THE GREAT
Outdoors
Positioned at one of Victoria’s most southern points and 1.5 hours drive from Melbourne is Alba Thermal Springs & Spa - a serene escape from the bustling CBD and home to a menu of enlivening treatments by Vanessa Megan. Hannah Gay visited the otherworldly destination to learn what makes it so special.
A
lba Thermal Springs & Spa stands as Victoria’s newest quintessential hot spot, both literally and figuratively. The retreat is located in Fingal on the Mornington Peninsula, and has been open for around 18 months. Despite its newness and its beauty, visiting Alba felt strangely solitary; as though I was one of only a select few in the country to have heard of its magic. So is its appeal, however - the 15-hectare property means rarely will you find yourself sharing any of Alba’s 31 pools. The expansive oasis was designed to invite its guests to completely detach from the world, and to engage only with their mind and body. Alba was named winner of the Best Rural Spa award at the 2023 Australian Spa & Wellness Awards, and it’s no wonder. You’re instantly struck by its expanse, like a museum in its greatness. It is impeccably designed, where a colossal spiral staircase features at its entrance, accompanied by the first of many soothing bodies of water. Alba’s maze of concrete walls lead you outdoors to its series of geothermal pools, cold plunge pools and forest pools. Guests stroll the grounds in white robes, free of devices 102 | WWW.PROFESSIONALBEAUTY.COM.AU
