Aurora Spa & Bathhouse

Inside the reimagined Conti Hotel in Sorrento, on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, is Aurora Spa & Bathhouse, a dramatic 1000-square-metre relaxation destination with room for just 60 people at any one time.

Immerse yourself in four steamy, interconnecting hydrotherapy pools, starting with what has been dubbed the Daydream Pool; it’s sky-lit and a steamy 36 degrees. Or block out the world around you in a magnesium float room.

There’s a seriously sizeable, timber-clad Nordic-inspired sauna; an aromatherapy steam room; “sensory” showers; and a whole suite for halotherapy, which involves breathing in air with tiny salt particles.

Another feature is the “glacial mist room”. Set at an alpine temperature, it’s a refined bathhouse version of the Finnish tradition of rolling in the snow after a sauna.

Plus, expect to find eight treatment rooms where you can unwind solo or with a partner, and a store with a dedicated apothecary station where you can make your own bath-salt blend. (The spa and store opened ahead of the bathhouse.)

Behind the design is Woods Bagot, which drew inspiration from the region’s breathtaking coastline; think soft oak, sandy terrazzo and brass furnishings.