4 minute read
Relax, revive, repeat The luxe
The wonders
OF WELLBEING
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Now, more than ever, we’re all looking for ways to unwind and forget about reality – at least for a few hours. Read on for our favourite Aussie wellness sanctuaries, and the treatments you should try when you arrive.
DEVILISHLY GOOD Spa Saffire, Saffire Freycinet, TAS
Pared-back villas at this resort look out over native scrub framed by the rugged rose-hued Hazards mountains, a stunning backdrop also enjoyed by Spa Saffire. The menu offers body and beauty treatments that channel the property’s remote location on the island’s Freycinet Peninsula: hot-stone massages incorporate polished spheres of pink granite from the nearby range, while Australian sandalwood, clay and cloves are used in essential oils.
Don’t miss The 'Hazards Heated Stone Relaxation' – a hot-stone massage plus customised facial. Two hours of bliss.
A TIMELESS EXPERIENCE One&Only Spa, One&Only Wolgan Valley, NSW
The stunning location of this spa, on vast bushland in the Blue Mountains, is only outshone by the menu of native-inspired therapies at the spa. The six sublime treatment rooms are fitted with Japanese-style soaking tubs, and designed with views of the heavenly surrounds in mind to deliver a complete sensory experience.
Don’t miss The 'Radiance' package is the ultimate indulgence: 2.5 hours of body and face pampering. It begins with a soothing bath and back massage, followed by a thermal infusing mask to tone and restore skin complexion. 16
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ISLAND IDYLL Spa Qualia, Qualia Great Barrier Reef, QLD
The spa at Qualia – hillside on Hamilton Island and overlooking the Whitsundays – features a menu of holistic therapies that range from reflexology and lymphatic drainage to guided meditation and private yoga. Got a full day? Book one of the pampering sessions that can include up to five hours of indulgences.
Don’t miss The 'Whitsunday Escape' is three hours of wow, taking inspiration from your surrounds: a body exfoliation featuring macadamia nuts, a kaolin clay body mask, a massage, heat therapy, a scalp treatment, a marine facial… what more could you want?
01 Blissing out at Qualia 02 A tub with a view at Saffire Freycinet, Tasmania 03 One&Only Spa's dreamy suites at Wolgan Valley 04 & 05 Spa Qualia
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BYRON BLISS Day Spa, Gaia Retreat & Spa, Byron Bay, NSW
A rainforest-shrouded wellness resort in Byron’s hinterland, Gaia’s wellness programs include gourmet meals, daily yoga and pilates, plus a whole host of workshops. There’s an excellent day spa, so even if you’re not overnighting in the luxe villas, you can still enjoy massages, facials, body masks and scrubs incorporating wattle seed, lemon myrtle, wild rosella and desert salt.
Don’t miss Book the 'Byron Bay Dream', which begins with a body polish and ends, 2.5 hours later, with a body mask, macadamia oil scalp massage and fullbody relaxation massage. HINTERLAND HIGHS Spa Sanctuary, Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat, QLD
On a plateau overlooking Queensland’s Gold Coast, Gwinganna is a closed retreat, which means that the extensive wellness facilities are exclusively for the use of those checked in to the property’s villas and houses. The Spa Sanctuary offers an epic selection of naturopathy, nutrition, acupuncture, reiki crystal healing and pure pampering. There’s also a crystal steam room, lap pool, gym, sauna, tennis courts and more.
Don’t miss Gwinganna is one of only a handful of establishments in Australia to offer equine therapy.
06 In the Byron hinterland, Gaia is like a wellness haven. Programs can be as intensive or independent as you like, and the spa menu is extensive
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VALLEY CALLING Spa Elysia, Elysia Retreat, NSW
Multi-day wellness packages at this Hunter Valley retreat include everything from tai chi and yoga to deep-water running, gym circuits, educational seminars, low-calorie cuisine and badminton. The serene spa offers a wide range of wellness options, from those focused on nutrition to feldenkrais, kung-fu lessons, hypnotherapy and acupuncture. Phew!
Don’t miss The 'Ultra Indulgence' package unites a salt-infused body scrub with a collagen facial and drift-away foot massage. 170 minutes of pure bliss.
07 Taking the waters at Hepburn Bathhouse 08 Spa rituals at Elysia Retreat in the Hunter Valley are complemented by wellness activities
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Hepburn Springs’ historic bathhouse (with attached accommodation) is located in the heart of Australia’s spa country on the outskirts of Daylesford. Traditional communal bathing in warmed, mineral-rich water is available, but you can also book private bathing experiences, chill out on spa couches, sweat in aroma steam rooms or get a dose of healing minerals in the salt therapy pool.
Don’t miss The 'Mineral Detox', with a body exfoliation using mineralised salts followed by a spirulina body mask.
