The 11 Best Day Spas in and Around Brisbane

There's a sensation that sweeps over you when you enter one of the best spas in Brisbane, or near enough to head to on a day trip. It feels strange at first — probably because it's not something that you treat yourself to that often. Your phone is out of reach, your body is encased in a soft robe, calming scents waft through your nostrils and the loudest sound you'll hear is your own content exhalations. It's called relaxation.

Thankfully, there are plenty of day spa and bathhouse experiences in and around Brisbane for indulgent stints of tranquillity — you just need to know where to look. Whatever your budget, skin type or preferred massage style, there's a place just waiting to wash all your stresses away. Don't wait until someone buys you a gift voucher or leave it for your next holiday; pamper yourself whenever you want and for whatever reason.

Recommended reads:
The Best Hotels in Brisbane
The Best Glamping Sites in Australia
The Best Hot Pools in Australia
The Best Outdoor Swimming Pools in Brisbane

The Bathhouse Albion, Albion

Relaxing usually means avoiding difficult decisions. Before you ignore the world outside at The Bathhouse Albion, however, you do need to make some choices. Will a soak help ease your stresses? Would a cold plunge revitalise your senses? Maybe you'd prefer to float away your troubles? Is getting steamy — in a steam room, that is — your path to unwinding? Would you prefer a sauna instead?

These are the best types of verdicts to make, of course, because you're plotting out how to level up your self-care. A European-inspired wellness haven, The Bathhouse Albion is located on Nariel Street as part the Albion Fine Trades precinct. Welcoming in patrons since June 2024, the vibe here is indulgent, opulent and luxurious.

Contro Wellness, Lutwyche

Tranquility and Lutwyche now go hand in hand. So do pastels and Lutwyche; Mediterranean-style bathhouses and Lutwyche; and escaping life's chaos in saunas, steam rooms and ice baths in Lutwyche. The reason: Contro Wellness. When it opened in autumn 2024, the venue instantly joined the River City's best places to relax, slow down and put your wellbeing first.

With its soft and calming hues, Contro Wellness has gone dreamy with its bathhouse setup. Patrons will find both traditional and infrared saunas, float therapy, mineral soaks, red-light therapy and salt therapy inside, too. Also, if you're keen on not just relaxation, but some alone time — or sharing your experience with a date or mate — all services are private.

Soak Bathhouse, West End

Spring dips, summers on the sundeck, getting steamy no matter the weather and staring out over the city from a West End rooftop: since bathhouse chain Soak made its way to Brisbane in 2022, these have all become a reality. You'll find the Gold Coast-born company's first site further north in a sky-high perch in West Village, complete with seven spas and mineral pools, plus infrared saunas, steam rooms and relaxation gardens. Yes, dips, steams, massages and LED facials with a sweeping vista await.

Soak's pools are meant to be shared, so you can book in for a plunge with your mates and use the occasion to treat yo'selves over a catch up. A big part of the vibe at the bathhouse is about being social, hence the communal facilities, capitalising upon a largely untapped niche: turning wellness sessions into excuses to gather the gang.

Lost World Day Spa at O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, Lamington National Park

A Queensland day spa that shares its name with the sequel to Jurassic Park? Sign us up immediately. There are no dinosaurs stampeding across your back at O'Reilly's Lost World Day Spa, but what you'll get instead is a gorgeous, greenery-filled outlook over Lamington National Park, the McPherson Ranges and the Great Dividing Range — oh, and an infinity pool, steam room and couple's treatment suite, that includes a hand-crafted wooden tub and a private nature-inspired shower. It's easily one of the best day spas near Brisbane.

Treatment-wise, splashing out on a three-hour vinotherapy ritual is certainly tempting. There's no drinking at this day spa experience, sadly, but it does include soaking in blends made from grapes.

The Healing Stone Day Spa at Emporium, South Bank

Drinking, swimming, getting a massage — they're all better when you're 21 storeys up. That's where you'll find Emporium South Bank's day spa, The Healing Stone. And yes, it's on the same level as the towering venue's sky-high bar The Terrace, if you're keen on a super-indulgent visit.

Here, you can choose from your preferred type of massage (shiatsu, deep-tissue, remedial and signature bamboo) for 90 minutes, or opt for an hour-long hot rock ganbanyoku treatment. For an extra $80, you also get a two-hour access pass to the infinity pool, hotel sauna and bar, which is an easy way to make a proper day of it.

Kailo Wellness Medispa at The Calile, Fortitude Valley

With resort-style cabanas and poolside dining, The Calile is a great place to sit back, relax and forget that you're smack-bang in the middle of Fortitude Valley's James Street. It's also been named Australasia's best hotel not once but twice. Of course, if you want to complete the faux-holiday experience, you'll need to make a beeline to Kailo Wellness Medispa — one of the best spas in Brisbane within one of the best hotels in Brisbane.

Here, wraps, massages, exfoliation, facials, manicures, pedicures, soaks and cosmetic procedures are all on the menu. Just stopping by for a short visit rather than checking in for a staycation? An express facial, which takes 30 minutes, will leave your face looking fresh, hydrated and smelling like cold-pressed plant oils. You can also get IV nutrient therapy, laser treatments, facials and a whole host of beauty pampering experiences.

Away Spa at W Brisbane, Brisbane CBD

When W Brisbane opened back in mid-2018, Brisbanites were instantly taken by its epic façade and impressive geometric pool — and wanted to book a night there straight away. Even if you don't want to shell out for a night at the riverside hotel, however, you can check into its luxury Away Spa for an hour or two.

Located on a quiet spot on level five, the Brisbane spa has six treatment suites, relaxation pods, a sauna, steam room, a pool and a bar. The most-luxe spa packages clock will fill three hours with bliss, either getting you detoxing or glowing. The first includes a wrap, massage and facial; the second swaps the wrap for a mask, plus a polish for your hands, arms and feet.

Stephanie's Vintage Spa, Cleveland

An award-wining Brisbane spa located in the waterside suburb of Cleveland, Stephanie's Vintage Spa features eight treatment rooms across two very quaint Queenslanders. You can duck into the infrared sauna, get your nails done in the pedicure lounge or have a quick 40-minute facial.

Fancy a longer stay, but not quite sure what you're after? Try the 90-minute aromatic revival ritual, which includes a massage, full body exfoliation and botanical foot immersion. Plus, if you can't get out to the bay, Stephanie's also has locations in Bulimba, the CBD, Noosa, Surfers Paradise and Clear Mountain.

Aquarius Health & Medispa, CBD

Get a massage, treat your skin and soak in an Asian-style onsen at the super-luxe Aquarius Health & Medispa. The Brisbane spa is located on Mary Street in the CBD, and we're not knocking all of the usual bits and pieces when we say that it's the latter that's worth the trip.

The Brisbane bathhouse comes complete with a temperature-controlled 22-metre indoor pool, male and female steam rooms, hot and cold plunge pools, and a dry Finnish sauna. Casual daily entry is available, or you can sign up for ten-entry passes and 12-month access to make it your regular home away from home.

Spa by JW at JW Marriott Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise

Sun, surf and sand is a relaxing combination, as well as one of the Gold Coast's big drawcards. Soaking, steaming, sipping and staring at scenic views? That's also on the agenda if you're looking for a different kind of stint in Surfers Paradise. One such spot to put on your intinerary: JW Marriott Gold Coast's Spa by JW.

This hefty 2500-square-metre wellness space joined the hotel in 2023 as part of its broader $35-million transformation. A spell here means enjoying the sounds of the ocean, a vantage over the hinterland, both tea and wine service, and a sizeable list of treatment options and spa packages. Fancy a massage solely designed to help you sleep? An aromatherapy facial? Hopping in the bath with your date or best mate? They're all on offer.

Spa Q at QT Hotel Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise

Sometimes, you just want to pair your indulgence with a trip somewhere beachy, whether or not you're heading away for a night or several. Here's another option. Just a stone's throw away from the surf and sand in Surfers Paradise, QT Gold Coast's Spa Q will have you unwinding in no time, including in its steam room.

Social spa-ing — aka group bookings — is one of its specialities, so gather up at least two of your mates and head on down. Then you'll just have to choose between a massage and a facial, both, or the two plus a foot treatment.

Top image: The Bathhouse Albion.