In today’s hectic world, a holiday is as much about rest and rejuvenation as the exploration and adventure. In recognition of this, a growing number of day spas and spa retreats across Australia invite visitors to clear the mind, cleanse the body and soothe the soul.

Hot stone or deep tissue, Swedish or Hawaiian, remedial or relaxing; highly trained professionals will massage away your aches and cares. Vichy shower, mud bath, salt glow or body wrap, Australia’s spa menus offer a buffet of blissful treatments. Wax, tint and polish; from tanning to teeth-whitening the nation’s day spas provide the latest in beauty technology. From aromatherapy to physiotherapy, reflexology to kinesiology, tranquil spa retreats offer a range of life balancing holistic therapies.

Enjoy a distinctly Australian collection of sensual indulgences: the aromas of lemon myrtle and bush lime, the smoothness of hot rocks sourced from the Kimberley and chilled pebbles collected from Tasmania’s Pencil Pine River combined with the spiritual healings of treatments based on ancient aboriginal wisdoms.

Your journey to complete relaxation can take you from the cities’ slickest day spas to peaceful havens of wellbeing in a range of stunning locations across the country. From wilderness retreats to exclusive island resorts, luxury and nature combine to create a unique collection of Australian spa experiences.

Slip into one of Sydney’s day spas to wash away your jetlag and feel the worries of today’s busy lifestyle slide from your shoulders. Weary shopaholics emerge revived and refreshed, pampered from the soles of their feet to the crown of their heads in Melbourne’s city retreats.

Soak up the therapeutic properties of Daylesford’s natural springs: drink their curative sparkling waters and drown your cares with a mineral rich hot tub.

Surrender to the intoxicating combination of pampering spa treatments, fine wines and sensational golf which meet in the epicurean centres of the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Hunter Valley and Margaret River. Slip in to a relaxing mud bath in a geisha tub made for two, let thermal waters wash over your golf-weary muscles or choose from a menu of gourmet anti-oxidising grape therapies; from a merlot massage to a shiraz salt scrub. Detox, de-stress or simply indulge at one of the regions’ wellbeing retreats.

Delight in the decadence of a silky warm chocolate body painting or stimulate your senses with a café latte body polish at your mountain top wilderness retreat. Enjoy the typically Australian bush setting and stunning views over the Hunter as you watch kangaroos hop past your outdoor hot tub.

Rest weary walkers legs at a refreshing alpine spa in the Tasmanian wilderness or in the warm embrace of Zebedee Springs’ thermal pools in the outback.

Rejuvenate your body and invigorate your mind with a holistic approach to wellbeing: from spiritual healings to tarot readings nestled among the palms and paperbarks in Byron Bay; from yoga sessions to meditation lessons on the beach on Kangaroo Island.

Be soothed by the sound of waves lapping on the beach, let the tropical breezes calm your mind and the azure waters awaken your senses at spa retreats right along the east coast.

Uplift your spirits in a sanctuary dedicated to total physical fitness or unwind in a designer world of indulgence on the Gold Coast.

Escape the every day with a beachfront massage in the Whitsunday’s, lose yourself in the endless views over the Coral Sea whilst enjoying private treatments in your hillside pavilion and feel the tension simply ebb away with Lizard Island’s refreshing marine inspired therapies.

Drawing on the ancient healings of the Daintree and the Dreamtime, you will be transported to another time and place, serenaded by nature’s birdsong and the whispers of the rainforest at the base of a pristine waterfall.

Whether you opt to enhance your stay with an hour’s pampering massage or a week long health retreat, Australia’s spas will send you home refreshed and relaxed.

Note: Visitors are advised to book spa treatments in advance of their stay to avoid disappointment.