We’re all so busy. Tethered to our phones with the constant buzz of people following up, a slave to the ding of a group chat, and trying to squeeze in time for socialising and hobbies in the five-to-nines before and after our nine-to-fives.
Freya Berwick, founder of Melbourne bathhouse Sense of Self, which opened in Collingwood in 2020, wants to help us slow down.
“Part of what we do is about being an antidote to the busyness of modern life,” Berwick tells Broadsheet.
We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.
SIGN UPOpening in the second half of 2025, Sense of Self’s first Sydney outpost will bring hot pools, cold plunges, saunas, steam rooms and massage treatment spaces to an expansive 1000-metre-square warehouse space on the border of Surry Hills and Paddington.
Berwick had been searching for the perfect Sydney property for three years. “I’m very particular about the spaces we occupy,” she says. “We use design as a tool to help people transcend their everyday, so we want them to walk through the door and feel like they’re in a completely different world.”
The design and fit-out comes from architecture firm Ritz & Ghougassian. Berwick says it will echo the Melbourne space while drawing inspiration from the heritage brick of the warehouse itself. There’s also a nod to Nordic design. Berwick, who spent time in Norway working on the redesign of a boutique hotel, first fell in love with sauna in Scandinavia.
A similar no-nonsense Scandi sensibility is echoed in Sense of Self’s offering, which aims to cut down on the faff that comes with many spas and bathhouses.
“People shouldn’t expect to see a complex menu. That’s one of the things that contributes to decision fatigue. They will not see us selling them products. They won’t hear us saying that you need to be or act or behave in a certain way to look or feel good,” she says. As an inclusive and judgement-free zone, Berwick says Sense of Self’s mission is to remove the concept of beauty and performance from discussions of wellness so people can just focus on being in their bodies and connecting with themselves.
Devices are banned within the bathhouse so you can truly switch off. The Melbourne spa enforces quiet mornings on weekdays, and in Sydney, Berwick is keen to carry on the tradition with either silent spaces or times.
Outside of those hours there will be quiet chat. They’re also leaning into a sense of playfulness – rather than the solemn austerity often found in bathhouses – with board games.
Third spaces are crucially important to mental health, especially as our work and home lives have become increasingly blurred due to technology and work-from-home arrangements. Having a space to connect with friends – that isn’t a pub, a restaurant or a frozen yoghurt shop – is important, says Berwick.
The original Melbourne venue is in high demand and often booked out but, for the bigger Sydney space, Berwick is exploring the idea of memberships for people who want to use the space regularly. Although, “We’re also very open to people who just want to come once a year. People use it in different ways, and that’s kind of the idea.”
Sense of Self will open in Sydney’s eastern suburbs in the second half of 2025.
Cafes
Restaurants
Bars
Accommodation
Shop
Broadsheet Pick
Recently Opened
