Australia has everything from indulgence spas to simple holistic spas with a wellness focus. There are experiences that nourish the soul as well as the mind and body. Some are wellness retreats others are set in bushland overlooking the beach, so you can enjoy the soothing therapy of water and the ocean in a beautiful setting in nature.

Enjoying a treatment in the Daintree (photo: media.australia)

While Asian and European destinations are well known for spa and wellness retreats, Australia also has its fair share of unique indulgence getaways.

Many hotels and resorts along our coastline have spas and there are any number of special lifestyle retreats offering special holistic and natural therapies with all manner of concoctions, including Aboriginal herbs and lotions. You can indulge in a beachside spa at a hotel or resort, a day spa in a beachside location, or an island spa at one of our Great Barrier Reef islands.

Or you may just want to escape to a peaceful beach retreat in a remote or secluded location where you can take long walks along the beach, or in the surrounding bush. Nourish the soul, feed the spirit and re-energize and relax away from the cares and worries of the outside world.

So, slip into your sarong or robe and slippers . . . it’s time for your treatment.

Uniquely Australian

Lifestyle Retreats

• Surfing and yoga usually aren’t associated, but they are at the Samudra yoga and surf retreats, held at the great surf spot of Dunsborough in Western Australia.
• Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in the Gold Coast hinterland is a health and holistic retreat offering all kinds of treatments, organic cuisine and a natural environment.
• Also in the Gold Coast hinterland, Golden Door and Camp Eden health and lifestyle retreats place an emphasis on fitness, remedial treatments and healthy eating in a beautiful environment.

Nature Retreats

• At Coconut Beach Rainforest Lodge in Far North Queensland, you’ll be holidaying in luxury. Unwind in the most exquisite of natural surroundings without sacrificing anything in the way of comfort, and relish the private rainforest views with easy access to white-sand Coconut Beach.
• For an eco-friendly experience, take the 30-minute ferry ride the Gold Coast to Couran Cove Island Resort on South Stradbroke Island, where the Day Spa overlooks the marina. It offers a range of treatments and special programs to promote health and wellbeing, including stress management, yoga, tai chi, meditation and healthy eating.
• Kewarra Beach Resort is nestled among 78 acres of absolute private beach frontage, native forests and lush tropical gardens, featuring two rockpools with spas and waterfalls. Just 20 minutes north of Cairns, this environmentally sensitive resort hosts an abundance of brightly coloured birds and butterflies.

Spas

• Peninsula Hot Springs is Victoria’s first natural hot mineral spring and spa located an hour from Melbourne on the Mornington Peninsula. It offers hot mineral spring pools and private baths (indoors and outdoors) and a massage spa centre using Li’Tya spa dreaming products (massages, facials, mud and steam).
• The heritage sea bath buildings in the Melbourne beachside suburb of St Kilda now houses Spa Dreamtime, which specialises in ‘water and steam journeys’, including Vichy show rain massage.

Hotel spas

• Pure indulgence awaits in Queensland’s ‘spa street’ in tropical Palm Cove. At the Sebel Reef House & Spa unwind with a banana body wrap or warm mapi mud cocoon just metres from swaying palm trees, turquoise waters and stunning views of the Coral Sea.
• At nearby Port Douglas, 20 minutes north of Cairns, the Peppers Beach club, is just steps away from the seemingly endless sands of Four Mile Beach. Also here is the luxurious Sea Temple Resort & Spa.
• Bali Hai resort in Broome, Western Australia has Balinese-style spa centre which even guests from other nearby resorts such as the Cable Beach Club, love to frequent.

Island spas

• At luxurious Lizard Island, the Great Barrier Reef’s most northerly resort, indulgence is almost a requirement. Drag yourself away from the 24 pristine beaches, the magnificent snorkelling and fine food and wine, and head for the Azure Spa, which offers treatments with names like Coral Sea Dreaming, Sapphire Sea Wrap and Ocean Review.
• Further south, the Whitsunday islands provide a myriad of choices for the spa-seeker. Exclusive Hayman is the setting for the Spa Chakra Hayman, which offers personally-tailored beauty and wellbeing programs. It has 13 treatment rooms, two relaxation lounges including a meditation suite, hydrotherapy area, saunas and steam rooms.
• On nearby Long Island, Peppers Palm Bay has a spa with the signature treatment an ‘rapt endota’ where guests are treated to full body exfoliation before being wrapped in Western Australian clay.

Originally published 30 November 2009.