While communal bathing has long been a part of many cultures, the wellness trend is relatively new in most of Australia. A series of recent openings includes a cliffside Scandi-inspired sauna and an inner-city bathhouse in Sydney, and a luxury wellness spa with float therapy pods in Brisbane.

Co-founders Thomas Iasiello and Sam Stoios have capitalised on the growing trend. Inspired by their personal experiences in Japanese and European bathhouses they’ve created Mineral, an elegant bathhouse in the heart of the Adelaide CBD.

The Flinders Street venue has a Finnish sauna, Turkish hammam, mineral pools, cold plunges, and treatment rooms. There are no memberships but $60 gets you a two-hour all-access pass to the spa.

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Iasiello tells Broadsheet “the two hours is our guideline because I think it’s so important to give up that sort of time in your week to really spend on yourself in a place like this … There’s so many benefits … whether it’s physical, emotional, social.”

Guests are free to roam around the facility. They can hit up the steam room for a self-guided mud scrub; soak in a balmy 39-degree pool with the mineral makeup of the Dead Sea; improve their circulation hopping between hot and cold therapy pools; or just kick back in the dry heat of a sauna.

There will also be house-made snacks and drinks, from herbal teas in the morning to rich cacao in the evening.

Daily quiet hours mean no one will be nattering in your ear while you’re trying to Wim Hoff your way through a cold plunge. “We want to offer the chance for customers to come in at a time [when] it’s completely silent and it makes [the space] more introspective and meditative,” Iasiello said.

The Loucas Zohos Architects-designed space – which will be built by co-founder Stoios’ Project Meraki group – will include glass, brick and terracotta detailing; reading nooks; and day beds.

Mineral is expected to open in spring at 248 Flinders Street, Adelaide.

This article was originally published on May 14, 2024 but was updated on August 23, 2024 to a new opening date.