Cascada Thermal Springs & Hotel

I found this hotel on the internet, and I was intrigued by it: a thermal spa built into a hip modern hotel - but as two separate businesses. We booked for three nights to experience both, and loved it! The hotel room was small, but very clean and well-appointed with a large refrigerator and freezer, and a clothing washer and dryer. The 5th floor sky lounge had not yet been completed, but the coffee shop in the lobby downstairs is already in full service (excellent lattes!), and so is the Portuguese-Japanese fusion restaurant, which we didn’t try. It was ideal for a cold January to transition to and from the spa from our hotel room. The spa needs better signage and more comfortable chairs everywhere (also for the treatment waiting room) and better lighting for safety. But it’s clean and a wonderful place to relax, offering a sauna and a steam room as well. I had a very good massage; facials are also on the spa menu. The gentrifying neighborhood offers some nice restaurants and shops.

The hotel was lovely. Lots of plants and beautiful lighting. Great design and murals, eco minded and beautiful stone in the hotel and our room. What I didn’t expect was the magnificence of the pools and how incredibly relaxed and healthy I felt afterward. I was recovering from a hip issue that had been problematic for weeks. Oddly it seemed to be so much improved after time in the pools. Is it the minerals plus relaxation plus the saunas? I feel compelled to come back often as part of my staying in good health. healthy. I didn’t even get to try the yoga classes or the gyms yet but the machines and spaces looked wonderful! That evening I had dinner at Terra Mae and such a unique delicious experience! Even the Alberta street cafe in the lobby had great espresso and fabulous food for takeout or eating there. I am chomping at the bit to come back as soon as possible!

My wife and I spent two nights at Cascada in Portland's Alberta district, in January 2025. We stayed in one of the Sky Loft units, and it was wonderful. There were so many great features that we had no need of, or not enough time to use, including the induction stovetop, dishwasher, balcony (it was winter and chilly, after all), even the TWO large TVs (too busy getting out of the room to use them). But what really matters? First of all, a very comfortable king size bed, made of natural materials. Good sound insulation, for a relatively quiet night's sleep. Not bad considering the bar/nightclub immediately out our window, playing live music! (But only until 10, or some such very reasonable hour) More than enough storage space, including all manner of cupboards and cabinets, mainly in the kitchen area and the bedroom loft. An expansive view out the enormous full-wall window, ours being dominated by the twin steeples of a neighborhood church, and in the distance, the long low fully forested ridge of Forest Park, one of the largest urban parks in the nation. All of the staff, without exception, were very kind and solicitous. One example: A manager we chanced upon took us on an impromptu tour of the facilities. They all seemed as though they REALLY like working at Cascada, and that sort of enthusiasm really rubs off on visitors. A few very minor imperfections: At this time, the underground parking is not open for use, meaning we had to search for street parking. But that turned out to be quite easy; both times, we found spots immediately next to the building. There is a spectacular stairwell extending all 5 stories, which is worth the trudge to the top just to view the interesting, motion-sensing light display in the center. But when we were there some of the flights were still being worked on and off-limits, making the full experience unavailable. All very inessential parts of the full Cascada experience, and then also, you gotta understand that this place, with all its innovations directed towards sustainability, is extremely complicated, and they just opened the place to the public less than a month ago. There are bound to be a few kinks that have to be worked out as they put the place through its paces, and by the time you read this, these nit-picky problems will undoubtedly be resolved. Oh, but then there's the SPA. What an amazing place! By my count, 5 separate pools, of different temperatures, ranging from icy to tepid to very warm (104 degrees), one including a full wall of falling water, lit by submerged lights for a very cool effect. A steam room (very steamy) and a dry sauna, both quite hot, and treatment rooms for individual services. We each got a full hour, full body massage that left us pretty melted. Anya was my massage therapist, and she was exceptional - skilled, strong, intuitive, and pleasant. And several other types of treatments available also. The ground floor pool is surrounded by glass wa

While good in concept, they’ve opened too soon. The property was originally planned as luxury apartments, and the rooms definitely feel like they were hastily repurposed into more temporary lodgings. Though there’s a restaurant on site, it’s not open 7 days a week and there is no room service. The coffee bar in the lobby closes mid-afternoon, and there are no vending machines, so plan to head out for meals. There’s unfinished construction everywhere; half of the floor we’re staying on is cordoned off, half of the spa floor is cordoned off, the lounge isn’t accessible. The rooms lack most basic hotel amenities beyond a barebones instant coffee and tea setup, but they do have a full kitchen and in-room laundry, so I guess that makes up for . . . something. Our room came complete with blue painter’s tape on an outlet, visible and poorly installed motorized controls for the curtains, and multi-function light switches that malfunctioned or just plain didn’t work at all (one was sort of dangling from the wall). The green light on the courtesy telephone is so bright you can see it from space; tucked beside glossy white cabinetry, it illuminates the entire room at night. Sleep’s for the weak, right? The Conservatory is a lovely space, but despite the degree to which the hotel highlights this feature it feels abandoned; a large bar at one end hints at a more robust social space, but sitting empty it emphasizes how not ready for prime time this place is. Head downstairs to the thermal pools and you are treated to a stunning sanctuary - and people on their cell phones, scrolling and filming and snapping away, which definitely detracts from the pricey experience. Spa staff is apologetic about the practice but there don’t seem to be plans to change that any time soon; this hotel loves Instagrammers and unlike other highly Instagrammable properties, they don’t restrict the hours in which people can work on content creation (which is why you also have to sign a photo release upon check-in; this may be the vibe you’re going for, but the vibe was not vibing that hard for me). Spa treatments are basic and expensive for the quality; expect to pay prices comparable to a med-spa for a facial that you could do at home. Ask them to skip the foot treatment portion unless you enjoy walking up a couple of flights of wet, slippery stairs with freshly oiled feet. Sure, these are kinks that are straightforward to fix. But charging full price for rooms when the hotel and the hotel staff aren’t running smoothly feels like a bit of a stretch. Maybe once they’ve had a chance to finish construction, fully staff the place, and revisit their spa offerings it’ll be a real gem, but for now I’d skip Cascada.

This place is like an American ryokan, a lux hotel but the real draw is the baths. And they are amazing, wet and dry sauna, cold plunge, hot tub and mineral bath. Dylan at the spa took care of us and made it a perfect Christmas. Sleek and modern with a nice cafe to boot. I’ve already recommended to my in-town family.