They’re putting a floating spa in your Kitsilano backyard
Okay, so picture this: You’re out on the Kitsilano seawall, maybe heading towards Jericho Beach, the mountains doing their usual thing, looking like a painting. And then you see it. Not a new yacht, not another seaplane, but a *World War II-era vessel* that’s been converted into a… floating hydrotherapy spa. It’s set to drop anchor right there in Heritage Harbour Marina. Just when you think you’ve seen everything on the water here, Vancouver always finds a new way to surprise you.
### What This Means for Vancouver
Honestly, my first thought was: *hontō ni*? This is the kind of thing that feels so perfectly Vancouver, in all its complicated glory. On one hand, it's a reuse of an old ship, which is something to appreciate in a city that’s constantly tearing down the old for the new. It's supposed to help fund a local museum, too, which is a nice gesture. But then you hear about the opposition, and you can just picture the community meetings, the letters to the editor. Kitsilano is a neighbourhood with a very strong sense of itself, you know?
* A former WWII vessel will become a floating hydrotherapy spa. * It's mooring in Vancouver's Heritage Harbour Marina in Kitsilano. * The project aims to provide funds to a local museum. * There has been local opposition to the plan.
This whole thing feels like a microcosm of Vancouver’s biggest challenge: balancing innovation, tourism, and community. We love our beautiful waters, but how much can we really put on them before it changes the very thing we love? This city attracts so much investment because it’s so gorgeous, but sometimes that comes at the cost of the quiet spaces, the local feel. It’s a delicate balance, and this floating spa, for better or worse, is going to be a very visible part of that conversation.
Beautiful out here. Complicated in here. That's the coast.
You know, the morning crew talks about all sorts of wild stuff like this – check them out live at mornings.live.