The unique tranquillity of Japanese bathing culture can now be experienced in a Queensland rainforest.

I’m the first official guest at SOL Elements, an elemental bathhouse located in Mt Tamborine, roughly 50 minutes inland from the Gold Coast beaches. The town is already a calm-inducing hinterland heaven as birdsong echoes over rolling hills and roadside avocado shacks pop up around many corners. But with the arrival of SOL Elements, Mt Tamborine evolves into a wellness destination. Let me take you through the experience.

The new bathhouse is set in the calming hinterland. (Image: Timothy Birch)

First impressions

The setting delivers maximum serenity. (Image: Timothy Birch)

Given the jaw-dropping rendered photography released by the team in January 2025, I wondered if SOL Elements could meet the hype. Additionally, the location is at the end of a large car park at Tamborine Mountain Glades’ Thunderbird Park, an iconic kid-friendly hinterland attraction, so I was curious as to how they’d bring the Zen.

Surprisingly, no shrieking children are heard as I approach one architecturally magnificent facade. Positioned off a small lake dubbed Lotus Lake, swimming with turtles and ducks, it features thin timber boards that gradually fan out via meticulous three-millimetre increments. More than 2000 metres of hand-charred wood, burnt personally by Russ Raven, who founded SOL Elements with his wife Shae Raven, make up the entrance and much of the interior walls, channelling the ancient Japanese art of wood preservation, Yakisugi. It’s an aesthetic that pops amid bushland without ever jarring. It’s dramatic yet graceful, bold yet grounded – a lot like what’s going on inside, really…

Communal bathhouse

The communal bathhouse is circular with treatment rooms branching off from a garden. (Image: Timothy Birch)

Positioned to take in the entire breadth of that fairytale lake, three small outdoor thermal mineral pools are the cornerstone of SOL Elements’ communal bathhouse, which caters to just 30 people at a time. While the warm pools bubble at a toasty 38 degrees, the cold plunge drops to an icy 12 degrees.

There are two ways to soak up some hot and cold therapy. The first starts inside SOL’s Cedar Wood Sauna, fitted with bench seating and extensive windows that let in more Lotus Lake views, before I go 90 full seconds in the cold (I’m aiming for two minutes, but it’s still winter). The sauna is small, and I’m grateful to be in there alone, but six or so people could fit in here comfortably.

Sit around the sunken fire pit. (Image: Timothy Birch)

The second way to hop between hot and cold is via the showstopping submerged outdoor fire pit. I take a seat on its curved bench seating and watch the flames flicker against my serene view. Sitting in wet cozzies, I feel reinvigorated, ready to dip in and out all over again.

Then there’s the communal Earth Lab, a mind-blowing alchemy station. Before I hit the showers, I’m invited to spoon out two ingredients from a bar filled with salts, flowers and powders. Utterly delighted to personalise my sensory journey, I go for the ground coffee and hibiscus flower petals before pumping body wash into my palm and creating an exfoliating polish. It’s hard to ignore the likes of raw brown sugar, chamomile flowers, rose petals and spirulina powder (there are 10 options in total), but my blend is straight-up delicious.

The Earth Lab features an alchemy station for guests to create a personalised sensory journey that suits their mood. (Image: Kristie Lau-Adams)

Himalayan Salt Sanctuary

The Himalayan Salt Sanctuary at SOL Elements. (Image: Kristie Lau-Adams)

There’s one other communal element at SOL: the Himalayan Salt Sanctuary, featuring a gasp-worthy design (and gasps are welcomed, given the respiratory benefits salt therapy is famed for).

Built with illuminated salt bricks that morph between sunrise shades, pale pink and clear white, the room radiates as I breathe in negative ionised air. Bench seating wraps the entire space while three stunning pendant lights glisten, dialling up the drama. It feels as though I’m sitting inside a lantern, all while my lungs are high-fiving me as I attempt further breathwork.

Floatation caves

For the ultimate sensory deprivation experience, two Floatation Caves are calling. Located right next to the Himalayan Salt Sanctuary, the rooms open to beautiful all-black stone fit-outs. Magnesium salt water is heated to complement your unique body temperature. Epsom salt and Dead Sea salt are expertly utilised to create the most extensively filtered water in Queensland. This is magnesium magic on steroids.

Once the doors shut, it’s completely dark. I float blissfully unaware of my surroundings; waterproof headphones ensure total immersion.

Secluded Suites

The onsite accommodation features a heated private mineral plunge. (Image: Kristie Lau-Adams)

I step up my SOL Elements visit by booking one of its two Secluded Suites, and the experience is end-to-end luxurious. Facility-wise, the suite (which caters for groups of up to five) gives me my own infrared sauna, single-person cold plunge, shower, private Earth lab with four ingredients, mini-bar with mocktails, tea station and clay mask, all while floor-to-ceiling glass windows throw up more of those soothing views.

The cherry on top? An outdoor private warm mineral plunge right by the lake. I sip on an organic, caffeine-free lemon myrtle and ginger root tea as the afternoon slips by. But before I go, there’s one more unmissable element to indulge in.

Massages and treatments

Up the ante with a rejuvenating massage at one of the two onsite treatment rooms. (Image: Timothy Birch)

I dress in a plush black waffle robe and stroll a couple of doors down to one of SOL Element’s two treatment rooms. I’m booked in for the Earthing Immersion as I love hot stone massages, and this features stones gathered with permission from Indigenous elders right around Australia. How special is that?

For so many reasons, but mainly the skills flexed by therapist Milena (who specialises in stretching), this is a massage like no other. I’m asked about my mood and lifestyle before Milena tells me she’s reading my energy. I’m not typically partial to energy readings, but I can’t deny that my limbs surrender under the hands of Milena, who uses Synthesis Organics’ essential oils that smell divine.

The stones differ in size and shape, heated and rolled across me like Café de Paris butter. 90 minutes later, I feel weightless as I return to my Secluded Suite to shower again and, begrudgingly, depart. I’m truly transformed into jelly. It took Shae and Russ four long years, but SOL Elements manages to live up to every expectation before soaring far beyond.

Details

Address: Cedar Creek Falls Rd and Tamborine Mountain Rd, Tamborine Mountain (within Tamborine Mountain Glades)

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 8 pm, Friday to Sunday, 8 am to 10 pm

Prices:

• Communal Bathhouse: $95 for 90 minutes
• Floatation Cave: $90 per person for 60 minutes (2 guests maximum)
• Secluded Suite: From $360 for two people, for 90 minutes
• Earthing Immersion: $300 for 90 minutes
• Other massages, facials and treatments: View the spa menu

Accessibility: SOL Elements welcomes guests with access needs. The building features wide pathways, accessible for wheelchairs, throughout. A pool hoist can also be arranged if requested in advance.

Please note: All guests must be over 18.