Canberra as a wellness destination? It's certainly not the first thing that comes to mind - but the latest venture from Doma Group is trying to change all that.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Hale Gym and Spa is the newest creation from the Canberra developers, taking over the internal ground floor halls of the heritage-listed Brassey Hotel. Doma bought the Brassey mid-last year, and has upgraded the hotel and its grounds, with the gym and spa the final piece in the puzzle.
It's being hailed as a luxury health retreat - but could such a place exist so close to the home of democracy? We went for a visit to the brand new spot to check it out.
Hale Gym and Spa is right at the front entrance of Brassey - turn right for fitness and left for relaxation.
The gym is Scandi-chic, filled with the latest in technology and has a general fitness area, free weights room, group training room, pilates and yoga studio, and spin studio, with an outdoor gym to come. It's even getting its own small Lululemon outlet.
The jewel in the crown at the gym is the 'Hale Method' - a 12 week program, with the first round starting on May 1. It doesn't come cheap, but the program is highly personalised and aimed at people looking to get serious results. It includes small-group training, body scans and a nutrition plan, plus a wellness app which tracks all your data and means you can't fake workouts.
For those looking for a little less commitment, the yoga, pilates, barre and spin classes are open to the public now and available on a casual basis - you can book at halehealth.com.au/gym. The gym is also available to any guest of the Doma Group's Realm precinct hotels - Little National, Hotel Realm, Burbury Hotel and Brassey Hotel.
And then there's the spa. Let's just say, it's the last thing you'd expect to find nestled in between government departments.
After walking through the lockers and showers there's steam rooms, infrared saunas, an ice station for muscle recovery and a cave-like plunge pool - all of which is in darkness for total relaxation. Then there's the giant client lounge with tea, snacks and a fireplace, which opens out to the gardens with a reflection pool and kabanas.
And that's before you even reach the treatment rooms - there's one couples' room with an oversized bath at one end, and eight individual rooms.
They're still putting the finishing touches on the day spa, but bookings are now open and the full treatment menu is available on halehealth.com.au/spa. There's facials, waxing, body treatments, waxing and tinting, plus medical-grade treatments.
This isn't the sort of place to pop to for a quick facial - it's made for whiling about the afternoon, deep in zen. Maybe the parliamentary zone has potential as an indulgent escape after all?
