Day spas are moving away from “me time" to become social hubs in their own right, revealing a wider wellness trend that elevates connection to the ultimate act of self-care.

Spa with a bar

The reception desk at W Sydney’s Away Spa is decidedly different to most day spas – it’s a marble-topped bar shaped like a horseshoe with blue velvet stools inviting you to sit and unwind. This ‘Beauty Bar’ is a metaphor for what wellness is in 2024. It’s about treating your temple inside as well as out, while providing a platform for connection – much missing during the pandemic years.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, in the 2023 Global Wellness Trends Report: The Future of Wellness, social wellness was the leading trend, with a focus on nixing loneliness and offering experiences that serve as social icebreakers.

With a menu of alcoholic and non-alcoholic tipples as well as light bites, at Away Spa you can mix manis with martinis, sitting in one of the curvaceous (and very Instagrammable) nail booths, or retire to the bar after a sauna, steam room and experience shower.

At The Spa at Salt on the Tweed coast in northern New South Wales, groups swap cafes catch ups for ‘Sip and Lounge’ sessions in their Elements lounge, enjoying an alcoholic beverage alongside the spa, sauna, LED light therapy, ice bath and zen room, where you can DIY yoga or breathwork.

SpaQ at QT Sydney is also seeing guests seeking a social sanctuary over solo treatments, which is why their Metamorphosis package includes lunch delivered from Parlour or Gowings to keep the wellness experience going all day.

Unknowingly pre-empting the trend, Hepburn Bathhouse & Spa introduced its Social Spa pre-pandemic in 2019. Designed for groups of up to four, the space allows you to reconnect over soothing stone therapy and massages.

Bathhouse vibes

Bathhouses are having a major moment in Australia, and these public soak and sweat sessions have become facilitators of moral support. Places for mum groups to unwind free of kids, or friends to treat someone dear to them going through difficult times. They’re also attracting more men – many who would have never considered going to a day spa.

“Bathhouses have existed for centuries and are a great means to go back to basics and embrace social well-being because it has never been more vital," says Melbourne’s Sense of Self owner and director, Freya Berwick, Freya Berwick.

Whether visiting as a group or a solo bather seeking time-out with like-minded souls, guests at the calming Collingwood sanctuary can book a massage, opt for a self-led Sud & Mud kit to amplify the bathhouse experience, or simply enjoy two hours in the mineral bath, Finnish sauna, cold plunge and Hamman – all free of phones.

As well as providing an IRL social platform, bathhouses also make wellness more fun. At Tank Bathhouse in Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast, guests come as much for the sauna and plunge rotations as the river cruise, tapas and cocktails. At The Banya in Mullumbimby, a monthly book club combines a dose of self-care with novel dissections over pots of herbal tea.

Sunrise swim community

Coffee, cards and an ocean dip at dawn is the recipe for wellness according to Generation SPF. The sunrise swim community, which gathers near Noosa every Wednesday, was founded with the pure purpose of connection. Feeling increasingly isolated while working from home and inspired by Perth’s Cold Nips, entrepreneur Lolita Daskalu-Glover and her partner, photographer Alex Van Kampen, started the group in search of “those everyday stranger interactions".

“It’s been two years now and each week we get around 50-100 people," says Lolita, adding that at least 80 per cent stick around for the coffee and card games afterwards. Once a month they team the swim with guided breathwork and another week they do yoga. It’s even drawing wellness seekers from Brisbane and travellers from interstate.

“So many people each week say they specifically plan their trip to Noosa to come to our swim," she says. “The common thread is they [participants] just want to meet new people and it’s such a nice way to start your morning."

Will run for food

During peak Covid, a new breed of running club emerged – social groups, less focused on PBs or training for a marathon. Great for those who have moved to a new town, they even offer up delicious incentives. In various parts of the country, you can run for rewards in the form of croissants, gelato, a beer, or even a steak at the pub.

Unfit Rub Club was founded in September 2020 by Cory Wittleton, who, as a boutique courier company owner, wanted to help his cafe clients who saw their businesses dry up. Now Unfit Run Clubs in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Sydney attract up to 900 people each week.

“The beer runs are the most popular at the moment," says Cory who credits the relaxed nature of the events as their biggest drawcard. He admits fostering connections between runners was never his first goal but one that’s happened organically. “We see all these WhatsApp groups and people going to each other’s weddings and all sorts," he says. “It blows my mind."

Given it’s been proven that positive relationships keep us happier and healthier, and even live longer, a run to the pub or a drink in a day spa could just be the best thing you do for yourself this year.