6 luxurious Melbourne bathhouses for ultimate relaxation

Natalie Reilly Natalie Reilly
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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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Natalie Reilly

Natalie Reilly

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This geological wonder is hiding in the heart of Victoria

    Michael Turtle Michael Turtle
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    Mythical, historical and most of all, spectacularly beautiful, Buchan Caves demands you take your time – and a tour. 

    In the pools of water, so still they could be mirrors, the reflections of the stalactites make these limestone towers seem even taller. Almost 400 million years ago, an underground river carved through the rock to create the Buchan Caves. Now, artworks created by dripping water adorn these subterranean galleries: stalactites hanging from the ceiling, pillars connecting some to the ground, even curtain-like wave formations clinging to the stone.

    Caves House
    Visit the caves for the day or stay onsite in the campground or at the self-contained Caves House. (Image: Ben Savage)

    “This is called the Fairy Cave because it’s full of fairy dust,” a guide tells visitors as they enter a cavern glittering with “calcite that’s solidified into thousands of tiny little diamond shapes”.  Buchan Caves is Victoria’s largest cave system, but Fairy Cave is a highlight and, along with nearby Royal Cave, is accessible only by tour. Naturally cold, naturally dark, these caverns deep below the surface light up as the local experts tell their stories. 

    couple walking in cave
    You’ll need to book a guided tour to see the caves. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the hundreds of caves, some can be easily accessed from the surface. For instance, a casual stroll along the FJ Wilson Interpreted Walk, as kangaroos watch on from beneath acacia trees, leads into the 400-metre-long Federal Cave and its natural steps of white limestone. A slightly longer track, the Granite Pools Walk heads through soaring forest down into moss-covered gullies where the calls of lyrebirds trill through the leaves. 

    A quick history lesson on Buchan Caves 

    Buchan Caves
    Buchan Caves are a must-visit attraction in Gippsland. (Image: Tourism Australia)

    Among the geology and the nature are millennia of history. This part of East Gippsland connects the high country to the coast and was long a place of refuge for the local Gunaikurnai people on seasonal migrations to the mountains. Archaeological studies show humans lived here up to 18,000 years ago, with artefacts such as small stone tools found around the site. But not too far into the caverns – oh no! The Gunaikurnai didn’t dare venture deep into the dark at Buchan Caves, telling stories they were inhabited by gnome-like nyols (small grey-skinned creatures that could steal memories). 

    Buchan Caves Hotel
    The Buchan Caves Hotel was rebuilt after burning down in 2014. (Image: Jess Shapiro)

    By the early 1900s, more people had started to hear about these incredible caves and so the Moon family set up home at the site and started to run tours below ground for intrepid visitors. More than a century later, their historic residence is available as accommodation, with the three-bedroom house sleeping up to eight people and now equipped with modern amenities the Moons could only have dreamt of. 

    But whether you stay overnight or just spend the day here, it’s worth taking your time to explore more than just the main caves, to get a deeper understanding of one of Victoria’s fascinating geological attractions.