As the sun climbs higher in the sky and the days get hotter, you might be wondering what it’s like to visit Peninsula Hot Springs during summer.
Our wellness destination has plenty to offer our guests year-round, and the summertime can be a seriously rejuvenating and refreshing time to visit. Here are 12 ways we can help you stay cool when the temperature rises.
Our Bath House is open from 7am weekdays and from 5am on weekends, meaning you can take advantage of the fresh, crisp mornings that often occur during Mornington Peninsula summers. Morning bathing, when the steam rises from the pools, is both a relaxing and revitalising way to start the day.
There are two refreshing cold plunge pools in the Bath House, as well as a larger cold pool in the Fire & Ice area, and an ice plunge pool for those participating in the Fire & Ice workshop. There is also an Ice Cave and Deep Freeze located in this area. Our Nepalese massaging showers, which can be found in several locations across the bathing areas, offers the option of a cool mineral shower.
Relaxing together as a couple or in a group can be a deeply enjoyable and out-of-the-ordinary way to connect. Our Mornington Peninsula Bath House welcomes guests young and old, making it a beautiful multi-generational experience. Explore geothermal pools ranging from thermoneutral to hot, cold plunge pools, saunas, hydrojet pools, steam room and more as you roam the grounds.
There are plenty of opportunities for larger groups to choose their own adventure: grandparents might like to luxuriate on the sun lounge while grandchildren are drawn to plunging in the cold pool, for example, and everybody might like to take a stroll through the Food Bowl and Sensory Garden or soak in a hot spring together.
Guests are most welcome to bring their own picnic lunch to enjoy on our wooden tables of grass lawns, or allow us to cook for you in the Amphitheatre or Bath House cafes. That way, no one in your group has to prepare food or clean up, giving you ample time to simply focus on wellness and connection.
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Our recently released tapas menu, available in the Bath House cafe and bar, is ideal for those hot days when you feel like grazing. Choose from tiger prawn skewers, kingfish ceviche, mushroom arancini, grilled manchego and several other light options. Our wider menu in the Amphitheatre and Bath House cafes also includes plenty of summer-friendly refreshments such as sushi, Thai chicken salad, chia pods, fruit salad, coconut water, kombucha, iced coffee — and locally made beer, wine and cider.
Journey beyond the Amphitheatre cafe and towards the right and you’ll find a constellation of hammocks swaying beneath the shade of the sheoaks. These large, comfortable hammocks can accommodate two people and are the perfect place to have a rest or read a book between bathing experiences.
Summer can be a great time to try our Fire & Ice workshop, which involves cycling between the immersive heat of the sauna, thermoneutral showers, cold pool, and finally, four-degree Celsius ice plunge pool. Our wellness host will guide you through the experiences, including coaching you to breathe and relax as you submerge in the bracing cold of the ice plunge.
Dotted across the Bath House are several shaded relaxation spaces that provide a place to unwind on luxury bean bags. The Sun Lounge, which sits above the Fire & Ice area, is a roof terrace that offers both shade and sun, with deck chairs and bean bags. The Moroccan Pavilion is a spacious tent furnished with Moroccan decor. Scan the QR code to order refreshments directly to your day bed as you recline and unwind.
In an area known as Clay Ridge, which is surrounded by bespoke stonework, our wellness hosts will guide you through the Body Clay ritual. The ritual involves using a paintbrush to apply cooling, detoxifying clay to your skin, allowing it to dry and then rinsing off under a mineral shower. Afterwards, your skin will feel a little softer and more supple. It’s an experience that can be playful, mindful, or a little bit of both, and makes a great warm weather activity.
The Sensory Dome, located within the Dome Village, is a large bell tent designed to block out the external world and heighten your senses. Inside, meditation music and a light projection show create a deeply immersive atmosphere. The space is dark, air-conditioned and furnished with comfortable bean bags so you can luxuriate and fully soak in the experience.
Guests are welcome to bring their own picnic to enjoy on our wooden picnic tables or grassy lawns. These shaded areas offer a cool, casual spot to share snacks, drinks and connection with family or friends (we ask that you refrain from bringing glass or alcohol).
Retreating to the comfort of the Spa Dreaming Centre to receive a spa treatment can be a deeply nourishing way to while away a hot day. Our massages include our signature Kodo — a blissful, melodic massage that uses Aboriginal therapeutic techniques and pressure point therapy — while our facials are designed to hydrate and rejuvenate. The Restore package makes an ideal summer treatment, featuring an organic mineral mud wrap, nourishing hair and scalp treatment, relaxation massage, facial, and bathing in both areas.
When particularly hot days are forecast, we lower the temperature of our hot springs by adding more cool water. As true mineral springs, our geothermal water surfaces at 54 degrees Celsius. On regular days, we bring the temperature down to between 34 and 42 degrees so it’s safe and comfortable for bathing, but hot days call for a little extra cooling.
There are plenty of cool evenings across the summertime, and bathing in the open air under the night sky offers the perfect wellness ritual to cap off the day. Our Bath House is open until 11pm every night of the week, and the Amphitheatre cafe is open until 9pm for pizzas, hot drinks, sweets and late-night snacks. As an added bonus, many guests find that bathing in hot springs promotes deeper, more restful sleep.
With our lush greenery, cool experiences and refreshing menu, a visit to Peninsula Hot Springs can be a blissful way to nurture your wellbeing this summer. We are open every day of the year (including Christmas Day) and look forward to welcoming you to find your cool — and reconnect at the springs.