Caden’s Lighthouse — known in French as Le Phare de Caden — is Montreal’s first and only public Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environment, located at 16 Avenue Westminster North, Suite 102 in Montreal West (Montreal-Ouest), Quebec. Founded in 2020 by Rachel Ricci in honour of her son Caden, who is on the autism spectrum, Caden’s Lighthouse was born from a personal mission: to create the kind of safe, sensory-informed play space for special needs children that simply didn’t exist in Montreal. The facility combines an active gym area, a certified Snoezelen® MSE room, and a third immersive room into a three-space experience unlike anything else in the city — designed from the ground up for neurodivergent children, and warmly welcoming to all families.

Caden’s Lighthouse operates exclusively by reservation, welcoming one family group at a time to ensure a fully private, calm, and uninterrupted experience. Sessions are available for children from newborn to 12 years old and are open to individual families, playdate groups, and health and social care professionals conducting therapy or assessments. The space has been used by occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and behavioural therapists as an ideal low-stress environment to work with children. Special rates are available for daycares and schools. A kids birthday party space in Montreal West is also available, with full private access to the entire facility. To book, call Rachel at 514-996-6748 or visit the Caden’s Lighthouse website.

The Three Rooms at Caden’s Lighthouse — Montreal’s Snoezelen® Sensory Playground

The Gym — Active Sensory Play Area at Caden’s Lighthouse, Montreal West

Every visit to Caden’s Lighthouse begins in the gym — a clean, colourful active play space where children can release physical energy before transitioning to the calmer areas of the facility. The gym is equipped with a large ball pit, a hip hop activity box, a therapeutic swing, and an adapted climbing wall. This room is designed to be entirely failure-free: there is no right or wrong way to use it, no pressure, and no stress. For children who arrive wound up or anxious, the gym provides a powerful decompression space that sets the tone for the rest of the visit. The full-body, proprioceptive and vestibular input from the swing, climbing, and ball pit also directly supports the kind of sensory regulation that helps children get the most out of the quieter rooms that follow.

🎯 Recommended Age: Newborn to 12 years

The Snoezelen® MSE Room — Montreal’s First Public Multi-Sensory Environment

The heart of Caden’s Lighthouse is its certified Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environment — the first of its kind open to the public in Montreal. Rachel Ricci is certified in the Snoezelen MSE Training Program, and the room itself was designed and equipped following that framework, with all equipment manufactured in the United Kingdom and free from harmful chemicals on all surfaces and mats. Upon entering, visitors encounter a gentle, ambient scent, soft warm lighting, and a carefully layered environment designed to simultaneously calm and engage. Bubble tubes cast gentle colour across the room; vibrating panels provide deep pressure tactile input; fibre-optic strands create a soft, responsive glow; and image projections add a quietly shifting visual dimension. The combination is designed to reduce agitation and anxiety while stimulating engagement, attention, and communication — an effect that has been documented in Snoezelen environments worldwide and observed directly by families at Caden’s Lighthouse since opening day.

🎯 Best For: All ages; especially children with autism, sensory processing differences, anxiety, and learning disabilities

The Secret Room — Black-Light Audio-Visual Sensory Space

The third room at Caden’s Lighthouse is known simply as “The Secret Room” — a black-light audio-visual environment that offers a completely different sensory register from the MSE room. This space features a tactile panel embedded with lights and varied textures, a magic carpet woven with fibre-optics that responds to touch and movement, and a crash mat for children who need deep pressure input or simply a safe place to land. The low, ambient lighting and immersive visual environment make it a natural place for children to wind down, rest, or experience a quieter kind of sensory engagement. As Rachel puts it: kids can chill, take a nap — and for children with sensory processing differences who need a regulated, low-stimulation space to find their equilibrium, that option is genuinely valuable.

🎯 Best For: Children who benefit from calm, immersive wind-down environments; all neurotypes welcome

Birthday Parties & Private Events in Montreal at Caden’s Lighthouse

Caden’s Lighthouse offers fully private birthday parties in Montreal West where your group has exclusive access to all three rooms for the duration of your celebration. No other families are present during a birthday party booking, making it an ideal option for children who need a calm, predictable environment or simply prefer a less crowded experience. Adults are always free, and the party rate covers children only.

• 1-hour birthday party: $40 per child — includes 1 hour of play in the full facility, plus 50 minutes of table and chairs set up in the hallway for snacks and cake
• 2-hour birthday party: $50 per child — includes 2 hours of play in the full facility, plus 50 minutes for snacks and cake in the hallway

Recommended group sizes are 10–12 children for ages 1–6, and 8–10 children for ages 7 and up — though Rachel is happy to discuss your specific guest list by phone. You will only be charged for the children who actually attend on the day. No food or drinks are permitted inside the play areas to keep the equipment clean and safe, but Caden’s Lighthouse provides a table and chairs in the hallway free of charge, and recommends playing first and eating last to keep the fun going. Please note there is no refrigerator on site. To book a birthday party, call Rachel directly at 514-996-6748. A credit card is required to hold the reservation; payment is made on-site on the day of your event. Caden’s Lighthouse is a meaningful birthday destination for families from Montreal West, NDG, Côte-Saint-Luc, Westmount, Côte-des-Neiges, LaSalle, and surrounding communities.

Facility Details & Visiting Information — Caden’s Lighthouse, Montreal West

• By reservation only — one family group at a time; no drop-in visits
• Maximum 8 children per session, plus accompanying parent(s) or therapist(s)
• Ages: Newborn to 12 years old; call 514-419-2324 for guests over 12 or special requests
• Socks mandatory for all participants; socks available for purchase on-site if forgotten
• No food or drink inside the play areas
• All children must be accompanied and supervised by a parent or therapist at all times
• Full sterilization between every session, including fogging of the ball pit
• Camera surveillance throughout the facility
• Basement location — no elevator access. Call 514-419-2324 in advance if you need stroller assistance; staff will safely bring it down and back up after your visit
• Special rates available for daycares and schools — inquire by phone
• Private therapy sessions do not include general facility access; separate admission is required
• Cancellation policy: 24 hours’ notice required; cancellation fees apply ($40 for 1-hr sessions, $75 for 2-hr sessions)
• Payment accepted by cash, debit, and credit card; processed on-site only
• Located at 16 Ave Westminster North, Suite 102, Montreal-Ouest, QC H4X 1Y8
• Phone: 514-996-6748 | Email: rachel@cadenslighthouse.com
• Instagram: @cadens_lighthouse

Why Montreal Families Choose Caden’s Lighthouse Sensory Playground

There is no other place in Montreal quite like Caden’s Lighthouse. It is the city’s first and only public Snoezelen® Multi-Sensory Environment, and every detail of its three-room layout reflects years of lived experience, professional training, and genuine dedication to the families it serves. Rachel Ricci built it because her son Caden needed it and nothing like it existed — and that origin story is felt in the space. When a major flood in the summer of 2023 destroyed the facility down to its walls, floors, and every piece of specialized equipment, the Montreal community responded with donations and support that helped raise $225,000 to rebuild. Caden’s Lighthouse reopened in April 2024, fully restored, with all-new equipment and a community that had grown even stronger through the experience. Families whose children use it as a weekly routine, therapists who rely on it for assessments and interventions, and first-time visitors discovering what a truly sensory-designed space feels like — all find something here that simply can’t be replicated elsewhere in the city. For parents of children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, learning disabilities, or challenging behaviours, Caden’s Lighthouse offers something rare and deeply needed: a place where their children can simply be themselves, without judgement, and find joy in play.

Frequently Asked Questions — Caden’s Lighthouse, Montreal West

What is Snoezelen® and why does it matter for my child?

Snoezelen® is a registered Multi-Sensory Environment (MSE) approach developed in the Netherlands that uses controlled combinations of light, sound, scent, touch, and movement to regulate sensory processing. It has been shown to help reduce agitation and anxiety, improve attention and communication, and raise alertness in children who are under-stimulated. Caden’s Lighthouse is Montreal’s first and only public Snoezelen® facility, and founder Rachel Ricci holds certification in the Snoezelen MSE Training Program. The approach benefits children with autism, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, anxiety, learning disabilities, and challenging behaviours, and has also shown positive results for individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Is Caden’s Lighthouse only for children with autism or special needs?

No — Caden’s Lighthouse is designed with neurodivergent and special needs children especially in mind, but it is genuinely welcoming to all children and families. Neurotypical children enjoy the ball pit, climbing wall, fibre-optics, and light shows just as much as any other child. Rachel’s stated mission is to build a community where every child and family can simply be who they are without judgement, and that includes every neurotype. If your child would enjoy a calm, beautiful, imaginative sensory environment with hands-on equipment unlike anything at a standard playground, Caden’s Lighthouse is worth a visit.

How do I book a session or birthday party at Caden’s Lighthouse?

Regular sessions can be booked through the online booking system linked on the Caden’s Lighthouse website. For birthday parties and group bookings, call Rachel directly at 514-996-6748. A credit card is required to hold all reservations, but payment is never processed in advance — it is handled on-site. Please give 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel; cancellation fees apply for shorter notice. Caden’s Lighthouse does not accept walk-ins; all visits must be booked in advance.

Is the facility accessible for strollers or families with mobility needs?

Caden’s Lighthouse is located in the basement and does not have elevator access. Families with strollers or mobility considerations should call 514-419-2324 ahead of their visit. Staff will safely bring strollers down for you and return them upstairs after your session. Rachel and her team are always willing to discuss accommodations by phone before your visit.

Where is Caden’s Lighthouse located, and how do I get there from central Montreal?

Caden’s Lighthouse is located at 16 Avenue Westminster North, Suite 102, Montreal-Ouest (Montreal West), QC H4X 1Y8. Montreal West is a small municipality on the Island of Montreal, bordering NDG, Côte-Saint-Luc, and LaSalle. The Montreal West train station (Exo commuter rail) is a short walk away, and the location is easily accessible by car from the Décarie Expressway and Highway 20. Families from Westmount, NDG, Côte-Saint-Luc, Verdun, LaSalle, and Lachine will find it conveniently close. Search “Caden’s Lighthouse Montreal West” in Google Maps for turn-by-turn directions.