sarah Bahreini, AIRE Toronto’s public relations and marketing manager explains, “wellness should be an escape from everyday life, but that escape doesn’t necessarily require leaving the city.” She describes AIRE as “a destination,” somewhere guests can disconnect from schedules and the outside world for a few hours.

The building makes that disconnection especially convincing. The space gives way to history: large wooden planks, cement beams, exposed brick and the scale of an old industrial building. The architecture is part of the ritual, “honouring the building’s literary and industrial past,” says Bahreini and is fundamental to AIRE’s design approach.Each of the brand’s destinations, including Barcelona, Chicago, Copenhagen, London and New York City, is shaped by its historic setting. The first spa, launched in 2000 in Seville, Spain, is set inside a 16^th-century palace. Toronto’s 510A Front St. locale is the latest addition to the roster, number 10, and like its predecessors draws on the bathing traditions of Roman, Greek and Ottoman civilizations to create an old-world, intimate approach to water therapy.

There’s something deeply satisfying knowing that we’re about to press pause in a place that has witnessed more than a century of people working, creating and moving through their days. And as we enter the bathing area, we begin to notice that time feels more fluid somehow. Maybe its because there are no clocks to tell us otherwise. 

While the centre of the spa experience is the thermal water circuit, inclusive of a sauna and steam room, there’s no prescribed order in which to experience it. So we wander. Slowly. Taking everything in as we decide which of the nine baths to slip into first. 

The Tepidarium, a warm bath, wins and we sink neck deep within it, our tension releasing into the water. Next, the hotter Caldarium bath pulls us deeper into relaxation and we simmer there. Pulling our bodies upright we get out and bravely, for just a few seconds, step into Frigidarium’s small, freezing cold bath. The sharp contrast of temperatures leaves our body tingling and we quickly retreat, letting Caldarium’s warmth envelope us again. 

After a while, we walk over to the Balneum, or Bath of One Thousand Jets and, laying on our backs, allow the pressurized streams of water to work their magic across our body. The powerful hydro-massage loosens our tight hamstrings and lower back. When we’ve had enough, we soak in Flotarium’s concentrated salt water. Our body light. Our skin glistening in the shadows. Our mind, blissfully blank. Long minutes go by. 

Finally, we get out and stand in an oversized shower-like area where we pick up an enormous wooden ladle and scoop a heaping mound of loose salt from a large basin. Dumping it into our hands, we rub it over our skin. Beneath a rainforest shower, watching the salt wash off our body feels simultaneously soothing and refreshing. We turn the shower off and walk to Palestra’s balmy bath. 

Easing into the hot water, we sit down on a stone ledge and decompress further until eventually, we submerge our entire body beneath the water and swim under its glass enclosure. Head and face wet, we resurface in a private, outdoor pool area. This is, perhaps, our favourite part of the experience. Secluded, surrounded by stone, wooden parapets and a cocoon of thermal water, while feeling crisp air on our skin and looking up at the blue sky above reminds us how much we love our city life and all it offers. Yet this time spent away from it all, has allowed us to discover a well of deeper connection. 

Without question we’ll return. And when we do, we’ll indulge in a massage, body treatment or most likely AIRE’s Wine Bath—a full-body immersion inspired by the antioxidants of Spanish Ribera del Duero red grapes, replete with a cranial treatment, full-body massage and a tasting of Matarromera wine with cheeses. 

Our soak here may be an emulation of ancient activity, but its appeal has much current relevancy.