About Time, a highly anticipated new bathhouse and spa in Torquay, occupies 1000 square metres of the former Quiksilver campus on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula.

It is a sprawling complex of magnesium pools and saunas, therapy rooms and secluded lounges, housed in forms that are both brutalist and warm.

Wellness spaces can feel aesthetically predictable – victims of paint-by-number concepts in minimalist palettes, natural stones and smooth surfaces. About Time owners Kent Pomare, Stacey Burt, Joanna Beecher and Ed Curnow weren’t interested in conventional. They enlisted Melbourne-based architect David Goss to design a complex that deliberately challenged conventional wellness design.

Amid a wave of new wellness destinations around the country, About Time stands out. And that is the point, as Pomare and Goss discuss below.

Kent Pomare: In the lead-up to designing About Time, I spent a lot of time bathing, observing and listening, paying attention to what people truly wanted in a bathhouse. Instead of borrowing references, we made a deliberate choice: to create something of our own.

That’s what the wellness industry needs, not just serenity and softness, but contrast. We need tension, balance, the full spectrum of sensation. So, I worked with Dave – not just on aesthetics, but on a sensory level – exploring how we could orchestrate these contrasts through hot and cold, wet and dry, stillness and movement. How could the space itself speak this language?

David Goss: One of the main priorities at About Time was to really shift the experience of the visitor as soon as they enter the space. And the preference from the start was always to highlight natural and textured materials. There is a gentle nod to the sculptural textured forms of brutalist architecture, such as the work of Marcel Breuer, but much of the exploration in keeping the spaces dark, and exploring texture and natural patina, grew out of discussions around the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi.

David Goss: There is a subdued, quiet quality to the lighting as soon as you enter, and your eyes take a moment to adjust. You slow down and focus the senses as soon as you arrive.

David Goss: The curved walls of the entrance lobby are lined in a hand-thrown stucco, with a rough texture that marks a dramatic shift in materiality from the public spaces you walk through to access the bathhouse.

In the skin consult area, there is a similar cocoon-like form to the lobby, but the flamed granite floor and charcoal ceiling dials up the drama, creating an even more moody and subdued space. This also acts as a transition space, allowing your eyes to adjust before entering the dramatic cave-like treatment spaces beyond.

David Goss: We were driven by the desire to create spaces that felt cocooning and welcoming, but also bold and textured enough to give people an experience that they wouldn’t experience at home.

We really pushed the focus on natural materials and chose to keep lighting in the space low and dim. We also focussed on tactility and materials that had a texture that connect the experience to nature. This is evident in the coir matting as soon as you enter the space, but also the heavily textured stone paving used throughout, selected for how it is experienced barefoot.

Kent Pomare: I’ve always been a fan of David. I remember stepping into the Kloke store in QV and feeling an instant sense of calm. It wasn’t just a space, it was a sensation. It felt like a hug, but a brutal one: cold, cave-like, stark. And yet, with the way the light moved, it still felt warm and safe. That duality stuck with me.

Together, we built something that doesn’t just offer warmth and ease but also the raw, invigorating power of opposition.

Kent Pomare: A bathhouse is not a place of prescription, it’s a space of instinct and ritual, of rhythm and release. From what I’ve experienced, everyone has their own way of bathing. Some come for quiet, others for heat, for cold, for contrast. Some seek comfort, others discomfort, some arrive in groups and others retreat to a darkened corner, alone. To honour that fluidity, the space itself needed to be adaptive, shifting with mood and moment, offering variety without imposition.

David Goss: Some of the built elements were about making spaces feel more private, such as the curved wall concealing the plunge pool, but the sense of tranquillity and introspection was primarily achieved by keeping the spaces dark and visually quiet.

David Goss: The dark granite crazy-paving, which lines the outside of the pools and several of the walls, emphasises the sense of weight and permanence – almost like we’ve carved the space out of rock.

David Goss: The dramatic arched water feature creates a layer of sound that helps mask the quiet chatter of people bathing. But we also decided it was important to have a separate lounge area that can be closed off, giving the opportunity to create a more hushed environment.

Kent Pomare: Successful wellness design goes beyond aesthetics – it thoughtfully integrates nature with technology to optimise wellbeing. There’s no shortage of research highlighting the power of nature and biophilic design ... But in today’s landscape, a pot plant and a water feature aren’t enough. The most effective spaces are dynamic, evolving like the seasons and adapting to the shifting moods of their visitors.

Consider the contrast between a Friday night and a Monday morning: how does the space respond? How does it interact with light, atmosphere and energy? How does it support a spectrum of emotions and experiences? True excellence in wellness design lies in creating an environment that balances these extremes, ensuring that every visitor, at any time, feels both held and empowered. A space that adapts, welcomes and nurtures.

David Goss: The emphasis on “luxury” and “exclusive” wellness experiences is shifting to a more diverse approach to what defines a wellness space. We now have a range of wellness spaces that cater to a wider range of demographics, beyond the aesthetics of a luxury hotel. I hope we continue to see a shift to spaces that focus primarily on the senses, a connection to place and connection to community.

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