First Look: Heal Bath House, Brunswick’s New 16-Person Wellness Retreat

As a Brunswick local and regular bathhouse-goer, Sultan Günay felt the neighbourhood was missing a space of its own. “When you go to a bathhouse, [travelling] from Brunswick to Collingwood, it’s not too [far] – it’s like 20 minutes – but the traffic kills the vibe,” she says. “On the way back, you’re stuck in traffic and all the relaxation is gone. I thought, ‘We need a space in Brunswick’.”

The result is Heal Bath House, a 16-person wellness space on Lygon Street that channels her nursing and home care background. “Looking after people has always been a thing for me,” she says. “Through baths, the sauna, yoga and meditation, I get so much help and I thought, ‘I can make a space that I enjoy myself and serve other people as well’.” 

Heal’s terracotta-coloured walls bring a vibrant change to Melbourne’s typically minimalist, neutral-toned wellness spaces. Inside the reception area, a deep purple curtain cascades down the wall, contrasting with a mustard-coloured couch.

The earthy colour palette takes cues from Heal’s logo, which features symbols representing the four classical elements. Günay says the bathhouse looks to all four in its design. “Water is already there, and fire is the sauna,” she says. “We did an earthy colour for the fourth element, and for air – when you come here, you get air and [feel] refreshed.” 

A long, narrow foyer houses three massage rooms and two treatment rooms, offering relaxation, aromatherapy, remedial massage and recovery, as well as change rooms kitted out with Dyson hair appliances. At the end of the corridor is the bathhouse itself, with a hot magnesium mineral pool set to 38 degrees Celsius and two cold pools set to 6 degrees Celsius. There’s also a traditional sauna with space for up to four people in each and a designated chill zone with six day beds.

In the coming weeks, guests will also be able to book yoga, meditation and sound healing sessions, with access to the bathhouse afterwards. The timetable is yet to be finalised, but Günay hopes to offer two one-hour yoga classes in the morning, with sound healing and meditation sessions in the evening. 

You can book a one-off session, which includes two-hour access to the pools and sauna, for $79, or opt for a $200 weekly membership with unlimited access to pools and classes once they begin. On Saturdays, complimentary Turkish tea and Turkish delight are served to all guests, a nod to Günay’s background.

Heal Bathhouse

477 Lygon Street, Brunswick East 

0415 187 482

Hours:

Mon to Fri 6am–10pm

Sat & Sun 8am–10pm
 

healbathhouse.com.au

@healbathouse