Australia’s love affair with bathhouses shows no sign of slowing. What was once a niche wellness ritual has become something of a cult phenomenon, with mineral bathing, saunas and hot-and-cold therapy firmly part of the way we unwind. Cathy Wagstaff reports.
Opening this month in the Hawkesbury Valley, VELA Spa & Bathhouse takes the trend in a new direction. Rather than another urban bathhouse designed for a few hours of switching off, VELA brings thermal bathing, contrast therapy, spa treatments, dining and resort accommodation together in one destination.
Set within eight hectares of gardens at Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley, around an hour from Sydney, it offers the best of both worlds: close enough to escape to for the day, but with enough reason to check in and stay.
At the heart of VELA is an extensive bathhouse circuit, with magnesium mineral pools, Nordic and infrared saunas, steam room, cold plunges and an outdoor barrel sauna. Add a Champagne Bar, high tea, spa treatments and the option to stay overnight, and this is one wellness opening worth putting on the radar.
The bathhouse
The centrepiece of VELA is its thermal bathing and contrast therapy circuit, built around magnesium-enriched mineral pools.
Guests can move between the mineral pools, Nordic sauna and steam room, before turning up the temperature in the Fire & Ice Room, where an infrared sauna is paired with a cold plunge. Outside, there’s a barrel sauna and another cold plunge, along with outdoor spaces for relaxing between sessions.
A dedicated Relaxation Lounge offers somewhere to retreat after making your way around the circuit.
Unlike traditional silent spas, VELA has been designed with a more social approach to bathing, allowing guests to enjoy the experience together rather than treating wellness as an entirely solitary pursuit.
Spa treatments and float therapy
Beyond the bathhouse, VELA has a full spa menu spanning massage, facials and body treatments. Skin treatments are developed in partnership with Spanish professional skincare brand Skeyndor and incorporate technology alongside traditional spa therapies.
Float therapy will also form part of the VELA experience, with two purpose-built float pools set beneath a softly illuminated canopy of star-like lights and rainfall showers for before and after each session.
The float rooms are still being completed and will open separately following the September launch.
Champagne is still on the menu
The wellness focus doesn’t mean everything has to be virtuous.
VELA has its own Champagne Bar, alongside an all-day dining menu offering both nourishing and more indulgent options. High tea is also available, providing another reason to linger after a morning or afternoon in the bathhouse.
There is also an in-spa retail space stocking skincare, wellness products and gifts.
Stay for the night
This is where VELA starts to look more like a wellness getaway than a day spa.
The bathhouse sits within the eight-hectare Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley estate, surrounded by gardens and within easy reach of the Blue Mountains. Instead of heading straight back to Sydney after a few hours in the bathhouse, guests can stay overnight and turn the experience into a short break.
Dedicated VELA wellness escapes will combine accommodation with bathhouse sessions, spa experiences and dining, with options ranging from a simple overnight stay to more indulgent two-night escapes.
A new chapter for a much-loved Hawkesbury spa
While VELA is new, the site has a long wellness history.
It is the complete redevelopment of Villa Thalgo Day Spa, which was part of the Hawkesbury community for more than 25 years. After the property was badly affected by floods between 2020 and 2023, plans for a refurbishment grew into a much more ambitious reimagining of the spa.
The result is VELA, a purpose-built bathhouse and wellness destination that retains the site’s connection to spa and wellbeing while introducing an entirely new experience.
The details
VELA Spa & Bathhouse opens 22 September 2026 at Crowne Plaza Hawkesbury Valley, 61 Hawkesbury Valley Way, Windsor, around 60 minutes from Sydney CBD.
Bookings are now open, with bathhouse sessions, spa treatments, dining and overnight wellness experiences available to book.
Float therapy will be introduced following the opening once the dedicated float rooms are complete.