Fresh images: Nordic spa in N. GA Mountains eyes groundbreaking

A unique, Scandinavia-inspired wellness destination in the North Georgia Mountains that scored government approval last year is now planned to be larger and more sophisticated, following a new partnership between the concept’s creator and a veteran Canadian operator.

A year ago this month, the Dahlonega City Council unanimously approved plans for a 21-acre Nordic spa complex that would claim a cleared Summit Drive site where a planned senior community never materialized.

The long-vacant acreage is located about three miles north of Dahlonega’s historic downtown—set among rolling Blue Ridge Mountains foothills near wineries and other attractions—about 70 miles from Atlanta.

Following city council’s approval, project leader Kent Baltare, founder of Denver-based Baldr Capital, began the process of raising capital to secure a construction loan. Those conversations put him in touch with Pomeroy Lodging—a growing, family-owned hospitality company that owns and operates destination properties across Canada, including Nordic spas it has built—which has led to a formal partnership in North Georgia.

The Canadian hospitality group was “excited by the vision for the Dahlonega location, including the area’s history and the natural beauty of the site,” Baltare wrote to Urbanize Atlanta via email this week.

Original layout planned for the spa complex, as revealed in summer 2025. Courtesy of Baldr Capital

Revised, tentative plans for the 21-acre Yora Nordic Spa Dahlonega complex. Courtesy of Baldr Capital

With Pomeroy’s input, the revised “bigger and better” concept—tentatively called Yora Nordic Spa Dahlonega—will be able to accommodate 320 guests at one time, or more than 30 percent more than originally planned. The original $20-million budget has now swelled to “well over” $30 million, according to Baltare, an Ottawa native who grew up visiting Nordic spas.

Pomeroy has been in the hospitality business for more than 80 years and currently operates Nordic spas outside Calgary, Alberta, and near Anchorage, Alaska. Its next hydrotherapy location—Yora Nordic Spa–Brownstone—is scheduled to open in November in Portland, Connecticut.

In Dahlonega, the core concept remains unchanged. It calls for hot pools, cold plunges, steam rooms, saunas, massage experiences, forested walking trails, and a full-service restaurant, among other amenities, per Baltare, who owns the acreage in question. Athens-based firm Arcollab is on board as the project’s primary architect.

Current plans for building aesthetics and connective pathways at Yora Nordic Spa Dahlonega. Courtesy of Baldr Capital; visuals, Arcollab

Overview of the cleared site today, a few miles north of Dahlonega's historic downtown. Courtesy of Baldr Capital

The Dahlonega concept would mark the fourth spa complex under the Yora brand, while others are in the works for markets including Chicago, Denver, and near Yosemite National Park, according to Baltare.

“It’s exciting to see North Georgia included alongside some major tourism destinations as the brand expands,” he said.

A redesign process is ongoing, but Baltare says plans now call for breaking ground in Dahlonega in early 2027, with Pomeroy heading construction. Currently, Yora Nordic Spa Dahlonega is expected to open in the second quarter of 2028.

The concept calls for guests to pay a daily rate—but exactly what those rates will be hasn’t been finalized.

“I don’t want to mislead on day rates, considering it’s two years out,” Baltare said this week. “It will feel similar to buying a lift pass at a ski resort, though, in that you can stay as long as you want after you get your day pass.”

Baltare’s experience includes real estate development and startup operations in California, and he owns short-term rentals dotted around North Georgia and Tennessee. The Dahlonega project started with a year of market research with consulting firms that pinpointed the location as choice.

“The data confirmed the region’s suitability,” Baltare said last year, “driven by a large population within 90 minutes, Dahlonega’s tourism appeal, and proximity to the University of North Georgia for [spa] staffing.”

Courtesy of Baldr Capital; visuals, Arcollab