It’s about time to relax

Relaxation and wellness on the Surf Coast will rise to another level with the opening of About Time Bathhouse later this month.

Featuring treatment rooms, plunge pools, saunas and more, the space will create a centre of bathing and wellness in Torquay.

The project is the brainchild of Kent Pomare, Stacey Burt, Joanna Beecher and Ed Curnow, joining forces to bring their passions to life.

Pomare and Burt are the owners of Little Company, a hub for skin treatment, and Beecher brings her massage experience from STILL Beauty.

The team wanted to bring something to the region that was not presently available but also wanted to complement their already established services.

“We really love being able to offer more to our clients on top of massages and facials because for some people, they want to spend more time with us,” Beecher said.

 

Identifying that Victorians have a strong appetite for European bathing concepts, they knew they wanted to optimise a service they already had by introducing a bathing element, which quickly evolved to become a strong part of the plan.

“It wasn’t so much supplementing the bathhouse, but it was bringing this experience together with service and the bathhouse element,” Pomare said.

“What we found often with bathhouses, it was about the bath and then they tried to tap in a lot of other services, which gave this idea more of a jack of all trades.

“We already had this hero and the bathhouse was to supplement something that was already very strong.”

The original idea can be traced to 2019 when the first conversations for the concept began, with things coming together in an organic way.

Throughout the entire process, the team have experienced a range of highs and lows, including setbacks because of the pandemic and their original builders going into administration.

 

Beecher said, in a way, COVID and lockdowns were good for the team, as it provided them with the breathing room to have deeper conversations about the business and really get to know each other.

“COVID just gave us more time to really sit down and think about what we want to do and how it’s going to work, we’re really happy where we’ve landed with everything,” she said.

Being on the Surf Coast, a key influence in the design of the space was complementing the environment and people’s connection to water, incorporating masonry and dark features, and talking to the coastline.

“We wanted to borrow elements of some of the other cultures around the world but didn’t want to take one and run with it,” Pomare said.

“It’s not Greek bathing, it’s not Japanese bathing, we wanted to be very Australian and try to celebrate this emerging Australian bathing concept.”

When walking into the space, visitors are met with soft lighting and darkened, curved rooms, providing an instant feeling of relaxation within the building.

“It was important that it was calming because I think that’s one of the major benefits that people will see when they come here,” Pomare said.

“Their nervous systems, as soon as they step through the door, is altered, and I think that it’s not just the space, the music and the lighting, the gardens, every sense will be served at that calm level.”

 

With so much on offer, About Time Bathhouse caters to a range of demographics, including those interested in pursuing wellness benefits as well as people looking for escapism, relaxation and time out.

The team has noticed Torquay has a strong lifestyle drive through a connection with the ocean and the outdoors, and believes About Time Bathhouse will tap into that.

“I think people want to spend less time at pubs and more doing healthy things as well, that’s what we’ve really noticed, to go and hang out with your friends doing something that’s beneficial to your health and wellbeing,” Beecher said.

Pomare said the business also offered a social element.

“It’s a place to spend time together, where it could be romantically or groups of friends, I think it serves a lot of people.

“Whether it’s having a coffee, having a beer, or having a surf, this is just another median to connect.”

 

The team are excited to welcome the community into the space, with plans to continue developing the business and its offerings.

Pomare described the present setup as a blackboard and a canvas, with lots of ideas drafted in the initial concept yet to be delivered.

“As the gardens grow, so will the concept, and there’ll be an introduction of theme nights and because we’ve really gone with the music, the lights, the space and then we’ve got a flexible space, we’ve got this canvas to continue to develop,” he said.

About Time Bathhouse will open to the public on December 26.

For more information, head to atthebathhouse.com.au