The Mornington Peninsula is one of the easiest places near Melbourne to spend a day in warm water. There is a bathhouse in Mornington, natural hot springs at Fingal, an underground bathhouse in Sorrento, and, if you stay with us, a spa or sauna at home. This guide takes them in the order we would visit.
Photos: POND Bathhouse
A bathhouse, hot springs or a spa?
They are not the same thing, and the Peninsula has all three. A bathhouse, like POND, is a set of pools, saunas and steam rooms you move between, usually for a set session. Natural hot springs, like Peninsula Hot Springs and Alba, use thermal mineral water that comes from the ground. A hotel spa, like Aurora in Sorrento, is a bathhouse built into a hotel, with treatments on the side.
POND Bathhouse, Mornington
Photos: POND Bathhouse
POND is on Ross Street in Mornington. It has magnesium plunge pools at 38 and 40 degrees, ice baths, a dry sauna and an infrared sauna, a steam room, a lounge with herbal teas, and a relaxation area with noise-cancelling headphones. There are private lockers, towels and skincare products in the change rooms. A bathhouse session is two hours, and you use everything at your own pace.
The idea is contrast bathing: warm water, then cold, then a rest, and round again. POND was founded by Dr Sally Shaw, a doctor with decades of experience, who says wellness goes beyond treating symptoms. It also does massage and facials, which are separate from bathing.
What a booking includes
Magnesium plunge pools
A 38 degree pool and a warmer 40 degree one.
Ice baths
The cold half of the loop.
Saunas and steam room
A dry sauna, an infrared sauna and a steam room.
Lounge
Plush seating and herbal teas, for between rounds.
Relaxation area
Reclining chairs and noise-cancelling headphones, with soundscapes, guided meditation or silence.
Showers and change rooms
A spa shower, private lockers, towels and skincare products.
- Book your stay direct with Lively.
- We send your POND code once you have booked.
- Book your session online with POND, using the code.
- Go and bathe, for two hours.
Mornington is the northern end of the Peninsula, so it is the easiest bathhouse to reach from Melbourne, and our Mornington and Mount Martha homes are close by. We worked out the drive from each home's address, by car with no traffic. Kuro House in Mornington is about three minutes away and Solara about five. Galene in Mount Martha is about ten, and The Ocean's Edge and The Pavilion are about twelve. Photos of POND are the bathhouse's own.
Peninsula Hot Springs
Peninsula Hot Springs is at 140 Springs Lane in Fingal, and natural thermal mineral water feeds its pools. The Bath House has more than 50 bathing experiences, including a hilltop pool. It is open to all ages, babies included, with one adult for every six children, and prams can't go inside. Private bathing is for ages 16 and over.
Bath House packages need a reservation, so book before you go. It is open every day of the year, including Christmas Day, though you should check the opening time first. On Friday 8 January 2027 at 7pm it hosts Bach and Bathe, part of the Peninsula Summer Music Festival, free with your bathing.
Alba and Aurora
- 282 Browns Road, Fingal
Alba Thermal Springs & Spa
Geothermal pools and private springs, and a spa. It strongly recommends booking ahead, and under-16s must be with an adult.
Inside the InterContinental SorrentoAurora Spa and Bathhouse
An underground bathhouse with mineral pools and a sauna, and treatment rooms.
If you can only do one, here is how we would choose. POND is the quick one: a two-hour loop in town, and a few minutes from our Mornington homes. Peninsula Hot Springs is the full day, with natural thermal water and room for the whole family. Aurora suits a Sorrento weekend, and Alba is the other set of springs at Fingal, where booking ahead is strongly recommended.
Peninsula Hot Springs says to allow roughly 90 minutes to get to Fingal from Melbourne.
A wellness weekend, in order
Friday: arrive and soak
Drive down in the afternoon, check in and fill the spa or fire up the sauna if your home has one. Keep dinner simple.
Saturday: POND, then brunch
Book a POND session for the morning and use your Stay & Bathe code. Afterwards walk down Main Street for brunch at The Winey Cow, where one meal is on the house when three or more of you have breakfast, or book dinner at Wildgrain. In the afternoon, walk the beach at Mills Beach or The Briars at Mount Martha.
Sunday: the hot springs
Drive down to Fingal for Peninsula Hot Springs, booked ahead, and finish with a long lunch in the hills on the way home. If you are travelling with a driver, Explore Australia's day tour does the same loop with transport.
If you only have one day
Do POND in the morning, because it takes two hours, then spend the afternoon on Main Street and at the beach. Save the hot springs for another trip, when you can give them most of a day.
Homes with a spa or sauna
If you would rather soak at home, many of our Peninsula homes have a hot tub, spa or sauna. Atelier in Sorrento, The Ocean's Edge and Blanc de Noir in Mount Martha all have a hot tub or spa. The Hull and The Pavilion in Mount Martha have a sauna as well, and Summit House at Arthurs Seat has both a hot tub and a sauna.
In the Yarra Valley, every home has a hot tub and several have a barrel sauna. If you want a treatment as well, Balgownie Estate at Yarra Glen has a spa with massage, facials and an infrared sauna, and One Spa at the RACV Healesville Country Club and Resort is a day spa in Healesville. Each home's page lists exactly what it has.
Bella's Cottage, Yarra GlenBarrel sauna and hot tub
A timber hot tub under the verandah and a barrel sauna in the courtyard.
Onyx Retreat, HealesvilleBarrel sauna and spa
A spa on the timber deck and a barrel sauna in front of the house, in the bush.
