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

Soak Bathhouse Alexandria is Sydney’s newest bathhouse. Here's your first look at the gorgeous new space.

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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

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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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Mornington Peninsula’s storied past: war, shipwrecks and a runaway convict 

    Kellie Floyd Kellie Floyd
    The Mornington Peninsula is a coastline of contrasts, where convict and military history meets shipwrecks, wild seas and adventures above and below the surface.

    The Mornington Peninsula can be the kind of place where salt-tangled hair feels like a badge of honour – proof you’ve been somewhere wild, raw and real. Peel back the layers and you’ll discover stories that anchor this region to something other than its famed food and wine.

    This land is the traditional Sea Country of the Bunurong/Boon Wurrung people. Long before grapevines were planted and artisanal goods were crafted, the Bunurong Traditional Owners lived in deep connection with the land and sea. Today, places such as Mushroom Reef Marine Sanctuary echo that tradition, with families exploring its rockpools in search of colourful sea stars and crabs at low tide and learning how these fragile ecosystems have been cared for across countless generations.

    a group of people visiting the Port Nepean National Park
    Take in the rugged coastal landscape at Port Nepean National Park. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    A visit to Point Nepean National Park feels like stepping back through time. The fort, built in 1882, protected the narrow entrance to Port Phillip Bay until the end of the Second World War. It was here that the first Allied shot of the First World War was fired – at a German cargo ship trying to escape just hours after war was declared. Nearby, the old Quarantine Station, one of Australia’s first permanent quarantine facilities, established in 1852, still stands. Walking through the hospital and disinfecting complex evokes stories of those who arrived from faraway shores.

    Not far from here is a story of survival that inspired the Aussie phrase ‘you’ve got Buckley’s chance’. In 1803, escaped convict William Buckley vanished into the bush near what’s now Sorrento. Everyone thought he had no hope of surviving, but he reappeared 32 years later, having lived with local Aboriginal people.

    Even the waters here hold history. The infamous stretch known as The Rip, just three kilometres wide at the entrance of Port Phillip Bay, is among the most treacherous waterways. Countless ships were lost here in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and in 1967, Australia’s own Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared while swimming off the coast, never to be found.

    a seal swimming in Port Phillip Bay
    A seal swimming in Port Phillip Bay. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

    But for all its danger, the sea here also holds extraordinary beauty. Dolphins are often seen near Sorrento’s cliffs, while below the surface, seagrass meadows and rocky reefs teem with life. Marine tours offer a viewing to this underwater wonderland, while back on terra firma, walking trails lead along beaches, through coastal scrub, and over rock pools.

    And if you think you’ll forget about the Mornington Peninsula once you’ve left? You’ve got Buckley’s chance.

    A traveller’s checklist

    Staying there

    the suite interior at InterContinental Sorrento
    Luxury interiors at the historic InterContinental Sorrento. (Image: Greg Elms)

    Point Nepean Discovery Tents is immersive glamping beside the historic Quarantine Station. Or upgrade to luxury at the 1875-built InterContinental Sorrento.

    Playing there

    an aerial view of Cape Schanck Lighthouse
    Make your way to the Cape Schanck Lighthouse. (Image: Tourism Australia/Two Palms/Harry Pope)

    Bayplay Adventure Tours offer eco-adventures from snorkelling with sea dragons to kayaking with dolphins and cycling Point Nepean. Cape Schanck Lighthouse is fascinating to explore on a guided tour, which takes you into the lighthouse and keeper’s cottage.

    Eating there

    Portsea Hotel is a beautifully restored 1876 Tudor-style pub right on the beach, serving seasonal local fare.