Canberra’s first floating sauna brings Nordic wellness to the capital

The new on-water wellness experience may feel indulgent, but the benefits go far beyond the surface.

Canberra has officially joined the wellness tourism wave, with the city’s first-ever floating sauna now open on Lake Burley Griffin. Part sweat session, part cold plunge and entirely self-care certified, it’s a time-honoured ritual promising complete relaxation in the nation’s capital.

What is Floating Sauna Lake Burley Griffin?

Launched by the same team behind Floating Sauna Lake Derby in Tasmania, Canberra’s latest wellness offering invites guests to slow down, switch off and surrender to the heat – before plunging in for a refreshing dip right outside your door.

Floating Sauna Lake Burley Griffin in Caberra, ACT — Floating Sauna Lake Burley Griffin comprises two timber-lined sanctuaries. (Credit: Anne Stroud for VisitCanberra)

The two wood-fired sauna rooms bob gently off the quiet shores of Lake Burley Griffin near Yarralumla Beach East. Each sleek sauna features a self-tended stove, water buckets, additional firewood and floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the lake and natural surrounds.

It’s all part of a growing trend which has seen floating saunas pop up across the country, from a sustainable sanctuary on Sydney Harbour to an entire trail across Tassie.

Floating Sauna Lake Derby in Tasmania — The new offering joins a sister property on Lake Derby, Tasmania. (Credit: Emilie Ristevski)

Guests of Floating Sauna Lake Burley Griffin can choose between two signature experiences: a shared session or a private booking. Both run for one hour and accommodate up to six people, with the latter including a dedicated Sauna Master who takes care of logistics. The experience begins the moment you step inside, where Nordic bathing traditions blend with solitude and privacy for the ultimate full-body reset.

How it works – and why you need to try it

Inspired by traditional Nordic bathing culture, saunas have long been associated with pleasure and peacefulness. But health experts suggest the benefits extend far beyond mere stress relief, documented in a growing number of studies such as Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing: A Review of the Evidence by the Mayo Clinic.

“Emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing has several health benefits, which include reduction in the risk of vascular diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stroke and neurocognitive diseases; nonvascular conditions such as pulmonary diseases including common flu; mortality; treatment of specific skin conditions; as well as pain in conditions such as rheumatic diseases and headache," the 2018 report concludes.

So, how does it actually work? At its core, the floating sauna experience follows a simple method: heat, cool, repeat – also known as contrast therapy. Based on the traditional Finnish design, most modern saunas use a wood-fired stove, heated rocks and water to create hot bursts of steam that envelop the body.

Dubbed löyly in Finnish, this steamy cloud is considered the soul or breath of the sauna, a spiritual term that represents purification and relaxation. As it rises, the temperature climbs, triggering a deep and cleansing sweat. This heat also raises the heart rate and relaxes the limbs, which allows the muscles to loosen and the mind to slow.

Then, it’s straight into the lake for a cold-water plunge. While a little daunting at first, the sudden temperature shift awakens the senses and rapidly cools the body. According to the University of South Australia‘s Effects of cold-water immersion on health and wellbeing: A systematic review and meta-analysis, this can help with everything from inflammation to immune function.

After a series of real-world trials, researchers found that “Cold Water Immersion (CWI) delivers time-dependent effects on inflammation, stress, immunity, sleep quality and quality of life, offering potential practical applications for health practitioners considering CWI for stress management and wellbeing support."

The result? A restorative experience that feels both restful and re-energising. But the true beauty of the floating sauna lies in its malleability. Whether you stick to the original ritual, skip steps that don’t suit your needs or simply throw caution to the wind and follow your intuition, you’re guaranteed to leave on löyly nine.

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

The details

Floating Sauna Lake Burley Griffin is moored off Alexandrina Drive in Yarralumla, ACT. It’s a short 10-minute drive from the city centre, with free parking on-site. Just visiting? Hyatt Hotel Canberra is the perfect home base, less than five minutes away by car.

The sauna generally operates seven days a week, with hour-long bookings available from 7am to 9pm. Shared sessions are priced $55 per person, while private reservations can be secured for a flat rate of $305. All guests must be at least 16 years old to visit.

Makers, bakers, artists, chefs, crafters – Ballarat and its surrounds are overflowing with creative spirits. All dedicated to keeping traditional skills alive for a city that is humming with artful energy.

Modern makers: a new generation of artists and artisans

“Keeping craft alive is a noble cause,” says Jess Cameron-Wootten, a charming and passionate master leathercrafter and cordwainer, who handmakes traditional leather boots and shoes in Ballarat’s old Gun Cotton Goods Store.

Ballarat was recognised in 2019 as a UNESCO Creative City of Craft and Folk Art, and today it’s a place where craft traditions converge with contemporary needs. Nothing quite captures this convergence as a visit to Wootten, the workshop and store of Jess Cameron-Wootten and his partner Krystina Menegazzo.

heritage buildings in Ballarat — Ballarat’s streets are lined with heritage buildings. (Image: Matt Dunne)

Jess’s father was an artisan bootmaker, or cordwainer. Now Jess and Krys and their small team of artisans continue the tradition, but with a modern spin. The company’s boots and shoes, made completely from scratch, are renowned for their quality and longevity. Wootten also craft shoes, bags, belts, leather aprons, wallets and more.

Cosy beanies, gloves, alpaca socks, “unbreakable” shoelaces and various other goods – many from local craftspeople and small-scale makers – fill the shop’s shelves. “We’re always happy to support a mate,” says Jess. “People love to see the workshop and where things are made. Our clients care about quality and sustainability,” Krys comments. The company slogan ‘Made for generations’ says it all.

Ruby Pilven’s ceramics at Ross Creek Gallery. (Image: Tara Moore)

For Ruby Pilven, craft is also in the DNA – both her parents were potters and with her latest porcelain ceramics, Ruby’s young daughter has been helping add colour to the glazes. “I grew up watching my parents in the workshop – I’ve always been doing ceramics,” she says, although her Visual Arts degree was in printmaking. That printmaking training comes through particularly in the rich layering of pattern. Her audacious colour, unexpected shapes and sudden pops of 12-carat gold are contemporary, quirky – and joyful.

You can see Ruby’s handcrafted ceramics, and work by other local and regional artists, at Ross Creek Gallery, a light-filled space surrounded by serene bushland, across from the mudbrick house her parents built in the 1980s. A 10-minute drive from Ballarat, it’s a tangible link to the region’s well-established craft traditions.

How Ballarat is preserving the past

artisans making crafts at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat — The Centre for Rare Arts & Forgotten Trades holds workshops to preserve crafts and skills.

While tradition is ongoing, there’s a danger that many of these specific type of skills and knowledge are fading as an older generation passes on. Step forward the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades.

The seven purpose-built studios occupy a fabulous modern building adjacent to Sovereign Hill, with state-of-the-art facilities, enormous windows and landscape views across to Warrenheip and Wadawurrung Country.

artisanal works at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades, Ballarat — Check out artisanal works at the Centre for Rare Arts and Forgotten Trades.

Practising artisans run hands-on workshops. Fancy making your own medieval armour? Or trying your hand at blacksmithing, spinning wool, plaiting leather, weaving cane or craft a knife? Book a class and learn how. “It’s about creating awareness and also sharing knowledge and skills before they are lost,” explains Deborah Klein, the centre manager.

A city steeped in food and flavours

Chef José Fernandez preparing American streetfood at Pancho — Chef José Fernandez creates vibrant South American street food at Pancho. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

One skill that hasn’t been lost is that of cooking. Ballarat’s burgeoning gastronomy scene runs the gamut from an artisan bakery (the atmospheric 1816 Bakehouse) to cool coffee shops, speakeasy cocktail bars and distilleries to fine-dining venues. But I’m still surprised to find Pancho, José Fernandez’s South American street food restaurant, serving fried cheese tequeños, fiery fish tacos, Argentinian grilled chicken.

The room is as lively as the food – a whirl of colour filled with gifted and thrifted paintings, photos, tchotchkes (trinkets), plants. There’s a Mexican abuela aesthetic going on here. Even before the music and mezcal kick in, it’s fun. Heads up on the drinks menu – an authentic selection of mezcal, tequila, South American wines and Mexican cerveza.

a cocktail at Itinerant Spirits, Ballarat — Enjoy a cocktail at Itinerant Spirits. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

The spirit is willing, so after lunch we head towards the gold rush-era Ballarat train station and across the line to the old 1860s Goods Shed for Itinerant Spirits. At one end, a massive German copper still looms behind a wall of glass. The fit-out embraces deep olive-green tones, original bluestone walls, steamer trunks as coffee tables, heritage timber floors, oversized lamp shades and cognac-hued modernist leather seating.

the Itinerant Spirits Distillery & Cocktail Bar, Ballarat — The distillery operates from an old goods shed. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

Gallivanter Gin, Vansetter Vodka and Wayfarer Whiskey – the key spirits distilled – star at the bar. The spirits are crafted using grains from the Wimmera Mallee region, and native botanicals foraged in the Grampians. Seasonal cocktails are inspired by local people and places (I loved The Headland, inspired by Sovereign Hill and flavoured with old-fashioned raspberry drops). Sample the spirits, and join a cocktail masterclass or a distillery tour. It’s a seductive setting – you’ll likely find yourself ordering a charcuterie platter or pizza as the evening progresses.

The Ballarat stay combining history and luxury

one of the rooms at Hotel Vera, Ballarat — The rooms at Hotel Vera have a contemporary style. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

New lives for old buildings keeps history alive. Vera, Ballarat’s boutique five-star hotel, has taken it to the next level: it’s a palimpsest, a subtle layering of early 1900s and 1930s Art Deco architecture with a sleek new wing. There are seven spacious suites, each a dramatically different colour, with designer chairs, blissful bathrooms. High-end pottery and hand-picked artworks imbue the spaces with personality.

Vera’s intimate, award-winning restaurant, Babae, is subtly theatrical with sheer drapes and gallery lighting, its bespoke timber furniture and brass-edged marble bench setting the stage for food with a sharp regional focus. “We have goat’s cheese from a local supplier, handmade granola from local Vegas & Rose, truffles from nearby Black Cat Truffles, fresh food from our garden, and regional wines,” says joint owner David Cook-Doulton.

Celebrating the local makers, bakers, growers and producers, and the master chefs who work their magic is all part of the rich tapestry that links Ballarat’s history to its vibrant present.

A traveller’s checklist

Getting there

It’s 90 minutes from Melbourne, either on the Western Freeway, or hop on a V/Line train from Southern Cross Station.

Staying there

Hotel Vera is a centrally located Art Deco boutique hotel. Consider Hotel Provincial, which feels like a sleek country house, but with its own restaurant, Lola.

a contemporary room at Hotel Provincial, Ballarat — Hotel Provincial has country house vibes.

Eating there

dining at Mr Jones, Ballarat — The table is set at Mr Jones. (Image: Tony Evans/ Visit Victoria)

Culinary whiz Damien Jones helms Chef’s Hat winner Mr Jones Dining with quiet assurance. His modern Asian food is deceptively simple with deep, intense flavours. Low-key, laid-back ambience, lovely staff, thoughtful wine list.

Cocktails are definitely a thing in Ballarat. Reynard (fox in French) is foxy indeed, a clubby space with top-notch cocktails and small bites. Grainery Lane is extravagantly OTT with its massive 1880s bar, myriad chandeliers, brass gin still, Asian-inspired food and lavish cocktails.

dining at Grainery Lane, Ballarat — Dining at Grainery Lane.

Playing there

a laneway filled with artworks in Ballarat — An artful laneway in the city. (Image: Ballarat Tourism)

Check out local design legend Travis Price’s wall murals in Hop Lane with its colourful canopy of brollies, or in Main Street. The Art Gallery of Ballarat’s off-site Backspace Gallery showcases early-career artists in a stylish, contemporary space. First Nations-owned and run Perridak Arts connects people to place, bringing together art and crafts in this gallery/shop.

a woman admiring artworks at Perridak Arts Gallery — Perridak Arts is a First Nations-run gallery. (Image: Tony Evans)

The wineries of the Pyrenees are close at hand with their welcoming cellar doors and robust reds. Join a behind-the-scenes tour at the Centre for Gold Rush Collections.

Don’t forget the giant bluestone Kryal Castle, ‘the land of adventure’, for a little medieval magic, and not just for the kids: get ready for Highland-style feasting, jousting, even overnight stays.

Canberra’s first floating sauna brings Nordic wellness to the capital

The new on-water wellness experience may feel indulgent, but the benefits go far beyond the surface.

What is Floating Sauna Lake Burley Griffin?

How it works – and why you need to try it

The details

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Meet the makers shaping Ballarat’s new era of creativity

Makers, bakers, artists, chefs, crafters – Ballarat and its surrounds are overflowing with creative spirits. All dedicated to keeping traditional skills alive for a city that is humming with artful energy.

Modern makers: a new generation of artists and artisans

How Ballarat is preserving the past

A city steeped in food and flavours

The Ballarat stay combining history and luxury