First Look: Private Wellness Club Saint Opens Its Biggest Location Yet

When property mogul Tim Gurner launched his ultra-exclusive private wellness club Saint Haven in Collingwood in 2023, Melbourne hadn’t seen anything like it. Since then, he’s added sites in South Yarra, an invite-only Toorak location, plus introduced a spin-off in St Kilda under the name Saint.

Last Saturday, Gurner opened the doors to a fifth location, Saint Black, housed inside the new Madison Grand building in Southbank. Split over three levels, it’s the wellness group’s largest location yet. Despite being about 40 per cent bigger than its other venues, memberships (starting from around $130 per week) are already close to full.

While the original Saint Haven is designed as a serene sanctuary, the two Saint spin-offs cater for a slightly younger audience, bringing more energy and edge. They also have a slightly more accessible price point. “Saint Haven is your second home to surrender, unwind and recharge,” general manager Sean Carey says. “Whereas Saint is your personal HQ, an environment that’s energising, dynamic and sensory.

“[It’s for someone] who is seeking out incredible workout experiences, places to connect and socialise outside of traditional pubs and nightclubs – whilst having access to co-working to support remote working options.”

Design-wise, the mood shifts, too. Where Saint Haven features calming soft neutrals, Saint leans into darker tones: black and white Calacatta marble, travertine and striking gold accents throughout.

Off-the-charts luxury begins at the door. Guests enter via a “sensory cube,” an immersive arrival portal of sorts where music and visuals play depending on your mood and invite you to take a breath before you step inside the club.

On the ground level, there’s a tea bar, and a restaurant and bar area that doubles as a co-working space. You’ll find all its previous offerings on the menu, including smoothies, naturopathic tea, cocktails spiked with adaptogens and build-your-own bowls, as well as the new addition of pastas.

Ascend a grand golden staircase past cascading pendant lights and you’ve arrived on the mezzanine. It has the largest gym floor across all Saint locations, featuring swish equipment that looks onto the city skyline. There are more than 200 classes on offer each week, including reformer Pilates, yoga, strength and conditioning, breathwork and sound baths. Sessions often begin with an energising shot of beetroot, ginger and watermelon, and a magnesium-infused electrolyte drink waits for you at the end.

Upstairs on level seven you’ll find a Saint Haven-style wellness wing. In the candlelit bathhouse, there are plunge pools at 6 and 10 degrees Celsius, a 38-degree magnesium-potassium warm pool and a 40-person traditional sauna. It’s where the club’s popular fire and ice contrast therapy classes take place, set to pumping house music.

The wing is also home to a cryotherapy chamber, two infrared saunas and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) chambers. The latter is a highly pressurised environment that pumps 100 per cent pure oxygen, said to help rejuvenate red blood cells and repair damaged tissue.

You could also book in for a session on the PEMF mat, which uses pulsed electromagnetic field therapy to essentially recharge your battery at the cellular level, or use lymphatic drainage boots for post-workout recovery – both are accompanied by red light therapy.

And if it didn’t sound exclusive enough, there’s also a private rooftop only accessible to guests at the two highest tiers of membership: Black and Ultimate. The outdoor terrace features a lap pool, a rooftop sauna, ice baths in wood barrels, and sunlounges where you can order drinks and food.

Saint Black
344 City Road, Southbank

saintprivateclub.com.au