Spa time
Avenues Editor Liam and Food Editor Sophie were welcomed to The Spa at Hanmer Springs for a day of spa treatments and pool time.
Hanmer Springs is made for lingering. At the heart of it all is The Spa at Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools, a calm, restorative space designed to help you truly switch off and reset.
Opened almost 20 years ago, the spa has become a key part of the Hanmer experience, offering treatments that leave you feeling refreshed, grounded, and a little bit spoiled. From the moment you arrive, the welcome is warm and relaxed. Therapists guide you through the facilities, explain how the day flows, and take care of thoughtful details – like private lockers for those heading to the pools before their treatments – making it easy to settle straight into holiday mode.
Out in the wider thermal pools complex, the design is spot-on. There are options for every type of pool-goer, from peaceful adult-only pools to energetic family areas and hydroslides. A central shared area, anchored by the upgraded café, brings everyone together. It works beautifully, creating calm spaces for relaxation and fun zones for families, without either intruding on the other.
A standout moment was the poolside platter from the Tea Kiosk Café & Grill, piled high with fresh, tasty treats and designed to wander with you around the complex (just not into the pools). There’s something wonderfully indulgent about dipping crackers into hummus while your toes trail through warm mineral water, or soaking up the sunshine on the deck while wood-fired pizzas emerge, sizzling, for hungry swimmers.
“The spa treatments are best experienced after you’ve had a dip in the healing waters of the thermal pools – it’s a unique offering,” says Andie Wilson, Manager at The Spa at Hanmer Springs.
And she’s right. That easy rhythm – soak, eat, soak again – sets the perfect pace before heading back for treatments. With twelve treatment rooms, including couple’s suites, the spa menu caters to everything from quick pick-me-ups to full luxury experiences. Options range from foot treatments and pedicures through to deluxe full-body rituals, alongside a Vichy water-massage room, private saunas, and bespoke mud and clay treatments tailored to each guest.
Before treatments, the relaxation room sets the tone. Stocked with Harney & Sons teas and Avenues magazines, and softly buzzing with honeymooners, travellers, and locals alike, it feels like a little sanctuary. It’s just as lovely to return to afterwards, for another tea, a mocktail or a celebratory glass of bubbles.
The treatments themselves are bliss: calm, unrushed, and deeply relaxing. The locally made Hanmer Springs Spa product range adds another layer of indulgence, and everything used can be purchased to take a slice of that spa feeling home. From serums and mists to mineral-rich muds, each product is crafted under Andie’s careful eye.
“I love the people we get here,” one therapist shares. “They might arrive stressed or tired, but they always leave relaxed. They float out. Seeing that change is so special,” says Andie.
Thoughtfully designed, indulgent without feeling over-the-top, and genuinely restorative, The Spa at Hanmer Springs is the kind of place that makes slowing down feel effortless – and leaves you wondering why you don’t do it more often.