Wellness wars: The expensive treatments being offered at new, exclusive Melbourne spas

The private club spa scene in Melbourne is heating up, with entrepreneurs competing for a slice of the lucrative “wellness” market.

Brianna Aker, 26 in The Commons Collin St - a new $35 million wellness centre. Picture: Jason Edwards

Some of Australia’s richest entrepreneurs are going head to head in the urban wellness wars.

Millions of dollars are being thrown at the “exclusive” private club spa scene in Melbourne.

And forget the economic climate, richlisters are scampering to join long waiting lists to luxury holistic wellness spaces which offer everything from cryotherapy, infra-red saunas, IV drips and to fill your bottle from the “Fountain of Youth”.

Entrepreneur Cliff Ho, who owns and founded The Commons creative workspaces, says the pandemic shifted people’s approach to the 9-5 work day with younger generations wanting more from their offices and are looking for a more holistic space.

“Since Covid there’s been a real reset in how people approach work, wellness and community and we’re seeing a global rise in social wellness clubs and hybrid spaces,” Ho said.

The purity of air is 99 per cent oxygen and aimed at the wealthy inside bio-hacker property developer Tim Gurner’s Saint Haven clubs.

Property developer Tim Gurner’s Saint Haven club.

The clubs are aimed at the wealthy.

First starting in Collingwood, Gurner has opened several of the private wellness clubs throughout Melbourne, in South Yarra’s Grand Capital, recently in Toorak Rd and the more hip and young “Saint” in St Kilda.

The controversial developer, who rose to infamy after telling millennials they should stop eating smashed avocado if they wanted to buy a house and made headlines for saying unemployment needs to be higher, makes no qualms about his desire to stay young forever and is selling this elixir to the wealthy middle class.

Staff walk around in an almost beatific cult-like state, dressed in all white. There are waiting lists for Saint Haven and a vetting process for its high end members, who include everyone from entertainment types like Lauren Phillips, Shaynna Blaze and Bec Harding, to CEOs, finance bros, trust fund kids and corporate powerbrokers.

Gurner recently said he was taking the concept to the world with hopes of the high-end wellness and holistic clubs branching out to the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

The luxury health clubs also double as co-working spaces, with whispers in the steam room you can put it down as a tax write off.

Entrepreneur Ho is putting in $35m to move into the wellness and holistic space to complete The Commons, with sites in Collins St and health spas to open in Richmond and South Yarra.

“Introducing elements of hospitality into the workplace has become essential,” Ho said.

The Commons has sites in Collins St and will open health spas in Richmond and South Yarra.

Brianna Aker at The Commons Collin St. Picture: Jason Edwards

“We want to bring a sense of romance back to the office, to make it somewhere people want to be, not just somewhere they have to be.”

He said it soon became clear the next evolution to the workspace was the creation of The Commons Health Clubs, but he wants his prices to be more catered to everyone.

“It’s a space designed to support the physical and mental wellbeing of our members in line with the growing shift, especially among younger generations toward valuing holistic health and more balanced work lives.”

JOIN THE CLUB

Some of the new wellness clubs popping up around Melbourne.

SAINT HAVEN:

Ranging $130 to $1000 per week

Arguably Melbourne’s most expensive gym, features a hyperbaric chamber, thermal baths, a meditation cave and an organic wholefoods restaurant.

THE COMMONS:

Ranging from $79 to $119 per week

Soon coming to Richmond than South Yarra, features lymphatic compressions, theragun stations, cold pail showers, hot mineral baths and cold plunge pools with organic smoothies and bone broth wellness shots.

EQ WELLNESS:

Ranging from bathhouse experiences from $49 per session, to $105 monthly memberships.

Celebrating it’s first year in South Melbourne, also has a focus on corporate wellness events, features light and sound dome therapy, guided breathwork lounge, contrast bathhouse, meditation and magnesium spa.