Where is Ontario’s newest wellness getaway? The location is a secret

The team behind travel start-up Arcana is tight-lipped about the precise location of their first cabins — described simply as “less than two hours northwest of Toronto.” The mysteriousness is all part of the experience, as you may have deduced from the name.

“We wanted it to be a bit of a journey, an adventure we hope feels non-traditional and different from your day-to-day,” explains co-founder Alan Gertner, the ex-Googler who co-launched legal cannabis purveyor Tokyo Smoke. The mission of Arcana, a joint endeavour between a total of eight co-founders from various industries, is “trying to help humanity return to the wild,” he says.

The idea is especially geared to city dwellers who need a refresher on the cortisol-quelling benefits of getting outside. “For us, this is about building an on-ramp to nature for people living in an urban environment, to give them an opportunity to reconnect,” adds co-founder Felicia Snyder.

The plan is to roll out sleek modernist cabins in wild spaces across Canada and the U.S., where people can embark on a sort of self-guided wellness retreat. Their first two-cabin location — the aforementioned secret site in Ontario, surrounded by deciduous forest on a large private property — will begin officially welcoming guests in mid-August. (Prototype structures stand there now.)

Each 275-square-foot cabin, conceptualized by Vancouver architecture firm Leckie Studio (Michael Leckie is an Arcana co-founder), is meant to disappear into the setting. To achieve this, the minimalist interior is outfitted in pine, while the exterior is clad in polished steel.

Since birds tend to be attracted to shiny surfaces, the metal is “imperfectly reflective,” says Snyder. In addition, the final design will apply Feather Friendly, an adhesive film that adds visual markers (such as dots) to help birds identify the cabins as objects to avoid.

In keeping with Arcana’s wellness theme, guests are encouraged to partake in restorative rituals, like tuning into the meditative “sound journey” that awaits in each cabin, or going for forest bathing along 15 kilometres of marked trails.

Despite the secluded location, Arcana doesn’t require roughing it off the grid. Expect creature comforts, including AC (and heat), a bathroom with a rainfall shower and botanical Sangre de Fruta toiletries, a fully equipped kitchenette, a deck with a firepit, and access to a private sauna.

There’s even Wi-Fi — should you need such a thing. “It’s our job to provide it to you,” says Snyder, “and then ensure the experience is so magical you barely use it.”

The Star understands the restrictions on travel during the coronavirus pandemic. But like you, we dream of travelling again, and we’re publishing this story with future trips in mind.