Looking to unwind? Kansas City’s newest luxury bathhouse & spa is now open
Inside an old brick building on an industrial street of Kansas City’s West Bottoms in the middle of the antique shopping district lies an urban oasis offering an intimate and relaxing bathhouse and spa experience for guests.
Kla Sanctuary, owned by one of the original co-founders of Messenger Coffee, Matthew Matsch, and his partner Kathryn McCormick, was opened as a passion project of the two on July 5.
McCormick, a certified somatic experiencing practitioner, designed the space with Matsch with the autonomic nervous system in mind. In an email to the Star, McCormick said the two chose each detail while thinking about how it may impact the experience, with the goal of awakening the five senses. The whole designing experience was incredibly rewarding to her, she said.
“It sounds simple, but our intention is to support this community toward the present moment and to provide a space that welcomes our guests to interact with it in tangible ways,” McCormick said in a statement. “We are very proud of what we have created and the quiet care it holds in its design and flow.”
Everything in the space is intentional, according to spa director Abbigale Porter, from the color scheme and products used, to the material of employee uniforms.
Porter, who has been in the industry for over a decade, was hired by Matsch and McCormick in January and started off by building up the treatment menu and hiring staff.
“(Matsch and McCormick are) the type of people you wanna be around all the time because they make you feel so good about yourself, like you’re just capable of doing everything,” she said.
Experiencing the Kla Spa
After guests check in at Kla, they are brought into the integration lounge, with warm brown painted walls, white accents and natural stone and wood finishes throughout. Hot tea and water is offered to begin relaxation.
“... this is meant to slowly transition people into that mindset,” Porter said.
After the lounge but before entering the bathhouse, clients are brought into the locker room, which is co-ed. A staff member is inside at all times. Clients can change in the shower rooms and there is a powder room to be used after treatments.
“While designing the sanctuary there was a lot of play and curiosity on how to create an environment that opens the imagination and encourages personal choice as individuals follow their intuition through the space,” McCormick said in a statement.
Though staff are there and can give recommendations, McCormick said guests are encouraged to explore the space and follow their intuition and what feels right to them in the moment.
The space includes an infrared sauna, herbal steam sauna, a mineral float bath, therme bath, cold bath and a warm bath, a reset shower and salt altar.
Guests may notice the cold bath isn’t labeled as a cold plunge. The state of Missouri doesn’t have legislation on cold plunges, according to Porter, but the health department upped the water temperature from 50 degrees to 70 for safety reasons.
“I will say, going from 104 to 98 to (the cold bath), guests say it does feel cold, we just technically can’t call it a cold plunge,” Porter said.
Only 24 clients are allowed in the space at a time, which helps in fostering an intimate experience. Kla Sanctuary accepts groups up to six people; more than that number would require a full facility or private booking.
“We’re really trying not to be the space now for bachelorette parties, it’s a very intimate experience,” Porter said.
Kla offers several massages and body treatments. One thing Porter noted that sets them apart is their couples experience, which allows them to stay together the whole time. Clients are welcome to select the same or different treatments, and end the sessions with a tea ceremony and a private shower to help them transition into the next part of their day.
“This has already been a very special offering for our guests and we cannot wait to continue enhancing this experience over time,” McCormick said in a statement.
There are several add-on enhancements clients can choose from to include in their session, like fascia stripping and cupping. If one is selected that requires extra treatment, time is added to the session, so that it doesn’t eat up the massage time.
“My philosophy in the spa industry is we’re just caregivers. We have treatments and we have protocols, but really it should be a conversation that you have with your client,” Porter said.
Time in the bathhouse is included with any massage treatment, but is required to be done before the treatment to preserve the cleanliness of the baths. Kla recommends guests arrive an hour and 15 minutes early so they have enough time to use the bathhouse and relax before the massage.
“The best part of my job is seeing guests come out and they’re just melted like butter and they’re so relaxed,” Porter said.
Porter’s ideal day at the Sanctuary
Porter said her personal favorite is to come in the evening for treatments, saying it’s because she loves to crawl right into bed after a spa treatment. Ideally, she said she would arrive the hour before enjoying the thermal waters and order a seaweed wrap. Kla uses dehydrated seaweed leaves and rehydrates them before wrapping it around the client.
“You’re getting exfoliation, you’re getting a wrap, you’re getting a nice finishing massage. It’s like a facial for your body. It’s like the best,” she said.
At the end of her session, she will pop into Selah, their tea lounge next door, and order a chicory root latte.
“In a crazy busy world, especially here in Kansas City, there is a place where you can come and retreat, have a couple hours just to yourself,” Porter said.
Next steps for Kla
News about both Kla and Selah have been spread through word of mouth, with a lot of buzz coming from visitors posting on TikTok, according to Porter.
Matsch and McCormick plan to expand the business eventually. They originally planned for the spa to open in Weston, but fell in love with the idea of an urban oasis.
“This really is like phase one, Matthew and Katheryn are total dreamers and that’s where they live in the clouds dreaming and creating,” Porter said.
Customers can typically book a time slot for the sanctuary the day of, but services have been booking quickly. Porter recommends trying to schedule two to three weeks in advance, especially as weekend slots begin to fill up in the fall.
This story was originally published August 27, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
