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A new bathhouse is transforming the historic heart of South Melbourne

Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
A new sanctuary is set to open in the heart of South Melbourne in April 2026. 

Australians are realising the restorative value of time spent in a good bathhouse. With more and more popping up around major cities, we’re becoming spoiled for choice – but I, for one, intend to get to as many as possible. The next on my list? else BATHHOUSE.

Set to open in Emerald Hill, the historic heart of South Melbourne, by April next year, else BATHHOUSE is intended to take the idea of a spa or a retreat to the next level. Think: a modern bathhouse rooted in ancient traditions, where slowing down and embracing stillness is key.

else BATHHOUSE vitality pool
Step into modern luxuries and heritage surrounds.

“else is about presence, it’s about slowing down and stepping away from the noise of everyday life," said Paul Absalom, else BATHHOUSE Founder. “We wanted to offer something that would help people unwind and take care of themselves, a peaceful space woven into the rhythm of local life. Bringing else to South Melbourne felt natural."

And they started with transforming a heritage-listed space that was once home to wool trading and later Croft’s Grocery Empire. While maintaining the building’s original character, architects and designers have reimagined the space across three levels. Plenty of natural light shines on exposed brick, original early 1900s murals, timber beams, a heritage lift shaft and wool bale pulleys. The intention is to make the building itself part of the ritual and preserve the space as a living reminder of Melbourne’s past.

else BATHHOUSE rooftop pool
Soak in the city skyline from the rooftop pool.

Guests can step inside to a series of curated experiences that draw inspiration from Roman thermae, Japanese onsen, Moroccan hammams and more. Find thermal baths, cold plunges, saunas, mud and steam rooms, an alpine cabin, tranquil lounges and Sky Bathing. The latter can be experienced in rooftop pools with sweeping views of the city. Uniquely, signature Aufguss rituals (a German sauna ritual during which a sauna master pours water infused with essential oils over hot stones) anchor the experience and draw on centuries of global bathing traditions.

South Melbourne will be the first of several else BATHHOUSE destinations, with a second space to open in Bright (Victoria’s High Country) and plans underway for additional Melbourne sites.

Can’t wait for April? Fill in the time between then and now with our pick of the top six Melbourne bathhouses.

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Kassia Byrnes
Kassia Byrnes is the Native Content Editor for Australian Traveller and International Traveller. She's come a long way since writing in her diary about family trips to Grandma's. After graduating a BA of Communication from University of Technology Sydney, she has been writing about her travels (and more) professionally for over 10 years for titles like AWOL, News.com.au, Pedestrian.TV, Body + Soul and Punkee. She's addicted to travel but has a terrible sense of direction, so you can usually find her getting lost somewhere new around the world. Luckily, she loves to explore and have new adventures – whether that’s exploring the backstreets, bungee jumping off a bridge or hiking for days. You can follow her adventures on Instagram @probably_kassia.
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Victoria’s surprising new outdoor adventure hotspot

    Craig Tansley Craig Tansley
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    A town charmingly paused in time has become a hot mountain biking destination. 

    There’s a forest reserve full of eucalyptus and pines surrounding town – when you combine all the greenery with a main street of grand old buildings still standing from the Victorian Gold Rush, Creswick looks more period movie set than a 21st-century town.  

    old gold bank Victoria
    Grand buildings from the Victorian gold rush. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    This entire region of Victoria – the Central Goldfields – is as pretty-as-a-picture, but there’s something extra-special about Creswick. I used to live 30 minutes north; I’d drive in some evenings to cruise its main street at dusk, and pretend I was travelling back in time. 

    It was sleepy back then, but that’s changed. Where I used to walk through its forest, now I’m hurtling down the state’s best new mountain bike trails. There’s a 60-kilometre network of mountain bike trails – dubbed Djuwang Baring – which make Creswick the state’s hottest new mountain biking destination.  

    Meet Victoria’s new mountain biking capital 

    Creswick bike trail
    This historic town has become a mountain biking hotspot.

    Victoria has a habit of turning quiet country towns into mountain biking hotspots. I was there in the mid-2000s when the tiny Otways village of Forrest embarked on an ambitious plan to save itself (after the death of its timber cutting industry) courtesy of some of the world’s best mountain bike trails. A screaming success it proved to be, and soon mountain bike trails began popping up all over Victoria. 

    I’m no expert, so I like that a lot of Creswick’s trails are as scenic as they are challenging. I prefer intermediate trails, such as Down Martuk, with its flowing berms and a view round every corner. Everyone from outright beginners to experts can be happy here. There’s trails that take me down technical rock sections with plenty of bumps. But there’s enough on offer to appeal to day-trippers, as much as hard-core mountain-bikers. 

    I love that the trails empty onto that grand old main street. There’s bars still standing from the Gold Rush of the 1850s I can refuel at. Like the award-winning Farmers Arms, not to be confused with the pub sharing its name in Daylesford. It’s stood since 1857. And The American Creswick built two years later, or Odessa Wine Bar, part of Leaver’s Hotel in an 1856-built former gold exchange bank.  

    The Woodlands
    The Woodlands is set on a large bushland property. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    Creswick is also full of great cafes and restaurants, many of them set in the same old buildings that have stood for 170 years. So whether you’re here for the rush of the trails or the calm of town life, Creswick provides. 

    A traveller’s checklist 

    Staying there 

    1970s log cabin
    Inside the Woodlands, a chic 1970s log cabin. (Image: Vanessa Smith Photography)

    RACV Goldfields Resort is a contemporary stay with a restaurant, swimming pool and golf course. The Woodlands in nearby Lal Lal comprises a chic log cabin set on a 16-hectare property abundant in native wildlife. 

    Eating there 

    Le Peche Gourmand
    Le Peche Gourmand makes for the perfect pitstop for carb and sugar-loading.

    The menu at Odessa at Leaver’s Hotel includes some Thai-inspired fare. Fuel up for your ride on baguettes and pastries from French patisserie Le Peche Gourmand. The Farmers Arms has been a much-loved local institution since 1857. 

    Playing there 

    Miss NorthcottsGarden
    Miss Northcotts Garden is a charming garden store with tea room. (Image: Visit Victoria)

    Creswick State Forest has a variety of hiking trails, including a section of the 210-kilometre-long Goldfields Track. Miss Northcotts Garden is a quaint garden store with tea room.