Last year, initial plans were unveiled for Alba Thermal Springs and Spa, a luxe new relaxation destination on a sprawling, 15-hectare Mornington Peninsula property.

Now, we finally have more details around what to expect when it opens in Fingal this spring. And bookings are already open, so you can secure your spot early.

A dramatic, minimalistic fit-out
Striking concrete pillars and flooring, touches of timber panelling, and ceramic tiles feature throughout the minimalistic space. The fit-out is a creative collaboration between landscape architect Mala Studio and award-winning design firm Hayball, with interiors designed to reflect the peninsula’s surrounding wilderness. “We worked together to find a language between the building and the landscape,” says Hayball director Bianca Hung. “The site has a steep slope facing the ocean, so we decided to integrate the building within the hill, so it looks like it’s coming out of the ground.”

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Become one with nature while peering through towering floor-to-ceiling windows, which Hayball senior design associate Jean-Francois Lagace says are different shapes to frame different views of the landscape. “Light is also a heavy feature … the way the sunlight moves on the concrete floor and dances across the room,” he adds. “Even the reflective ponds inside create their own decoration through reflections on the walls.”

Scattered across the rambling property are 22 elegant spa suites and 31 different bathing pools, including geothermal pools, cold-plunge pools and herbal-infused “botanical pools”. Plus, there’s a roomy lounge on a mezzanine level overlooking the gardens and water features, as well as a self-contained mani-pedi parlour.

Distinctive spa experiences
More than 35 treatments will be available at Alba, including indulgent full- and half-day experiences and a variety of facials, massages, scrubs, wraps and even scalp therapy.

Facials – in partnership with skincare label Vanessa Megan – include the Fire & Frost treatment; it uses the brand’s Cryo “ice cube” serum, which rapidly cools the skin to repair and hydrate it before heat is applied.

Another of the spa’s partners is Ayurvedic-inspired beauty and wellness brand Aika, founded in Melbourne by Eranthi Bonney. Her treatments are focused on the ancient, natural healing science from India. The Vedic Warrior is a deep-tissue massage that blends kalari martial arts movements with marma massage techniques, while the Herbal Healer centres around a compress of aromatic oils and herbs that’s warmed up and rolled all over the body in combination with more traditional massage.

Spa and wellness director Sonja Sorich also expects the Vichy packages to be popular – all incorporating the Vichy shower, which has seven jets that both massage and cleanse the body while you lie flat. The Turkish-inspired Hammam Float will see you relax in a dark steam room before a vigorous full-body skin exfoliation using a kessa glove. Your hair will then be washed before a hydrating soap massage and a warm rinse.

Group experiences are also available, as well as packages that involve a combination of hands-on treatments, spring time, and lunch or dinner. “Our tagline is to ‘take time’,” says Sorich. “So every spa treatment starts with an hour soak in the springs.”

A rooftop restaurant by a celebrity chef
Alba will also have an in-house restaurant, Thyme, with some serious cred. The 120-seater will have a culinary program by celebrity chef Karen Martini. She’s a TV presenter, cookbook author and the restaurateur behind Hero at Fed Square.

The all-day restaurant – located on the expansive rooftop terrace, with views across the property and beyond – will have both indoor and outdoor seating.

Martini’s poke bowls will star, including the adzuki-bean rice bowl with cucumber-and-spring-onion kimchi, furikake-topped avocado, soy shitake, shaved cabbage, snow peas, and a kewpie, sesame and miso dressing (with the optional add-on of miso kingfish).

“We will also be supporting local growers and suppliers, seeking out seasonal produce from sustainable farming practices, and choosing organically grown wherever possible,” Martini said in a statement.

The springs, spa and restaurant are all part of Alba’s first phase of construction. Phase two will see the addition of accommodation, likely to be completed in 2023.

Alba Thermal Springs and Spa is set to open at 282 Browns Road, Fingal, in spring. Bookings are now available online.

albathermalsprings.com.au