SpaVermont

SpaVermont operates on River Street in Montgomery, one of the smaller towns in the far north of the state, close to the Canadian border.

Montgomery has around a thousand residents and six covered bridges — more than any other town in the United States. They were built in the 1880s by the Jewett brothers, local carpenters, and most still carry traffic. Jay Peak sits a few miles east, catching more snow than anywhere else in the northeast thanks to a lake-effect pattern locals call the Jay Cloud.

Infrared sauna warms the body directly rather than heating the air, producing a full sweat at a much lower room temperature than a traditional Finnish sauna and over a longer session.

The setting is what distinguishes a facility like this from an urban studio. Northern Vermont in February is genuinely cold, the Trout River runs through the village, and there is nothing much between here and Quebec. Sauna traditions developed in exactly these conditions.

Montgomery sits on Route 118 roughly ninety minutes from Burlington. Hours are limited — a small-town spa serving a small population — so book ahead.