Mala McAlpin Melbourne is soon to be the home of a brand new bathhouse and wellness space that the Greek gods themselves would be envious of! Olympia Daily, inspired by the Greek Baths of ancient Olympia, will open in one of Melbourne’s Northern suburbs in 2019.
Olympia Daily aims to become a vibrant social bathing space, open from 8am up until midnight every day of the week, where visitors can either congregate with friends or bask in moments of blissful solitary healing and reflection.
The venue will include an extensive range of hydrotherapy and steam options, including:
Hamam – The Turkish Hamam offers a traditional treatment paradise, with heated floors and marble walls, 100% humidity, and temperatures between 25 and 50 degrees Celsius. Visitors are exfoliated and cleansed (either by themselves or one of Olympia’s estheticians) before being refreshed with a cold water rinse. The main area is communal, with opportunities for clothed or nude visits, and a separate area is also available for private bookings.
Sentos – Two Sento areas offer traditional Japanese bathing designed for guests to wash away the day and spend time with friends. Bathing is done naked and is also gender-inclusive, although segregated sessions are available, as are private groups of up to 6. Guests can hydrate during their bath with a herbal tea.
The Open Air Bath Hall is another space to connect and socialise, which is kept toasty in winter and cooler in summer months.
Sauna – The sauna cabin, composed of Canadian Maple wood, offers a dry heat between 80 and 90 degrees, and every hour the sauna is injected with steam enriched with essential oils, for a richer, more fragrant and healing experience.
Also enriched by a mix of subtle oils and herbs, the Steam Room is a tiled, dark and quiet space for an indulgent and soothing experience. A selection of Moroccan mineral-rich muds are also on offer for use during steaming.
Aside from its stunning range of rooms and facilities, Olympia Daily will also have various wellness classes and workshops on offer, including yoga and dance, plus seminars ranging from business to negotiation, from Ikebana to Shibari. A team of wellness experts will be on hand, including Naturopaths to provide simple blood tests and match bathing sessions, nutrients and classes to suit individual needs.
Spa treatments will of course be on offer too, including massages, facials and acupuncture.
Olympia Daily was founded by spa and wellness consultant Sonja Sorich and PR & marketing specialist Emily King. The two Aussie women met last year and share a passion for the spa and bathing traditions of Europe, and hope to fulfill a gap in the market here in Australia.
“We have both travelled to Greece a number of times and experienced and loved the bathing culture, but the real connection for the name Olympia is in the original 12 Olympians,” says Emily.
“Each Olympian, for us, encapsulates the various dimensions of wellness – from the pleasant to the not so pleasant. The 12 characters provide a narrative and put a face to the various reasons people will visit Olympia Daily.”
