Outdoor hydrotherapy spa slated to open in Leavenworth this fall

LEAVENWORTH – An outdoor spa named The Springs is slated to open this fall, as one of the latest developments getting built behind Safeway.

In 90-minute time slots, visitors will be able to rotate between a sauna, cold plunge, medium and hot pools, and an outdoor lounge area, often referred to as a hydrotherapy circuit. The Springs will stay open year-round, with pool temperatures adjusted to suit each season.

“We're trying to provide a great place to hang out after you spend the day in Leavenworth. You go on the river, or you go mountain biking, or you go Nordic skiing, or whatever it is you do, and we want to just be this place to come back to and hang out and socialize,” said co-owner Marco Scheuer.

Designed to emulate the experience of a natural hot spring, The Springs will be set around granite boulders and native plants, facing the Enchantments. The location’s building, which was built by Scheuer and co-owner Vincent LaBelle, features European-style, hand-crafted details, such as scalloped edges and arched windows.

“We're really trying to make something here that is for this place, and is kind of, of this place…We're not trying to ram some business in here and maximize profits. We're trying to make a really nice experience that sort of captures this lovely spot and hopefully services locals and the people who like to recreate out here,” said co-owner Vincent LaBelle.

The Springs is Scheuer and LaBelle's first entrepreneurial venture. The duo met while working at a small bouldering gym in Seattle. LaBelle, who has eleven years of experience building climbing gyms, was the gym’s Director of Design and Experience. Scheuer started doing maintenance at the gym and later worked on programming, using his previous outdoor education experience.

Both LaBelle and Scheuer grew up in Washington state, with some of their earliest childhood memories occurring in Leavenworth, from climbing to attending summer camps. When Scheuer came up with the idea for The Springs in 2019, Leavenworth was top of mind.

“Leavenworth was one of the top places on my list of perfect [places] to put something like this. And because neither Vince [or] I had the capital to purchase land or build this thing, I sort of wrote off Leavenworth as not an option, because we didn't have any access to land. You know, commercial land here is really, really, really expensive,” said Scheuer.

Scheuer looked in other locations and even started developing the idea for Sultan, WA. Then, his friends started building a climbing gym in Leavenworth and told Scheuer about the adjacent land for lease with a landowner who loved the idea. Around that time, LaBelle had come on board, and everything started to fall into place. In 2023, the two hit the ground running and started fundraising, designing, and permitting the project.

“Basically, I've never raised money before. I've never worked a corporate job before. Like, I was working as a maintenance guy in a climbing gym, right? That does not equate to starting a business. So I had to ask a lot of questions and we went around to other businesses, like, “How did you get your start? What did you do?” said Scheuer.

Scheuer and LaBelle broke ground last fall, and have been slowly building out the site themselves. The two plan to open The Springs in two phases, offering three pools and a sauna this fall, then adding additional pools in a second phase. Eventually, they hope to add on class programming in the lounge and lawn area, as well as alcohol sales.

“Have beer, have a soak, look at the mountains, hang out,” said Scheuer.

The Springs is located at 200 Zelt Strasse, Leavenworth.

Taylor Caldwell: 509-433-7276 or taylor@ward.media