Something happens to your body between the breathless anticipation you feel before boarding a long-haul flight and the limp weariness that engulfs you when the wheels touch down. Swollen calves and ankles. Dry skin and flattened hair. The desert-mouth of water loss (yes, even when you turn down the second wine and leave the pretzel packet unopened). Your brain is excited to be wherever you are, of course. Your body hasn’t quite got the memo. Australian travellers know the feeling all too well. The clever ones also know how a hotel can help to smooth things over – a luxury that hasn’t always been afforded when travelling interstate.
Historically, few Australian hotels have prioritised truly premium spas as part of their guest services, but they are increasingly becoming a non-negotiable part of a luxury stay, turning hotels into well-rounded wellness destinations.
The spa at Melbourne’s Ritz-Carlton sits 64 storeys above the city skyline, with views that stretch so far that you can skim languidly across their tranquil infinity pool while gazing at the waters of Port Phillip Bay. In Sydney, stepping into Capella’s Auriga Spa, with its high baroque arches and hot- and cold-water therapies, makes you feel like you’re inside a modern Roman bathhouse. While the soft travertine and timber tones and signature calming fragrance of the Shambhala Urban Escape on the lower levels of the grand COMO The Treasury in Perth give guests the sense that they’ve floated into another dimension entirely. Which is much nicer than feeling like you’ve been dragged across time zones.
To combat the ravages of air travel or a hectic schedule, Kati O’Nagy, spa manager at the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne suggests easing yourself into a spa booking as soon as you arrive. “A well-curated spa treatment not only alleviates your symptoms but also prepares you to fully enjoy your stay.” She advises guests pre-book at least one of two types of treatments before they arrive: something that helps stimulate circulation, such as a massage or body brush, followed by anything that encourages moisture back into the body, such as a hydrating wrap. To take advantage of both benefits, she recommends the Ritz-Carlton’s Blue Emperor treatment, which she says, “mirrors the butterfly’s transformation from cocoon to a state of vibrant renewal.” It begins with a foot ritual, followed by a body brush and detoxifying marine wrap. A massage with jade stones follows, before a rich application of body oil and cream by luxury wellness brand ESPA for further hydration. Add a walk around the city, or a little time in the hotel’s gym or pool – and you will give yourself a good chance of experiencing that holiday feeling.
At the Chuan Spa inside The Langham on the Gold Coast, they take their post-plane treatments even more literally: with a ritual called Chuan Jet Lag Revival, which includes a salt scrub, 60-minute massage and foot massage. COMO Shambhala in Perth also has its Jet Lag Recovery package which includes more foot and body massages plus an eye treatment. For east-coast Australians who use Perth as a gateway to Europe or Asia, a stopover spa session can act as a preventative before getting into that sealed cylinder again.
Increasingly, hotel spas are opening to non-staying guests, with treatments granting access to the pool, steam rooms and gym. Surely there’s no better place to while away a gap in an itinerary. For guests with late flights, O’Nagy suggests spending the day at the spa after checkout, to provide a mental ease of transition between holiday and home. None of this will outrun a packed schedule, or the horrors of jetlag but
at least you’ll have a residual glow.
Australia’s best hotel spas
The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Ritz-Carlton Melbourne | Vic
This ethereal wellness space that floats above the CBD is not reserved only for travellers. The hotel has just launched a membership program so locals can make use of the elegant fitness and lounge facilities, in addition to treatments.
Raes Spa, Raes on Wategos | NSW
The spa at Byron Bay’s Raes uses the premium Australian skincare line Rationale. The Renew and Rejuvenate facial is a premium choice for post-flight guests, as it’s designed to increase cellular renewal and target dehydration.
Auriga Spa, Capella Sydney | NSW
Non-hotel guests can access what might be the grandest spa in the Sydney CBD from Monday to Friday, and pay an additional fee for accessing the swimming and vitality pools. For fliers, the Connect to Country wellness journey uses Australian native botanicals to realign the senses.
Chuan Spa, The Langham, Gold Coast | Qld
All of the Gold Coast’s Chuan Spa treatments incorporate elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The hotel’s Sleep Matters program draws from this ancient discipline, and aims to send you home more revitalised than you arrived.
Heavenly Spa, The Westin | Qld
The spa at Brisbane’s Westin uses three product lines, including luxury French brand Babor and 100 per cent organic Australian brand Inika. The Working Week Rejuvenation package includes a full body massage and Babor facial, which combine to stimulate circulation and ramp up hydration for both business travellers and tired locals.
COMO Shambhala Urban Escape, COMO The Treasury | WA
Every inch of Perth’s Treasury Buildings are seeped in graceful elegance, but nowhere more so than its deep heartbeat – the wellness space on the lower floor of COMO The Treasury. Their signature massage, using Western Australian Sodashi products, is pure relaxation.
Essentia Spa, Lizard Island | Qld
Relaxation is the entire point of a place like Lizard Island but it reaches new heights in the spa. This is where the aches of too much diving can be seen to and salt-water skin can be quenched with sublime Ikou products.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
