Positioned at one of Victoria’s most southern points and 1.5 hours drive from Melbourne is Alba Thermal Springs & Spa – a serene escape from the bustling CBD and home to a menu of enlivening treatments by Vanessa Megan. Hannah Gay visited the otherworldly destination to learn what makes it so special. Photography sourced from Alba Thermal Springs & Spa, Paul-Mcquillan Landscapes and Vanessa Megan.
Alba Thermal Springs & Spa
Alba Thermal Springs & Spa stands as Victoria’s newest quintessential hot spot, both literally and figuratively. The retreat is located in Fingal on the Mornington Peninsula, and has been open for around 18 months. Despite its newness and its beauty, visiting Alba felt strangely solitary; as though I was one of only a select few in the country to have heard of its magic. So is its appeal, however – the 15-hectare property means rarely will you find yourself sharing any of Alba’s 31 pools.
The expansive oasis was designed to invite its guests to completely detach from the world, and to engage only with their mind and body. Alba was named winner of the Best Rural Spa award at the 2023 Australian Spa & Wellness Awards, and it’s no wonder. You’re instantly struck by its expanse, like a museum in its greatness. It is impeccably designed, where a colossal spiral staircase features at its entrance, accompanied by the first of many soothing bodies of water. Alba’s maze of concrete walls lead you outdoors to its series of geothermal pools, cold plunge pools and forest pools. Guests stroll the grounds in white robes, free of devices and other distracting props. I felt as though I had entered a different universe, where all thoughts, worries and sense of time had dissipated. There’s simply nothing to occupy your mind other than the soothing heat of the water and the clean gray stone that surrounds you.
In addition to a premium restaurant, Tyme, further afield is where you’ll find Alba’s spa. Alongside a stream room, Vichy shower and massage rooms, guests are spoilt for a choice in over 30 spa services ranging from facials to body and water- based treatments. A manicure and pedicure suite are also onsite.
Alba x Vanessa Megan
To accompany Alba in its grandeur is a suite of products by Vanessa Megan – the Australian nutraceutical skincare brand whose foundations were built off the very wellness ethos Alba embodies. The brand was hand-picked to serve as a skincare partner for some of Alba’s most premium facial offerings. “Our motto is ‘You should never put anything on your skin that you wouldn’t eat’,” Vanessa Megan founder Vanessa Megan Gray Lyndon told me. “This has been our driving force behind every product we make. Our ethos is to deliver this quality of product achieving results that challenge clinical outcomes.” Seeing great skin as an extension of a healthy body and mind is similarly part and parcel for the brains behind Alba.
For Vanessa, sourcing the right stockists means aligning with partners who are looking to “push the boundaries in beauty.” In 2018, she partnered with the Sydney Dermal Institute where she worked on developing high-performance, natural formulations encompassing native Australian botanicals, natural peptides and colloidal silver, copper and gold. “We want to deliver clinical results through modalities and techniques that surpass all other opportunities on the market. We provide treatments that offer immediate results that leave your skin looking its absolute best, naturally.”
“We want to deliver clinical results through modalities and techniques that surpass all other opportunities on the market. We provide treatments that offer immediate results that leave your skin looking its absolute best, naturally.” – Vanessa Megan Gray Lyndon
Fire & Frost
During my visit to Alba, I opted to undergo Vanessa Megan’s signature Fire & Frost treatment: ‘a revolutionary natural alternative to synthetic skin resurfacing therapies’, I’m told. “The aim of this facial is to offer a skin resurfacing treatment with zero downtime,” Vanessa explained. Three core steps are involved: 1) the application of a prebiotic and vitamin C exfoliator, 2) the application of a pure vitamin C, and 3) the use of Cryo Ice Cubes to instantly cool the skin. “The extreme heat, then extreme cold from our Cryo Ice Cube pods creates a trauma on the skin that increases blood flow and in turn stimulates collagen production. The results: plump, dewy, even skin.”
My skin therapist forewarned me to expect a stinging heat from the vitamin C, yet my pain levels reached little more than a 4-out-of-10 (a career in trialing facials will do that). Regardless of this, my treatment was nothing short of heavenly. In addition to the powerful facial, I was treated to an extensive body massage, soothing enough to put me to sleep.
As lovely as my skin looked immediately post-treatment, it was in the 24-hours following that its effectiveness really shone through. The next evening, I noticed myself double-checking my reflection, confused as to whether I’d applied foundation. On few occasions in my life had I seen my skin tone so even and vibrant sans makeup. Typical redness had dissipated and in its place sat pores that were seemingly, somehow, invisible. Post-cleanse, my skin was smooth to the touch; like any signs of life-long wear and tear had gone; a surreal result. Vanessa recommended clients undergo a Fire & Frost treatment weekly for up to six weeks, followed by monthly maintenance facials.
Looking ahead at what’s to come for the brand and their offerings at Alba, Vanessa flagged the recent launch of their 100% natural menopause range, Metamorphosis. “This range of products has been created for hormonally-challenged skin, helping to stimulate collagen, reduce crepey skin and supporting the decline of oestrogen which causes an array of skin problems.” Treatment-wise, Alba has also taken on Vanessa Megan’s Sculpt and Lift facial, which incorporates intraoral Buccal message “to give one of the most transformative treatments on the market.”
The all-encompassing experience that is a visit to Alba Springs and treatment with Vanessa Megan would be hard to match. Resting the body can only place the skin in good stead for recovery, reiterating the benefits of pairing the two under one, divinely beautiful holistic roof.
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2024 print issue of Professional Beauty.
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