One can imagine Phryne Fisher basking in the luxury of a bath tub filled with petals, face covered in exotic deep sea mud, her feet getting pampered with oils and perfumes while Rhapsody in Blue plays in the background.
Now you too can relax like a 1920s flapper whilst listening to Gershwin-esque classics at Smooth Day Spa.
The Melbourne City Baths was first opened in 1860 and has continued to provide health and fitness services to the community for more than 140 years, an achievement that distinguishes the baths from any other health and fitness facility in Victoria.
In Melbourne’s founding years, those who could afford it would visit the baths for a day of beauty and wellness. Facilities consisted of two swimming pools, 16 slipper baths and six spray baths each for the men and women.
There were also Turkish and vapour baths, a Jewish ceremonial bath (Mikvah bath) and a laundry. Mixed bathing was introduced into the City Baths in 1947 and the popularity of the swimming pool began to increase.
Nestled within the Melbourne Baths lies Smooth Day Spa, a place where you can experience living history as you unwind and rejuvenate yourself in an authentic heritage building.
My first visit to this iconic location consisted of the Smooth Herb D-Tox Package. For $89 I received 1 hour of pampering, including a full body brush, scalp tonic and fresh herb soak.
I was given a small room of my own, reminiscentof what it would have looked like back in the day – vintage framed mirror with a glass bottle of flowers, an antique bathtub with drapes on each side, and a small hand mirror and towel with soap. An old-school barber-shop quartet sang through the building, giving an authentic touch.
The body brushing was invigorating and my skin felt thoroughly exfoliated. The scalp tonic and massage was very relaxing, managing to get quite a few sighs of relief from myself. The herb soak was a great way to finish my venture back in time. I soaked in the antique tub like a flapper after a hard day of fox trotting.
Other packages feature a range of treatments including a wellness soak, signature massage, flush massage, hot bamboo flush, aromatherapy treatment, relaxation massage, cacoon rest wrap, reiki treatment, salt scrub, hydrating massage, nurturing massage, facial, pedicure, kinesiology – the list goes on! Pick a package that tailors your needs and the rest will be taken care of.
If you’re just looking for the basics don’t fret, Smooth Day Spa also offers waxing, manicures, pedicures, facials, detox baths and more.
*Images courtesy of ABC.net.au, Melbourne City Baths, and Smooth Day Spa
sounds fabulous!!
How did you end up getting the ideas to post ““SMOOTH DAY
SPA: Living history | Moss & Stone”? Many thanks -Levi
Hi Levi!
It was just a review of my first visit to the spa. I live close to Melbourne so I wanted to check it out