By Alba Hot Springs and Spa
This is undoubtedly Victoria’s most Instagrammable new two-in-one hot springs and spa, which will open in Fingal – on the Mornington Peninsula – on the 15th. But there will be a ‘digital detox requirement’, which means it’s a completely phone-free zone. Once you move into the reception area, there will be a ban on photography and using the phone. What is beyond? Striking concrete pillars and floors, touches of wood paneling and ceramic tile in a beautifully minimalist space. And scattered among 15 hectares of wilderness, you’ll find 31 different bathing pools (including geothermal pools, cold plunge pools and “botanical pools”) infused with herbs, as well as 22 elegant spa suites (with signature treatments that you can book direct now) and an all-day rooftop restaurant called Thyme by celebrity chef Karen Martini. Additionally, there is a spacious living room on a mezzanine overlooking the gardens.
Alba opens on October 15.
Metung Hot Springs
One of the largest and most ambitious projects in Victoria’s wellness scene – the $120 million Metung Hot Springs in the east of the state – is nearing completion. The 12-hectare site, on a hilltop escarpment with hundreds of meters of frontage on the Gippsland lakes, is due to open on the 29th. There are 10 luxurious lagoon-side safari-style tents – each with a four-poster king-size bed and a private bathroom. They each contain private bath barrels, meaning you can immerse yourself in seclusion around the clock. The original Metung Hot Springs closed in the early 90s, but their massive development is a joint project between East Gippsland tour operators Rachel and Adrian Bromage and the team behind the hugely popular Peninsula Hot Springs at Fingal . There is also a floating sauna on the lagoon.
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Metung Hot Springs opens on October 29.
Aurora Spa & Public Bath
The final piece of the puzzle at Sorrento’s completely redesigned Hotel Conti is Aurora, a sensual new spa and bath set to open at the end of the month. The 1,000 square meter relaxation destination is run by the Aurora Spa Group, which until recently had a location in St Kilda in Melbourne’s southeast. With room for just 60 people at a time, expect four interconnected, steamy hydrotherapy pools that you can jump between, or you can block out the world around you while soaking in a magnesium floatation room . There will also be a very large, wood-covered, Nordic-inspired sauna and “icy mist room”; set to an alpine temperature, it’s a refined take on the Finnish bathhouse tradition of rolling in the snow after a sauna. Also find a store with an apothecary station dedicated to making DIY bath salt mixes.
Aurora opens at the end of October.
Additional reporting by Emily Holgate and Tim McGlone.