Isaac Murphy, the owner and operator of the Mysa Nordic Spa & Resort, has spent his whole life in the hospitality industry. A Prince Edward Island native, his industry experience began in 1980 when his parents started a family business, which ultimately grew into the Murphy Hospitality Group. Isaac started as a dishwasher, working his way up throughout the years to service manager, operations, and ultimately project manager. After seven years managing builds in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, he returned to PEI with a unique idea of his own for the island.
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The Mysa (pronounced mee-sa) Nordic Spa & Resort is located in St. Peter’s Bay, about 40 minutes outside of Charlottetown. According to Isaac, as soon as he saw the farmland and beautiful sloping hills of St. Peter’s, he knew that was the perfect spot. The spa sits on 18 acres, right on the bay, and the property had previously been set up to use as an inn, making it an ideal resort location.
But it’s the community of St. Peter’s Bay, not just the property, that cemented the decision. “A big part of why this business was able to get going and be successful is the community.” Isaac describes their support and enthusiasm for a year-round business in their town, especially in a place where so much is seasonal. Isaac and his team set about stripping the cottages and lodge down to the studs and giving it a complete renovation, while also adding a restaurant, and (of course) the iconic spa amenities such as pools and saunas. After two years of construction, the spa opened its doors in December of 2022. Since then, Isaac says, it has grown beyond what he had dreamed.
The word “mysa” is a Swedish term that refers to being cozy and relaxed. A lot of the experiences and practices of the Mysa spa, such as the dry saunas, steam saunas, and cold therapy, comes from Scandinavian roots. The spa’s main offering is a Thermal Experience Day Pass.
The Thermal Experience has guests cycling through three stations: Hot, Cold, and Relax. Hot options include a barrel sauna, a Finnish sauna, a eucalyptus steam bath, and a thermal bath complete with a waterfall tumbling from the elegant rock feature. Cold stations include a Nordic bath, cold plunge buckets around the property, a cool shower, or the cold wind from St. Peter’s Bay. The final station, Relax, offers a wood fireplace, a relaxation room, a terrace that overlooks the ocean, and self-guided meditation in the mezzanine. Guests can mix and match station treatments as they prefer and are encouraged to repeat the process three to four times for optimal benefits. If they choose, guests can stay until closing at 9 p.m.
On top of the Thermal Experience, guests can book additional spa services. Mysa offers treatments such as registered massage therapy, relaxation therapy, and aesthetic body exfoliation treatments. For those who would like to keep the mysa feeling going throughout the night, there are 16 cottages available, as well as the Bayview Suite, which is located in the main building. All units have propane fireplaces, mini-fridges, and coffee. The cottages each have personal decks with comfortable seating and beautiful views.
One aspect that has been a priority from the beginning for Mysa is sustainability. Isaac wanted to ensure that everything could be powered and heated in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. Ultimately, he chose biomass wood chip gasification boilers. When the wood combusts into fuel, the gas gives off heat as it travels up the chimney. With these specific types of boilers, the gasses produced get pushed through a second chamber where they’re hit with O2, creating a second burn. The boiler combustion efficiency of their system is 92%-94%, compared to a traditional system’s 30%-50%.
The system is also designed to self-clean every 90 minutes, which ensures that the energy efficiency is consistent. The boiler combustion process self-adjusts in real time. It uses data collected from monitoring emissions of the combustion process and alters the process as needed. Mysa sources their fuel sustainability as well, through a process called commercial thinning. Specialized equipment identifies and harvests trees that are either dead wood or inhibiting the surrounding growth. By removing one tree, it allows several others to grow unimpeded. This process encourages natural regeneration and leads to an increase in overall density.
Heating and energy are not the only sustainable elements of Mysa, however. The resort’s prized restaurant, headed by award-winning Chef Seth Shaw, grows what it can and sources everything else locally. “We have a full greenhouse that supplies the whole restaurant,” Isaac explains, noting that guests can actually walk through the greenhouse while exploring the grounds. On top of that, items such as mussels, oysters, chicken, and beef are all locally sourced. Isaac says ensuring that the restaurant was also environmentally friendly was of huge importance, noting that “investing in a greenhouse and buying local was aligned with everything we were trying to do from the get-go.”
While there is no shortage of prized features at the Mysa Spa, the restaurant is certainly a point of pride. The restaurant is only open to spa guests (both overnight and day pass guests), which extends the sense of relaxation beyond the spa itself. With no lines at the door there’s no rush to turn tables, which allows guests to enjoy themselves and move at their own pace. “A lot of people are dining in their robes,” Isaac says, “on any day it’ll be full of people in their robes, eating and drinking.” You’re not getting much more relaxed than that!
There are lots of delicious options at the restaurant, including a charcuterie board with in-house made jams and chutneys, bruschetta, and a popular scallop dish. They also have a rotating menu of smoothies, as well as delectable desserts. What dish does Isaac consider a can’t-miss? “I think it’s the beef short rib. It’s probably one of the tastiest meats you can have.”
With such attention and care put into every aspect of the Mysa Spa & Resort, it’s no surprise that it’s getting international recognition. Spas of America included Mysa on their 2023 list of the top 100 spas, with the PEI jewel coming in at number 30. A pretty fantastic feat for such a young business, but no surprise to those who have experienced it. Mysa was one of only 14 Canadian spas, and the only Atlantic Canadian spa to make the list.
Right now, Mysa has a popular Weekday Wellness Package promotion that runs until December 30, 2024. Available Sundays to Thursdays, this getaway for two, includes one-night double occupancy in one of their beautiful cottages, two Thermal Experience spa passes, a bottle of wine or sparkling wine, and a charcuterie board, all for only $499. As an added bonus, overnight guests can use the spa both on their check-in and check-out days until close, making for a truly relaxing experience.
As for the future, Isaac says nothing’s set in stone, but there are a lot of goals on the list. “We always have plans for expansion,” he says. This means more cottages, and new Nordic spa features. There’s no timeline, but Isaac and the team at Mysa Nordic Spa & Resort are always looking for ways to improve the experience for their guests.
by Amanda Stellisano