Common Ground Wellness Co-operative

My partner and I visited Common Ground Wellness for the first time while just visiting Portland. We did a 30 min soak, 2 hour massage, and another 30 min soak after. We did not participate in being nude as it is optional and still felt totally accepted and comfortable. Relaxing in a hot tub while enjoying some soft rain in a tranquil setting was healing itself.
We both received a massage from Stephanie. You can tell she puts her heart and soul into her very thorough work. She listened to our needs and let us know that our well-​being mattered. She is a very talented healer who helped us so much. Thank you, Stephanie.
And Thank you to Common Ground Wellness, we loved your healing space so much during our stay in Portland, we visited you guys twice! And we’ll definitely be back.

Yesssssss. My job is stressful, and my body is almost always in a state of recovery from some minor injury or another. As such, I love places like this.
Common ground has a dry sauna and a large saltwater soaking pool. They have a communal shower, dressing room, and an outside shower as well. They have nice plants around, and benches to cool off on. They also have a massage wing, which I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing yet.
NOTE: It’s clothing-​optional, and in the 3 times I’ve been there, I’ve never seen a shred of clothing on anyone. People politely avert their eyes, keep conversation to a minimum, and the atmosphere is very quiet and relaxed.
I will go back again and again. Pro-​tips: bring a towel, they charge for those. And bring a water bottle, they have a water cooler.

Wonderful, relaxing, great. This is my favorite place to relax in Portland. Staff are always kind and friendly. My favorite masseuse works here. It’s a great meditative experience.

Super comfortable place to unwind. Total gem of a place.

Clean, comfortable, and friendly staff and guests. If you like a very strong deep tissue massage, Tiffany can help. At times she tended to spend a bit too much time on new one area. But overall a great massage. I’ll be back.

This is a great space to spend some time really relaxing. The facilities are spotless and well maintained while keeping the feel of a local Portland establishment.
Upon arriving, all new clients are given a brief tour of the facility and expectations on etiquette.
While the initial realization that all changing areas were communal was somewhat daunting, the excellent etiquette of all who were there meant any anxieties were soon forgotten.
I got a one hours massage from Carlos. As a large muscular man, it has been hard for me to find a masseuse with the physicality to do real body work, but Carlos handled this with aplomb and gave me one of the best massages I have ever gotten.
The sauna is excellent, and is maintained at proper heat. Once again, the great etiquette of the clientele showed through — in this case translating into a silent peaceful space where the door was never opened for too long.
Both my spouse and I left after 3 hours feeling completely refreshed.

One of my favorite places in Portland. The perfect spot to restore mental and physical wellness and just relax in a normal, non-​sexual environment.
A couple of tips:
Make sure you call ahead and get a reservation as weekends are BUSY!
Make sure you are going on a day that aligns with your gender. Most days are co-​ed.

As a Trans woman whose outward gender identity and appearance matches what society says it should be, I don’t necessarily feel unsafe most places because I have the privilege of blending in. Unclothed is totally different. Being in a space that has stated policy that says I am safe, that all users have to sign, puts me in a position to be much less guarded than I normally am. I went here tonight for the first time, and while I normally would only feel safe to be topless in a mixed crowd of this type, I felt like I could just be unclothed and not have to deal with the fear I would feel at Sauvie, Bagby or Terwilliger. I will likely become a regular at this place, because aside from that piece of my experience, everything else was also exceptional. Wonderful work on the part of the leadership here to make such a safe, inclusive and warm environment.

I didn’t think this place was that great. It’s basically just a gigantic backyard hot tub but without the camaraderie because everyone is a naked stranger. I went for the free birthday soak. Hot soaks are wonderful, but the pool is intensely chlorinated. And particularly on cold days (like when I was there) the steam reeks of chlorine. Hopefully I don’t have lung cancer from an hour of breathing inescapable chlorine fumes.
I was amused because they advertise an hour of soaking, but there is a clear sign on the wall next to the soaking pool that says you should only be in there for a maximum of 10 – 15 minutes.
I will say emphatically they have the nicest soap in their showers. It is so mild and really pleasant. I was happy to take two showers (one before, one after to get the chlorine off) because the soap was so delightful.
I have many friends who love common ground, and I guess if you don’t have a gym membership or someone in your life with a hot tub your options are either breathe in the chlorine steam of this place or you can go to the Kennedy School and soak in the urine of every child in NE. It’s a toss up.
If Common Ground had a salt pool I’d be far more impressed and might actually spend money to soak in it. But as it is I’ll stick to just going for free on my birthday if I ever go again.

This is a lovely experience, especially in the light rain. The showers are lovely, the sauna hot, the waters just regular chlorinated water but in a lovely rectangular shape with some Bonsai-​ish plants around. Very relaxing and soothing and pampering.
I originally came with a group on and then with the chinook book coupon and have since come back and paid full price (which is pricey for an hour soak)! That is why I gave it four stars.
I really like the men’s night on Monday. Just a great community of guys lounging around and de-​stressing. The free tea in the lobby is a plus and parking is never a problem. You can walk to New Season’s and get a nice healthy snack afterwards.
If you aren’t comfortable with public nudity, maybe best to give this one a pass.

Very clean and very relaxing. The soaking pool and sauna both do wonders for mental and physical stress.

I had one of the best massages in my life at Common Grounds thanks to Audy Davidson. She knew exactly where to find the tense spot in my shoulder that has bugged me for months, used warm coconut oil, eucalyptus essential oil, hot stones and lavender eye pillow, and played very relaxing music. She also had the right balance of firmness and softness. Thank you Audy for an amazing massage.

Naked. Hot. Tubs. I’ve been visiting Common Ground since it was in close-​in NE. Amazing place to get away. I usually go on Tuesday nights which is women only after 7pm, not that I’ve had any negative experiences with men. I just tend to relax a tiny bit more with just ladies around. It’s totally worth the $ 15. The staff is lovely too.

Favorite place to escape and rejuvenate!
Soak time is amazing there.
Facilities are clean and quiet.
Great Staff — Especially Jess, Terry, Gretchen and Christy.

This is my favorite in town treat! Nothing is beats a hot, outdoor soak on a cold, wet Portland day. It is great on a sunny day too because it usually isn’t busy when the weather is nice. Common Ground is the perfect mix of hippie and spa. It is relaxed and beautiful but never creepy. It’s one of the few places to be nude around strangers and not feel uncomfortable.
If you are looking for body work try the massage & soak sandwich! You get a half hour soak, an hour massage, and another half hour soak. Two hours later you will be out of your mind relaxed. I highly recommend Jacqueline Engel for massage therapy. I have been seeing her for years for normal aches and pains but recently developed an RSI. Jacqueline can handle it all!

In the realm of mental and physical wellness, relaxation is key. At least for me. And there are fewer relaxing things for me than soaking my bones in hot water, sweating out the stress in a dry sauna, and kicking off the stress of the outside world. And I have to say, Common Ground is a great place to do that.
This soak, sauna and massage center is a sweet oasis of calm in Portland’s NE quadrant. They offer massages of different varieties (never tried them), as well as a salt-​water soak/​sauna experience by the hour. It’s $ 15/​hour for access to the wet/​dry heat, which includes a cubby for your clothes, showers, bathrooms, a large hot tub, cedar sauna and cold rain shower. They do offer memberships that make things quite worthwhile if you want to attend often. The facility is clothing optional and most folks tend to opt-​out of clothing, but either way there’s really no judgment. The vibe is that of serenity — it’s definitely non-​sexual. And that makes it easy to shed off pretty much everything and just relax.
Reservations are recommended to ensure there’s a spot for you when you arrive. Towels are required for sitting on anything (including sauna) for hygiene purposes, and they offer them for $ 2 rental (or bring your own). They’ll hold your valuables at the front desk with your ID (required) so no need to bring a lock. There are no doors on the cubbies anyway. The pool and benches are open to the elements, and frankly there’s something super awesome to me about sitting in hot water under a cool rain.
If nudity makes you uncomfortable, this may not be the place for you, and if you’re thinking of attending for any other reason than personal relaxation, you may prefer an alternate soaking experience. That said, this is an excellent place to slip out of your regular life for an hour, shrug off everything including your self consciousness, and simply soak out life’s worries.

Jonathan — one of the top five massages I’ve ever had. If I weren’t just a visitor to Portland, I’d already have a next appt with him scheduled.
Facilities — welcoming and clean. Great minimal, Scandinavian vibe in the bath courtyard. Only a hot bath and a dry sauna — no steam room or cold bath, but you could get a cold shower in the corner.
When they open was a great time to go if you’re seeking serenity. It was getting busy by the time we left at noon.

I recently received a massage from Stephanie George, one of their massage therapists and she is absolutely amazing at what she does. First of all, she definitely has a gift in the therapeutic field and is meant to help people with the caring and compassionate attitude that she has. You will always feel at ease with Stephanie as she is very communicative in her work.
I have seen probably around 10 — 15 different massage professionals and have never seen such a high quality of neck work such as Stephanie’s. I’ve been having some problems on my left side as I’m left handed and have a highly physical job. She found the spot that’s been causing me tension for many years and I felt immediate radiating relief in my jaw and top of my head. I didn’t even know those areas were so tense! I will be back. Very soon. Stoked.
I also had a chance to check out the bath house. It was my first clothing optional experience in public. It was very liberating and relaxing. Great atmosphere.

Who doesn’t like being buck naked in front of total strangers? Well, me for one. But I’ll come back to that.
I arrived at Common Grounds by way of Groupon. «Clothing Optional» had me a bit weary seeing as though 100% of my life in public had been spent opting into clothes. I decided to go with a bathing suit — which I soon found out was the wrong decision. Everyone is naked in a totally normal, non sexual way, and you’re the weird one if you’re not. Which is not to say people are looking at you funny or whispering about you. It’s just awkward to be the only one wearing clothes. Lesson learned — naked it is. I’ve been back a few times since and have felt totally comfortable naked. It’s a safe, not at all creepy or sexual environment. It’s even a bit freeing !
I am all about being warm. This California Girl has adjusted more of less to Portland but I’m still working a few of the kinks out. The biggest of which is the cold. There are times in the winter where I think «I’m never going to be warm again «. Enter a trip to Common Grounds, it’ll warm you down to your bones. I love heat and have a high threshold for it. Hanging out in the hot tub or sauna is just what the doctor ordered if I’m feeling chronically cold or stresses. In my social worker days I would go if I was feeling really stressed and could feel a noticeable difference after just an hour.
The space itself is clean and tranquil. I can be a bit of a germaphobe and haven’t been too worked up here. They ask you rinse when going from one thing to another such sauna to spa and that you put a towel down if you’re sitting on something. Some people choose to disregard this rule which irks but not so many people that it’s an issue.
My one «eh?» was that there were children there one of the times I went. For me, there is something creepy about kids around a bunch of naked adults. Also it’s a place I go to relax, I don’t really want to pay money to hang out with your kid who is splashing around, screaming, what have you.
Will the rain rolling in again I’m happy that Common Ground is around to save me from my cold day woes.

This was just what the doctor ordered. Not a real doctor. It was a rainy Friday and a long holiday weekend and Sue and I were talking about hot springs. Wishing there were hot springs closer to Portland. There aren’t so we decided on the next best thing. How about some tub time in town? It felt like the right thing to do.
This was our first time here. On your first visit the folks at the desk ask you to read up on what happens at this facility and sign and date a piece of paper stating that you’ve read this material. After that is done you pay for whatever services you will be receiving and they give you a tour of the facilities. Once that is done, you are on your way.
You start out with a quick cleansing shower and then it is onto the sauna or hot tub. This place is clothing optional and it seemed like everyone was sans clothing. We went au natural as well. Surprisingly it didn’t feel odd. It felt right for some reason. I don’t know. Maybe it was the heat of the sauna and the heat of the hot tub, but it was good.
This is a place you can come to to really kick back and relax. We paid for an hour on our first trip, but 30 minutes would have been plenty. Bring a towel and a water bottle with you. We didn’t do either, but were able to rent a towel from them for $ 1.25. Having a water bottle would have been nice, but if you don’t bring one with you there is a water fountain right next to the hot tub.