Dreaming of a holiday Down Under to luxuriate in Australia’s best wellness offerings? Keep reading…
It’s always a good time for self-care. That’s why we’ve scouted out all the best immersions for holistic recalibration in Australia. The country has it all – from floating spas in Tasmania and ice baths in Bondi, to hot springs in Melbourne and the latest Byron Bay escapes. Add these health and wellness retreats to your travel bucket list and say hello to the best version of yourself, ‘cos Australia welcomes you with open arms.
Best wellness retreats in Adelaide, Australia: City of churches soothes the soul
1. Gatekeeper’s Day Spa
Head for the hills and escape to this quaint stone spa sitting on the botanical grounds of Mount Lofty House. Every detail is taken care of, with exquisite face and body treatments that incorporate the latest techniques. Indulge in luxurious rituals rich in vitamins and botanical nutrients to nourish, hydrate and revitalise your mind, body and soul. This is a slice of spa heaven where you’ll be pampered, spoilt and absolutely doted on as you chill in the Adelaide greenery.
Gatekeeper’s Day Spa, Mount Lofty House, 1 Mawson Drive, Crafers, SA 5152
2. Eos Spa + Wellness
This day spa and wellness centre overlooks the serene River Torrens and is ideal for a respite from city hustle and bustle. Enjoy facilities like the gym, dry heat sauna, wet steam room, warm spa pool, swimming pool and quiet relaxation lounge to complement your wellness retreat. Take your time to indulge in wholesome rituals and treatments by qualified therapists, done using organic and sustainably wild-harvested Australian products. You can also personalise the experience by combining a sensory journey of aromatics, ambient music and spaces that promote harmony and balance.
Eos Spa + Wellness, SkyCity, Level 1/1 Festival Drive, Adelaide, SA 5000
3. Jurlique Spa
Homegrown in Adelaide Hills, this globally recognised skincare brand makes use of botanicals from biodynamic farming practices. Pop by one of the boutique spas for treatments to experience the sublime products. Melt your stress with the Give and Glow package including an aromatherapy back massage or the rare rose holistic facial. You’ll leave glowing from the outside in.
Make sure you stock up on all your favourite products to continue your skin health journey long after you’re gone. Tip: visit the Jurlique farm in Adelaide Hills for a beautiful behind-the-scenes tour. You’ll see where the magic originated – and there’s even an eight-hour VIP tour and spa option. Yes, please!
Jurlique Spa, multiple locations in Adelaide including Burnside Village, Westfield Marion and Rundle Street
Best wellness retreats in Byron Bay, Australia: Lush green hinterland immersion
4. Gaia Retreat and Spa
No spa list would be complete without mentioning Australia’s most awarded boutique lifestyle wellness retreat. Gaia remains one of the go-to destinations in breathtaking Bundjalung Country, offering 22 rooms, suites and villas to house your healing journey. Choose from a number of retreat packages to suit your needs, or plan a day visit to the spa for an extensive array of holistic treatments. Talk about the ultimate immersive experience!
Gaia Retreat and Spa, 933 Fernleigh Road, Brooklet, NSW 2479
5. Soma Byron Bay
Total immersion starts inside the sleek Soma (you may have seen it on the TV show, Nine Perfect Strangers). We recommend you plot your travel plans around the offerings to get the full transcendental experience. Each retreat usually runs between two to four nights and comprises daily yoga and Vedic meditation practices with Ayurvedic treatments and mentoring sessions.
You’ll undoubtedly make friends at this home-style zen den as you enjoy communal vegetarian dinners and facilities like a ‘gram-worthy meditation dome inside a bamboo forest, an infinity pool, an infrared sauna, and even a magnesium ice bath and treatment cabin.
Soma Byron Bay, 221 Kennedys Lane, Ewingsdale, Byron Bay, NSW 2481
6. Sangsurya Retreat Centre
Escape to the beauty and peace of nature at this environmentally-friendly sanctuary. Here, you’ll choose from many retreats offered throughout the year, including the likes of Buddhist meditation, yoga, qigong, zen, the Hoffman process, and a diverse range of non-sectarian healing, personal development and spiritual practices. Enjoy forest or ocean views, with fresh sea breezes, enchanting Eastern-inspired bungalows, nutritious farm-fresh meals, and tranquil nature walks.
Sangsurya Retreat Centre, 95 Old Bangalow Road, Byron Bay, NSW 2481
Best wellness retreats in Melbourne, Australia: City healing with a hot spring oasis
7. Alba Thermal Springs & Spa
This world-class sanctuary isn’t to be missed. You’ll be struck by a sense of calm and awe as you drive into Alba’s beautifully lush and landscaped 15-hectare property and set eyes on the building’s concrete minimalist aesthetic.
There are 31 pools of varying sizes including geothermal, cold plunge and herbal-infused botanical pools. Plus, a diverse menu of exceptional spa services to renew, repair and recalibrate. To reinvigorate the body and mind, try the steamy Hamman Float – your skin will thank you. Afterwards, you can retreat fully chilled into the on-site restaurant, Thyme, where you’ll feast on locally sourced, seasonal produce with a menu designed by award-winning chef Karen Martini. You won’t want to leave this full-day immersion.
Alba Thermal Springs & Spa, 282 Browns Road, Fingal, VIC 3939
8. Natalie Pranic Healing
If you’re looking for a non-touch, deep chakra cleanse and rebalance, seek out a session with Natalie. This is a stand-out wellness experience when you’re in need of an energy reset, reboot or rebalance. She offers in-person, remote or virtual treatments. We’re talking about getting access to pure bliss and healing in the most non-invasive way using a variety of Pranic healing techniques. Choose from reset, rejuvenate, relax, revitalise, detox, and meditation to transform your well-being – physically and psychologically. You’ll be floating through the rest of your holiday!
Natalie Pranic Healing, Calma Spa & Skin Clinic, 1100 High Street, Armadale, VIC 3143
9. Sense of Self
Newly launched and extremely shiny, Sense of Self is the uber cool bathhouse and day spa. It’s for those who want to get massage and spa treatments or have the space to take a time out. Located in a double-storey converted brick warehouse, it features the latest in water wellness including a large mineral bat, Finnish sauna, pail shower, and cold plunge. Enjoy two hours of access to the communal bathing facility; multi-passes are also available for those wanting to visit daily while in Melbourne.
Sense of Self, 30-32 Easey Street, Collingwood, VIC 3066
Best wellness retreats in Perth, Australia: Healing from the inside out
10. Bodhi Spa
Take your pick from any of the fabulous Bodhi day spas in Perth if you want to nourish your body and soul. The natural spa destination creates all-natural, luxurious experiences for relaxation, skin health and radiance. Choose from a range of luxury facials including LED light therapy, massage and body therapies, and specialised treatments for men. The selection even features reiki, chakra balancing, and indulgent spa journeys to unwind the tightest minds and muscles. Plus, beauty therapy treatments if you simply desire polish and maintenance.
Bodhi Spa, various locations including Cottesloe and Yallingup
11. Floralia Wellness + Apothecary
This ethereal space is one of Australia’s leading natural medicine clinics. It’s home to esteemed and experienced naturopathic clinicians and integrative doctors specialising in women’s health. That includes fertility, IVF, pregnancy health, post-natal support, infant and children’s health, perimenopause, menopause and thyroid health. The mission is simple: to help women and their families flourish by personalising each wellness experience and providing care along the way. This welcoming, safe and nurturing place is set in beautiful treatment rooms in Nedlands, Perth.
Floralia Wellness + Apothecary, Unit 4 / 145 Stirling Highway, Nedlands, WA 6009
11. Heartwood Natural Harmony
A renowned spa located in the beautiful seaside suburb of Cottesloe, this wellness gem represents over 80 brands, including its own range of superb offerings from oils to implements. The on-site spa delivers a boutique listing of exceptional treatments including facial, body and massage treatments to create natural harmony for the mind, body and face. Every spa experience draws on ancient knowledge and modern techniques to touch your skin and soul. Indulge in absolute bliss!
Heartwood Natural Harmony, 35a Napoleon Street, Cottesloe, WA 6011
Best wellness retreats in Sydney, Australia: Water therapy in the harbour city
13. Slow House Bondi
When it comes to chromotherapy, look no further than the calming interiors of Slow House, which is just a short walk from Bondi Beach. Enjoy your own infrared sauna experience or go communal, followed by a bracing, invigorating ice bath. Cedarwood saunas offer the penetrative power of infrared light to increase your body’s core temperature, while cold therapy provides healing powers.
Treatments are aimed at minimising inflammation to build the immune, lymphatic, circulatory and digestive systems. We recommend an infrared facial treatment for the rejuvenation and anti-inflammatory effect on your skin. It increases collagen, stimulates blood circulation and lymphatic flow to eliminate toxins, accelerates healing, and calms the skin. Your immune system will love you for it.
Slow House Bondi, 151 Curlewis Street, Bondi Beach, NSW 2026
14. Crown Spa Sydney
This sublime wellness space starts with the eye candy interiors: all corals, violets, and lemonade pinks designed to evoke stunning Sydney sunsets. But it’s the high-end offerings on the spa menu that really excite us. It’s got everything from quartz hot sand therapy to a quantum harmonic sound therapy table that combines sound waves and vibrations to give you one of the most therapeutic power naps of all time.
Take your pick of healing journeys, therapies or the Aqua Retreat where you can indulge in a vitality spa, steam room, sauna and Swiss shower. You’ll leave this tranquil oasis with a renewed body, mind and spirit.
Crown Spa Sydney, Level 6, Crown Towers Sydney, 1 Barangaroo Avenue, NSW 2000
15. Rimba Sweat
Start your healing journey at Rimba Sweat studios with a complimentary raw Jamu shot to kick start the internal fire. Next, immerse yourself in a communal contrast therapy room complete with a custom-made traditional Finnish sauna, two ice baths and a pail shower.
The place boasts private infrared sauna suites, each featuring a full-spectrum cedarwood sauna equipped with smart TVs and Bluetooth speakers so you can turn up the tunes! Its signature Mediterranean aesthetic includes soft whites and raw textures elevated by black accents and oversized marble features. The place also sells a selection of wellness products to enhance your infrared experience: Anjali essential oils, bespoke Turkish cotton towels, gua sha and roller sets, and more.
Rimba Sweat, multiple locations including Manly and Neutral Bay
Best wellness retreats in Queensland, Australia: Rainforest and sublime climes
16. Soak Bathhouse
Swing by this luxe but wallet-friendly urban bathhouse. When you arrive, leave your traditional day spa expectations at the door, as you’re encouraged to use the space to connect with friends or make new ones while reaping the energising benefits of water therapy. If you’re looking for a quieter day spa or massage experience, our advice is to book a weekday treat – or should we say, retreat!
Soak Bathhouse, multiple locations including Gold Coast and Brisbane
17. Silky Oaks Lodge
Imagine starting the day with a swim in a crystal clear river that runs through the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest! Set among lush gardens, the lodge’s Healing Waters Spa offers a tranquil sanctuary for your personalised wellness journey. Choose from a therapy that resonates with your mood or desired focus. Perhaps you need a tension-lifting shoulder massage and sound therapy to clear your chakra points? It’s all here – facial treatments, body rituals, holistic specialties, yoga and even forest bathing. We recommend you stay for the night to enjoy this sublime destination set in the world’s oldest living rainforest.
Silky Oaks Lodge, Daintree Rainforest, 423 Finlayvale Road, Mossman, QLD 4873
18. Eden Health Retreat
Head to Gold Coast for a five-star luxury experience that’s personalised for you. Choose from daily restorative practices like meditation, Pilates, yoga and qigong, or nature activities such as mud therapy and bush hikes. Don’t miss out on the spa’s healing therapies and beauty treatments, as well as facilities like a steam room, freshwater pool and sauna.
When the hunger pangs come calling, nosh on a wholesome seasonal set menu prepared with locally-sourced or on-site organic produce. In the evening, rest in your eco-sensitive cabin accommodation of choice offering all-natural amenities. This is the perfect place to enter the healing powers of nature, where sustainability, wellness and relaxation can all be enjoyed at your own leisure.
Eden Health Retreat, 1815 Currumbin Creek Road, Currumbin Valley, QLD 4223
Best wellness retreats in Tasmania, Australia: Go off the beaten track
19. Floating Sauna Lake Derby
Want a sauna retreat to immerse in the beauty and power of Tasmania’s clear mountain air? Take the plunge in clear waters after your hot sauna to feel refreshed, revitalised, and renewed. Whether you’re looking for a slice of alone time, serenity, or plain old fun, you’ll want to add this to your wellness list. Tip: it’s one for the ‘gram because of the floating sauna’s wow factor. You’ve gotta see it for yourself!
Floating Sauna Lake Derby, 99 Main Street, Derby, TAS 7264
20. Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs
For a day trip, enjoy nature’s own spa in this therapeutic 28-degree swimming pool at Hastings Caves. Gather your crew and take the plunge in the natural thermal spring water that’s full of rich minerals – it’ll ease any aching muscle or stressed mind. Change room amenities are located near the pool along with barbeque facilities, so you can make it a fun-fuelled outdoor adventure day. Also check out Hastings Cave, Australia’s largest tourist cave, for the rare opportunity to immerse yourself in an ancient yet ever-changing environment.
Hastings Caves and Thermal Springs, 754 Hastings Caves Road, Hastings, TAS 7109
21. Aerie Retreat
Okay, this one’s actually an Airbnb, but if seclusion and privacy are your healing modalities of choice, this designer retreat in a bush peninsula by the water is for you. Check into your own healing haven 30 minutes from Hobart. Situated on the waterfront amongst the treetops, the views are superb – as is the early morning snorkelling in the marine reserve. You’ll have your own private deck for the exclusive use of a timber hot tub, sauna and fire pit. We’re dreaming of chilling under a winter full moon, decompressing in the hot tub, and seeing our stresses melt away. This relaxing experience is all about wilderness and water.
Aerie Retreat, Tinderbox, Tasmania
So, which wellness spa or retreat in Australia are you booking first?
