6 luxurious Melbourne bathhouses for ultimate relaxation

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Nourish your body and relax your mind at these six Melbourne bathhouses and spas.

Yes, you can enjoy a soak in a mineralised pool, a detoxing sauna or a relaxing massage, but these newly opened Melbourne bathhouses have all that and more. Each one is unabashedly committed to holistic wellness and rejuvenation. Choose from communal baths to breathwork to reiki, guided meditation and state-of-the-art facials, all designed to calm your nervous system and reignite your inner glow and share their passion for a happier, healthier life, (though the snacks and beverages don’t hurt either).

1. Sóma Bathhouse, Essendon

the pool inside Sóma Bathhouse, Essendon
Hit pause on the everyday hustle at Sóma Bathhouse. (Image: Charlotte/Studio on Hampton)

Intentionally designed as a haven to take that cortisol down, Soma , (a poetic term for “the body") is all soft curves, low-lit spaces and timber accents. Here, the emphasis is squarely on contrast therapy with two infrared saunas, one built for four and another that houses two people, along with two cold plunge pools so you can dive straight in for that dopamine hit. A warm, mineralised spa will relax muscles and ensure a good night’s sleep. There are also plenty of private facilities, too in case you want to relax alone.

Price: From $55 for one hour
Address: 15 Rose Street, Essendon

2. Soak Bathhouse, South Yarra

the hot pool at Soak Bathhouse, South Yarra
Soak in a crystal blue magnesium pool. (Image: Supplied)

Soak ’s leafy South Yarra bathhouse, with its crystal blue magnesium pool and marble walls, feels more like a self-contained five-star resort than a communal space to chat. But the pool is bordered by lounge chairs for a reason – Soak wants you to know self-care is more fun with friends. Hang out and chat with wellness snacks and drinks or hop into a hot spa, a cold plunge, a traditional cedarwood sauna, or a steam room. If that isn’t relaxing enough, massages are also available along with guided wellness journeys and LED facials.

Opening APRIL 2025

Price: From $39 for 60 minutes
Address: Suite 1, Ground Floor/10 River St, South Yarra

3. Comma, Cremorne

a traditional sauna at Comma, Cremorne
Reinvigorate your senses at this contemporary bathhouse. (Image: Comma)

A comma in grammar indicates a pause and it’s the philosophy behind this immersive bolthole, adjacent to the CBD. Built on a former mechanics workshop, Comma proudly draws on Melbourne’s laneway culture with its hidden spaces and concealed rooms. Stepping into the Bath House, all ceramic tiles, timber and raw brass, you can smell the cedar from the traditional sauna and hot tub. Sit down on a hinoki stool to wash your body before submerging yourself in the magnesium-infused water. Reinvigorate your senses and skin underneath a pail shower or rehydrate and soak up a quiet moment at the Entry and Tea Lounge. Or enjoy a signature massage or facial to restore your inner glow.

Price: From $60 for one hour
Address: 10-12 Hill St, Cremorne

4. Trinity

Trinity is swathed in calming neutrals. (Image: Elisa Watson Photography)

Named after its founder, Trinity Scarf and the three pillars of wellness: balance, renewal and growth, this recently-opened sanctuary blends Roman-inspired bathing rituals with a contemporary Australian aesthetic. As well as contrast therapy facilities, there is massage, breath work, kinesiology, reiki, holistic health coaching and movement classes, including yoga and pilates. Kick back in the LED light therapy lounge after a soak to maximise benefits to your skin.

Price: Starting at $45 for 45 minutes of hot and cold therapy
Address: Ground Floor, 18 Thomson St, South Melbourne

5. Sense of Self Day Spa Collingwood

the bathhouse at Sense of Self Day Spa Collingwood
Reset your body and mind with a mineral soak at Sense of Self Day Spa Collingwood.

Located on Easey Street in bustling Collingwood and housed within a two-storey warehouse building, Sense of Self ’s light, airy ambience, white decor and large windows, certainly live up to its name. As well as a large mineral bath, traditional Finnish sauna and cold plunge, there’s a focus on their communal Hammam (steam room). Purchase a Sud and Mud kit for $35 for your own self-led Hammam ritual. Walk up the stairs and there are massages for the back and feet and a gua sha facial. Choose from an array of light refreshments and snacks to keep your energy up.

Price: From $65 for 2 hours
Address: 30-32 Easey Street, Collingwood

6. Inner Studio

friends dipping in a cold plunge at Inner Studio, Collingwood
Dip in a hot or cold plunge pool to fully unwind. (Image: Inner Studio)

Walking into Inner Studio , the shimmering green space in Collingwood, is a little like entering a rainforest. Their focus is on managing stress, so along with hot and cold plunge pools, there is a sauna in which to strengthen your heat tolerance and resilience and yoga to fortify your muscles. Breathwork and guided meditation classes are also available as well as a movement class, designed for anyone with an open mind.

Price: From $45 for open sauna and plunge (non-guided)
Address: Warehouse 9/5-11 Campbell St, Collingwood

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Film lovers need to add these Victorian theatres to their bucket list

Theatres have always been a cornerstone of regional Victoria, reflecting the character and history of their local communities.

From grand, gold rush-era masterpieces to Art Deco wonders to repurposed prisons, we’ve rounded up four of Victoria’s best regional theatres to catch a show at next time you’re travelling through.

Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat

Her Majesty’s Theatre, Ballarat 
Her Majesty’s Theatre in Ballarat has been standing for 150 years. (Image: Michael Pham)

A monument to the immense gold rush wealth flooding through Ballarat in the second half of the 19th century, Her Majesty’s Theatre (‘Her Maj’ to locals) celebrates its 150th anniversary as the city’s premier performing arts venue this year.

Built in a classical style and immaculately preserved (thanks largely to a recent $16-million restoration), this Lydiard Street landmark is the oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia, notable for its double balcony and a stage that slopes towards the front, making it one of the most audience-friendly venues in the country to see a show.

The Capital, Bendigo

The Capital Theatre, Bendigo
The Capital in Bendigo was built in 1873 as a Masonic Hall. (Image: Michael Pham)

Denoted by its distinctive Corinthian columns, more reminiscent of ancient Greece than regional Victoria, The Capital theatre in Bendigo has been through several iterations since the first stone was laid in 1873.

Originally a Masonic hall, the renaissance revival-style building became a theatre in the 1890s, falling into disrepair for a time during the 1970s, before being restored and reopened (as the Bendigo Regional Arts Centre) in 1991. Today, the 480-seat venue hosts everything from comedy to cabaret to traditional theatre, dance, opera and live music.

 Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo

a look insideBendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre
Inside Bendigo’s Ulumbarra Theatre, a former prison. (Image: Michael Pham)

Bendigo has busted out as a regional performing arts hotspot, so it’s fitting that one of its newest venues is housed within a former prison. Meaning ‘meeting place’ or ‘gather together’ in the language of the local Dja Dja Wurrung people, the $26-million, 950-seat auditorium rose from within the red brick walls of the historic Sandhurst Gaol in 2015.

It’s an eerie feeling as you approach the imposing granite facade, pass beneath the old gallows and pick up your ticket from the box office occupying a repurposed cell block. With the building playing a main character in the show, this is performative architecture at its finest.

Rex Theatre, Charlton

the Rex Theatre in Charlton
The 1938-built Rex Theatre in Charlton is an Art Deco gem. (Image: Jenny Pollard)

Regional theatres don’t come more romantic than this Art Deco gem in the river town of Charlton, in north-central Victoria. Built in 1938, the 350-seat community-owned theatre provides an essential entertainment outlet for residents in the Wimmera Mallee region, as well as visitors making the trip up the Calder Highway from Melbourne.

The volunteer-run venue is the last remaining purpose-built cinema in regional Victoria, and hosts the Charlton Film Festival every February, plus three weekly film screenings (Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday).