Is Brisbane’s $80 million wellness centre worth the hype?

The inner-city Brisbane suburb of Newstead has come a long way from its industrial roots. Since shunting its tram depot and factories, it’s become the city’s wellness mecca, with boutique gyms and healthy cafés lining the streets.

Tucked behind the old gasworks, across from a trendy bakery with queues out the door and behind an illuminated water feature and pale stone walls, TotalFusion Platinum exemplifies a new cosmopolitan chic.

With five storeys of gym space and recovery facilities, it claims to be the largest luxury wellness centre in the southern hemisphere.

Yes, the same Brisbane that’s contemplating having the bin chicken as its Olympic mascot is home to a wellness centre so extensive it makes the gym junkies of Sydney and Melbourne envious.

When I asked members what it’s like they gush with enthusiasm, and share testimonials of “life-changing” workouts that are “worth every penny”.

That can mean plenty of pennies: while memberships officially start at $55 a week, some members say they fork out up to $135 a week to access add-ons such as the rooftop pool and wellness centre.

Can it really be worth it?

The allure of the water features and the glamorous (and very fit) clientele finally become too much. I decide I have to find out what the hype is all about.

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As I get ready, I have visions of who I’ll be sharing the space with, and curse myself for not having added activewear to my online shopping cart on Boxing Day.

Alas, the show must go on. I’m booked in for rooftop reformer Pilates at 10am and then have a hot date with the wellness centre, where I plan to get so calm I’ll be unrecognisable after a few hours of R&R.

A glimpse of the five-storey wellness centre at TotalFusion Platinum.

In the lobby, I meet manager Matt Butler, who says the gym gets messages on social media “all the time asking if we can bring TotalFusion to Sydney and Melbourne”.

But there’s plenty of business in south-east Queensland. Marketing manager Sandra Keane says the local market is becoming increasingly health-conscious, and there are now five TotalFusion clubs in the region.

“Consumers are more likely to invest in wellness solutions that help them avoid illness rather than wait until they’re unwell,” she says.

Even the lobby details are boujee.Credit: TotalFusion

I chat with a member who’s been going to the Newstead site since 2021. His weekly gym schedule consists of six classes a week, including run club and reformer Pilates.

He’s trialled a number of gyms, and says TotalFusion comes out on top, as “nothing really compares to the variety of training”.

With 300 weekly classes on offer, I can see the experience would be far from boring.

A full tour takes almost an hour. Every female bathroom has Dyson hair tools and the holy grail of Aesop products. Also scattered around the club are mini fridges stocked with cold towels infused with essential oils.

But the star of the show is the fig tree. Symbolising the “tree of life”, it had to be brought in by crane.

I’m surprised to see that not everyone is in their 20s – in fact, some members appear to have decades on me – and almost everybody says hello as we scale up the centre. Maybe those rumours about exercise and endorphins really are true.

The iconic TotalFusion fig tree symbolises the “tree of life” – and oxygen, because we really need that.Credit: Neesha Sinnya

I spot a woman reading James Clear’s hit self-help book Atomic Habits while clad in Normatec restorative boots. Mental note taken: be more committed to my wellness journey.

I learn that just the week before my visit, the head of Disney met with the creators of Bluey at the club, and American singer Benson Boone also paid a visit on his recent Brisbane tour.

While I don’t spot any international stars, I later share the pool with some Gold Coast influencers – and a lot of people with reality TV stardom potential.

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But first, it’s time for reformer Pilates. I’ve done Pilates before, so I’m familiar with the apparatus and feel like I’m keeping up as the class pulses and glides.

It takes me by surprise when the instructor reassures me afterwards that “it’s OK to take breaks” – but there’s video evidence showing I’d indeed indulged in a few intermissions of questionable length.

Next stop is the rooftop pool. If the future of fitness includes this level of relaxation, then sign me up. The rooftop restaurant serves green smoothies and salads, alongside an extensive list of alcoholic beverages. All about balance, I guess?

Poolside Vietnamese chicken salad following a morning of Pilates? Sign me up.Credit: Neesha Sinnya

I dip, plunge, sweat and chill in the snow room for the rest of the morning, alternating between the offerings like a kid in a candy shop.

But I opt out of run club. I confide in the manager that I have zero running experience, and he agrees that some would be “advantageous”.

Instead, I try a cycle class, setting my own personal “intention” (to fit in and keep up). I’m a sucker for a strobe light and a feel-good, loud playlist, so this class is right up my alley.

I’m not quite so on board with some of TotalFusion’s innovative alternative therapies – such as the cryotherapy chamber that Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker visited when he was last in Australia.

Reaching temperatures of minus 115 degrees, it’s meant to aid muscle recovery, boost energy and improve sleep.

It’s also an eye-watering $70 for a 15-minute session that includes three minutes exposed to the chilling temperatures, which in my opinion is three minutes too long to be exposed to minus 115 degree conditions.

Blink 182’s Travis Barker spent time at TotalFusion Platnium during his Brisbane tour.Credit: TotalFusion Australia

I think I’ll stick with the snow room at the rooftop wellness complex. It drops to just 10 degrees below zero and is a way more aesthetic experience because there’s a swing in there. I don’t ask why.

And I give red light therapy a go, which involves lying in a coffin-style bed for 20 minutes. Give this a miss if you’re claustrophobic.

The benefits are said to include fighting the signs of ageing, boosting energy and stimulating skin renewal. It’s also an excuse to lie down uninterrupted – always a win.

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My prior gym experience includes a year-long stint at a regional Queensland facility and a never-ending accumulation of free trials.

TotalFusion isn’t a “starter gym”, and I certainly don’t have the confidence I think one needs to start their fitness journey at the mammoth centre. I could see myself getting lost among the rows of machines and cold plunge pools, where I fear I might slip through the cracks.

Numbers on the floor for gym-goers who know what they’re doing.Credit: Neesha Sinnya

To get bang for your buck for the exxy membership, you would need to be committed.

Maybe someone working from home near Newstead could squeeze in a lunchtime vinyasa, chill out in the co-working space and sip on juice from the members-only café.

But for someone like me who fits in three (at most) gym sessions a week? I just can’t swing it.

And with my FOMO, I wouldn’t be satisfied with the base membership. Rooftop pool or nothing!

So, even if TotalFusion Platinum isn’t the gym for me, I like the idea the largest wellness centre in Australia calls Brisbane home. The city has battled a “bogan” accusation far too long.

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