'Life-altering': Vancouver resident says sauna odours effectively 'displaced' him and his dog
A Vancouver resident said he is considering selling his condo after a sauna and cold plunge facility opened in his building four months ago.
Tevah Wellness opened in downtown Vancouver in December 2025. Frank Farkas, a resident in the same building as the spa, said that ever since, its essential oils have been wafting into the building’s HVAC system and into people’s residences. At first, he said the smell was eucalyptus, but he thinks they changed the oil blend.
Because of this, Farkas told Daily Hive that he has “effectively been displaced.” He only goes home to cook and sleep.
After the business opened, Farkas said he noticed a decline in his dog’s health, and he noted that essential oils can be dangerous for pets. His dog has been diagnosed with liver issues.
“It’s been the most difficult, traumatic experience I’ve ever dealt with. This has been very, very difficult — to the point where I have to take my dog out of my residence. I’m never here in my own home that I still pay my mortgage for. And it’s just life-altering, to be honest,” Farkas said.
His dog, a pit bull named King, has lost 18 pounds and suffered from chronic diarrhea and lethargy.
“There has been communication with the business about these concerns, but the issue has not been resolved,” Farkas said.
On March 10, he moved King out of his home after realizing that he was continuing to lose weight and his condition was not improving.
Farkas paid $2,000 to rent a condo for a week to take King to and remove him from the exposure to essential oils. Within a week, some of King’s GI issues had begun to improve.
Before and after the weight loss. (Frank Farkas/Submitted)
Now, King is living at a friend’s house, and Farkas has paid that friend an additional $1,000 for helping him out. He’s also spent around $2,000 on vet bills.
“I’ve been incurring a lot of costs,” he said.
Other residents have had issues with the odours too.
Justin Genest, another resident above Tevah Wellness, was away in December last year for the Christmas holidays. When he returned to his unit in early January, he said he immediately noticed the scent from the spa.
He said he had headaches for the first few days until he started leaving his balcony door open to improve air circulation.
“It’s been cold the last couple of months,” he said. “It’s not the most ideal.”
“There’s been some days where I was a little cold at night, but I’d rather be a little bit cold than having trouble breathing or coughing.”
What has the business done?
Andrew Ao, the founder of Tevah Wellness, told Daily Hive in a statement that when they learned about “a concern,” they “took immediate and proactive steps to address the situation.”
Ao said they significantly reduced and eventually stopped using aromatherapy (before a formal request was made). He said that WorkSafeBC conducted an on-site inspection on March 12 and did not find any violations.
“We have been working cooperatively with building management on a permanent ventilation solution, including the installation of charcoal air filters,” Ao said.
While Farkas acknowledged the installation of the filters, he said the “smell remains present, intrusive, and there’s been no improvement.”
Farkas said he has reached out to the building’s strata, but hasn’t heard back. He also hired a lawyer to write a cease and desist letter to Tevah Wellness, and he was told that the business said they had stopped using oils.
“The stress has pretty much deteriorated me to the point where I’m not working out, not caring for myself. I’m hardly eating [or] sleeping. [I’m] super emotional, and it’s just like to the point where I think I need to sell my place, because nothing is really getting done here,” he said.
Since Farkas owns his condo, he “can’t just pack up and leave.” To move, he’d only be able to purchase a new condo with a conditional offer (meaning he had an offer already on his condo), which would be difficult in the soft real-estate market.
What’s the solution?
The City of Vancouver has bylaws that address things like light pollution from neighbouring residences or noise, but indoor scents are not covered by the City.
And while Metro Vancouver is responsible for outdoor odour issues, indoor odours aren’t in its jurisdiction.
Both Farkas and Genest said they don’t want to harm the business — they just want them to stop using essential oils.
“I don’t want [to] destroy a business owner,” said Genest. “It’s very difficult to make businesses work these days. But at the same time … you can’t have smells like that just spraying into your units.”
Ao, the founder of Tevah, also said they are “hopeful this will be resolved soon.”
“Tevah Wellness exists to support health and healing, and that includes being a good neighbour,” he said.
Daily Hive reached out to Rancho Management Services, the property management company, which responded and said it is against its contract to speak to the media.