Wellness

Attention all gym junkies, Melbourne has some new gyms on the scene who are definitely showing their bulk compared to the chains. There are also plenty of small, boutique gyms that offer a more personalised approach than the giants. Maybe 2025 is the time for a change, whether that be joining a gym or swapping yours for a small business. Either way, we’ve got the scoop on Melbourne’s best boutique and independent gyms right here for you.

No, it's not just you—eBikes are everywhere right now.

Ahead of the highly anticipated drop of Sex Therapy: Sessions with Chantelle Otten, we spoke to Otten about her new series and the intimate dinner she's hosting to celebrate. 

If you’re craving a nature escape with a side of serious relaxation, Victoria’s hot springs are just what you need. These natural oases are designed for you to unplug, unwind, and soak away your worries in mineral-rich waters. From stunning coastal retreats to hidden mountain gems, we’ve rounded up the best hot springs in Melbourne and Victoria that are perfect for a rejuvenating day trip or a luxurious weekend getaway.

We live in spa country. There’s really no excuse to drown in stress with these tranquil, blissful oases all around us. We’ve got some of the best spas in Melbourne and beyond with Daylesford and Sorrento bringing the goods. Breathe out, relax your shoulders and get booking. Here is Urban List's guide to the best spas in Melbourne and Victoria for 2024.

This year, instead of pushing new trends and treatments on you, we’re here to help you responsibly enhance your routines.

Forget the electrolyte, Coke-Zero and Panadol line up, a new hangover remedy has officially entered the group chat.

Whether it's hitting the waves for a sunrise surf or rugging up for a pre-work 5km, going ‘all in’ in the mornings is how our in-house early birds get those endorphins flowing right from the get-go. 

To help you get out there in the colder months, we teamed up with Kathmandu to uncover a fresh slew of outdoor activities that'll fend off the frost. 

​​Vacays don’t have to be all about pounding the pavement to check off a list of tourist hotspots. Sometimes (read: often), it’s the perfect opportunity to slow down and recharge your batteries. Fortunately, Hong Kong is the dream destination for doing just that, with a slew of truly soul-nourishing experiences on offer. 

Sip on prosecco and unwind as this bougie spa institution hailing from the Gold Coast opens its first Melbourne franchise.

Dig out the CamelBak you bought in 2001, invest in some super tough band aids, and drop your adventure pin on any of Australia's best hikes and walks. 

Here are some Melbourne meal delivery services rising to the surface to save our stomachs and recipe ingenuity. 

Eliminate barriers of resistance—and find a gym that hits all the right notes. 

We have good news, you no longer have to be held hostage by your period.

No one ever said self-love had to be practiced solo, as far as we’re concerned, treating yourself to a massage and letting someone else do all the hard work is the epitome of self-love. So, what is the best massage in Melbourne? From deep tissue massages to relaxation wonderland, we’ve rounded up the best spots to get some quality R&R for all kinds of budgets. 

If the new year has left you re-setting your goals and searching for more motivation, it might be time to switch it up in favour of a fitness routine you’ll actually keep.

Here’s what the motivational Instructor taught us to help you smash your fitness goals in 2024. 

Pronto Pilates has expanded from its slick Melbourne studios to treat us pilates devotees across Perth and Brisbane. 

With help from Philips, we’ve curated a list of tips to level-up your already loyal routine.   

With help from Chemist Warehouse we’ve curated a list of tips and tricks so you can ditch the cap and confidently sashay your locks year round. 

The way we live can be taking a dramatic toll on our overall wellbeing.

Reaching bold new heights, the timeless pastime of running became all the rage when Victoria was into lockdown after lockdown. Securely confined to the 5km radius, it was almost the perfect formula for novice joggers, limiting the obligatory sense that you don’t need to punch out double digits km’s straight out of the gates. 

From 4WDing amongst exotic animals to tackling river rapids, there’s no shortage of active experiences in Melbourne to fill your calendar with. 

As the weather warms up across the country, even us extreme homebodies are itching for adventure. We want sun, fresh air, and breathtaking natural beauty that makes us forget our worries. Ready to hit the trails and become reacquainted with mother nature? 

We asked dietitian, Mary du Heaume to spill the digestively-soothing tea on the best things you can do today to potentially improve your gut health. This is what she said.

Staying socially connected IRL is a fantastic way to boost your mental health and balance the winter blues. It doesn’t mean stacking your social calendar solid until September, but rather making socialising a priority alongside other self-care rituals like exercise.

We’re leaving anxiety behind in 2023 and focusing on embracing this new year stress free, so we’ve put together a how-to on breathwork to set you up for success.

We reached out to  HBF Dietitian, Mary du Heaume, to fill us in on exactly what a dietitian does, who they do it for, and how it might benefit you.

As part of The Well, we’ve teamed up with health experts HBF, to create the ultimate health checklist—millennials, take note. 

We’ve teamed up with private health insurer, HBF to suss out how you can make the most of your health insurance. Take note.

As part of The Well, in partnership with HBF, we’ve wrapped up some top tips on how to keep your body moving throughout the day to support your overall wellbeing and keep it feeling its best all week long. 

How to tell if your skincare routine might need shaking up. 

Here’s our breakdown of the potential benefits of ice baths and how to get started to support your recovery game and overall wellbeing. 

A life coach provides support, guidance, and accountability, helping you make meaningful changes in your life that lead to your idea of success.

With things the way they are out in the world, it's OK not to be OK right now.

Ready to commit to your wellbeing? Welcome to The Well, your go-to destination for all the inspiration you need to live the best version of yourself through evidence-based health tips from health professionals. In partnership with private health insurer, HBF, we’re helping you tap into a few things you could be doing right now to get the most out of 2023 and beyond.

Thanks to the rise in popularity of natural bathing, Victoria is well and truly leaning into its unofficial title, spa country. And soon, the great southern state will be home to Australia’s largest hot springs experience, The 12 Apostles Hot Springs & Resort. 

Set yourself a pledge to give back. Volunteering your time and effort is a rewarding, warm-fuzzy experience. The positives are endless: you’ll experience a sense of purpose, learn new skills, and connect with cool new peeps.

We thought we’d get some expert tips on how to add meditation to your daily routine, and what you should be doing when you finally sit down to clear your mind.

Keen to eat delicious food but spend less? We’ve teamed up with AGL to share some top hacks you need to know about to make positive changes and save some coin at the breakfast, lunch and dinner table.

To get your motivation moving, and to celebrate the launch of the FuelCell Propel v4 running shoe, we’ve teamed up with New Balance to take a dive into what gets Urban List’s biggest running fans laced up on the regular. 

Finding yourself caught in the hustle and bustle? Turn things down a notch to prioritise your health and wellbeing. You don’t need to turn your entire life on its head—a few simple changes can make a world of difference. 

We sat down with Little Rebel Barbershop owner, Rhia Rebel, to find out how they run their cutting-edge business. 

Not one to be pigeonholed into the connotations of your run-of-the-mill sex shop, High Tide is tackling sexual wellness from a more inclusive and open approach. 

Looking for 2023 to be a bit less boozy, we’ve got you! And no, you don’t have to go cold turkey (if you don’t want to). 

James is a proud triathlete, model, actor, disability advocate, Wiradjuri man and lululemon’s newest Ambassador. He shares lived experiences to champion inclusion and representation in media and fashion. Here, in partnership with lululemon, he unpacks how to dismantle stereotypes this year and beyond. 

The gay Olympics, AKA WorldPride, has arrived in Sydney, and this is my guide on how to make sex toys queer-friendly, and fun in a non-gendered way.  

Found: A better way to meet your health and money goals. 

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day with partners, Galentines with your friends, or solo self-love, V-Day is a chance to add to the pleasure toolkit.

Annnd that’s a wrap. The festive season is behind us. While there are no more presents sitting enticingly below the tree, there’s no need to put a stop to the treats. Make time for yourself and seek moments of indulgence and bliss—no matter how big or small. 

February is just around the corner which means Valentine’s Day is too. And whether you celebrate it with your mates or a date, the day calls for special nights out with people you love. 

Whether you're training for an important sporting event, a new parent juggling endless responsibilities, or a time-poor professional, this will help you start 2023 off strong. 

For artists like Isaac who are drawn to creating, music is undeniably in their blood, so we've teamed up with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood to dive a little deeper and uncover the passion for collaboration, live performance and a drive to contribute to the world around him that pump an unmistakable rhythm through his veins. 

We’ve linked up with Australian Red Cross Lifeblood to take you on a deep dive into Australian artists with music in their blood, and there’s no better place to start than with LK (her dad is Paul Kelly, and if that doesn’t suggest she was born with music flowing through her veins, we don’t know what does.)

As part of The Run Up, we chatted to Michael about his journey—what keeps him coming back to running time and again despite the challenges, what it’s like to represent your country on the global stage, and what it is that makes him run happy. 

As part of The Run Up, a project to unearth the stories of some of Australia's most passionate runners to get you motivated to lace up, we chatted to Green about why he values running so highly and the role it has played in his past as well as shaping his future. 

As part of The Run Up, a project to unearth the stories of some of Australia's most passionate runners to get you motivated to lace up, we chatted to Bell about what sparked a passion for this extreme sport, what motivated her to tackle a world-first challenge, and how the physical act of running ties in crucial to her mental and overall wellbeing.   

From community and structure, to how life has changed in the whirlwind eighteen months since that first run, we chat with Wintle about his run up into a new passion. 

We’ve teamed up with Icebergs Dining Room and Bar head chef, Alex Prichard to bring you three winning recipes that harness the flavour of one of summer’s MVP’s, the Kumato® tomato. 

Inspired by the power of the Post-it note to spark a spicey vibe in the new Paramount+ series, The Flatshare, we’ve scoped out our fave ways to show your partner some love for free and let the romance and good vibes flow.

Taking inspo from Paramount+’s new rom-com series, The Flatshare, we’ve pulled together six ways you can slowdown and reconnect with your roomies amongst everyone’s busy schedules. 

This sealed section is for those with vulvas who struggle to orgasm. If this is you, there are three things I want you to know (the fundamentals of which can be explored if you’re not a vulva owner, too).

Opening today Tuesday 20 December, Aurora Spa & Bathhouse is the all-new 500sqm spa and bathhouse located inside the illustrious Continental Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula. 

I decided to spend a week investing in my own health, wealth and happiness to set me up for long-term success. 

The first-of-its-kind private wellness and social club, Saint Haven, will be landing in Collingwood in March 2023. Saint Haven will be a members-only hub that integrates all the holistic health facilities you could need into one mega-luxe location.

Bringing a bit of self-care to the Gippsland region, Metung Springs is the latest geothermal hot spring destination to grace the state. Led by Rachel and Adrian Bromage alongside Charles Davidson (CEO of Peninsula Hot Springs) the all-new venture is an expansive wellness locale. 

Producer Caitlin Booth takes spent a week embracing more sustainable practices, drawing inspiration from 7-Eleven’s recent sustainable glow-up.

Welcome to The Sealed Section, with certified sex therapist and clinical counsellor, Aleksandra Trkulja. This is your modern guide to better sex and better intimate relationships and today we're talking, sex toys and self-pleasure. 

Ushering in a new empire of wellness, the well-established Australian float and infrared sauna experts, City Cave is finally arriving in Melbourne. With a blitzkrieg-type approach, the City Cave team is boldly opening up four venues simultaneously; a store for each corner of the city with one in Ivanhoe, West Melbourne, Carnegie and Braybrook. 

We delved into the world of mindfulness and meditation apps and here's what we found. 

From walking to cooking to a simple thank you, this module of Reason Reason is all about gratitude. 

Sometimes the best thing to do is stay home. 

Cashing in your AL and going on vacay might seem tempting, but these tips will help your craft a healthy foundation for dealing with burnout in the long run. 

A sweaty shred, strength training or hitting the pavement, it's up to you. 

From a Gelato tour to taking it slow with your fave hobbies, there are plenty of options to leave the hangover at the pub. 

We share tips on how to implement achievable goals, ahead of Reason Season with Rob and Lachlan from Funny Business. 

As part of the Evenings module for Reason Season, these our fave reads to unwind before bed to reap all of those relaxing rewards.

Supplies for every night of the week, sorted.

Join us for Reason Season to craft healthy daily habits and routines.

Say goodbye to home delivery.

Join us for a four-week course to help you establish healthy habits and improve your overall wellness. 

Co-founder of Ladies Talk Money, Jess Brady, answers your burning health insurance questions, so you can feel a little more equipped—and relaxed—come tax time. 

Nestled in the beating heart of Surfers Paradise, we’ve found the perfect place for the ultimate fun day out. Think: epic games, live sport and a total foodie nirvana. So where can you find this awesome spot? Perched on the corner of Surfers Paradise Boulevard and Cavill Mall, boasting a 100-metre frontage opposite the world-famous Surfers Paradise Beach, is Paradise Centre. Home to over 90 stores, an alfresco dining precinct and a buzzing entertainment hub, gather your crew and make tracks here stat.

When we think of a model, we conjure a standard vision in our minds. You know the one. For decades, model status has remained tall, thin, white, able-bodied and cis-gendered. Not always, but most of the time. 

Brush up on your pairing skills and add some retro snacks to your repertoire at a series of home entertaining workshops in celebration of CHANDON’s Winemaker Explorations Range.

You’ve got Azalea Banks’ 212 blasting through your headphones, you’ve just clocked your fastest km to date, and you’re rounding out your morning run with an epic view of the sunrise. Feels good, doesn’t it? 

Stock up on all your hiking essentials and nab yourself the latest Merrell hiking shoes in the exclusive Australia-only pre-release of the Moab 3 range. 

It’s considered to be a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant, supporting specific ailments and illnesses like depression and arthritis, and general health and wellbeing.

We've teamed up with one of the best in the biz—Sheridan—to bring you five practical ways to slip straight into dreamland. Cosy sheets are mandatory, of course

After the pure chaos of the last two years, we're all about embracing self-love and wellness in 2022, so we'll be using February 14 as an excuse to treat number one. 

Want to see your mates? Take a RAT test. Keen to head interstate? Better take a RAT test. Finally going on that post-isolation date? Take that bloody RAT test. Yep, those little plastic cassettes are basically the gateway to a good time—and legally being able to exit isolation—so it’s a real kick in the teeth that they’re basically sold out everywhere. All the time.

Rather than wait for the New Year's resolution we know won't stick, we're all about habits to get more good on your plate.

A new bath-house with a mission to redefine the wellness experience is opening in Melbourne’s inner-north next week. 

If the first thing you think of when you hear the word ‘premium’ is Spotify, this one's for you. 

Between snap lockdowns, working from home and weekends spent in iso bingeing Real Housewives, you can absolutely be forgiven for pushing pause on your health journey or throwing in the towel altogether (especially for those in NSW and VIC right now). 

The winners of The Circle Awards AUS & NZ 2021 have officially been announced, and our carts (and hearts) are full of sustainable swaps we never knew we needed.

So, to help you wade through the clutter, we’ve teamed up with Vital to bring you the latest and greatest products that will help you thrive. 

Welcome to Culture Curve—your go-to guide to what’s on the rise and slide in culture right now. 

Here’s a heap of beauty and wellness gift ideas for someone in your life who could use some ‘me time.'

Following recent events, if you have found yourself re-prioritising your self-care and wellness, we feel you. To ensure the opportunity to pause, reflect and re-assess isn’t put to waste, we’ve teamed up with Vital to try five emerging wellness trends, so you can leverage our newfound motivation. 

Implementing positive action to help make the world a better place takes courage, strength and tenacity. But to encourage and help others to do the same, well... that’s worth celebrating. 

Welcome to Culture Curve—your go-to guide to what’s on the rise and slide in culture in April 2021. 

Valentine’s Day is about to get very hot—and very steamy—with the Peninsula Hot Springs Bathe In Cinema kicking off this Friday night.

Astrid Dispensary is leading the way in plant-based medicine and medicinal cannabis. Located on South Yarra’s Chapel Street, the boutique speciality pharmacy is the first of its kind in Australia—and is entirely run by women. 

​If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past 12 months, it’s that prioritising your mental health and wellbeing is paramount. While many people claim meditation as the holy grail of mindfulness, it begs the question—what if you struggle to meditate or don’t enjoy it?

​If you’ve never been into colouring books, puzzles seem far too mundane, you could ever stay consistent with journaling, we think we may have just found your favourite new mindfulness hobby.

2020 was, without a doubt, a turbulent year. Both bizarre and devastating, it was one of the most memorable in recent history, with every corner of culture—from music to work-life, fashion, sex, travel, and politics—getting shaken to the core. The New York Times called it “The Year of Blur”, paradoxically packed with significant events, but also a year in which time seemed strung out in the void, slowed down, and stretched out indefinitely. 

2020 has been a wild ride for everyone, but if the year has taught us anything, it’s that nothing lifts your spirits quite like giving back to those who need it most. And what better way to give back than by showing your ‘True Colours’ and donating blood.

Fair to say we could all use a little pampering right now. And if you’re going to pamper yourself, you may as well support Victorian businesses at the same time, right? For that, you’re going to need Click for Vic. It’s an online store, stocked with nothing but true blue, 100% locally-owned Victorian goodness, brought to you by the guys at Visit Victoria.

The Mornington Peninsula has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

If you’ve got your own routine or you’re looking to switch things up with something new, you’ve come to the right place—our list of 12 of Melbourne’s best workouts has something for your mind, body and soul.

If you’ve been looking for a time to treat yourself following your valiant efforts doing next to nothing during lockdown, it’s this weekend. As of today, Peninsula Hot Springs is reopen to the public.

Think you can’t train yourself to switch off and chill out? Guess again. Sleep Specialist Olivia Arezzolo hit us up with four easy ways to ditch the insomnia and train our bodies to consistently get a good night's sleep.

With restrictions easing there’s finally a light at the end of the iso tunnel, so if you’re like us and you’ve been planning your iso glow-up, now’s the time to kick-start that health and wellness journey. 

For many women, workout anxiety is a very real thing. Whether you have your period or you’re one of 37 per cent of Australian women who deal with bladder leakage, working up a sweat can be a stressful time when it should be the very opposite. 

If you’ve ever been stuck in bed with period paid and FOMO—like me and the other 88% of Australian women who have to deal with it every month—listen up because we’ve found a simple, safe, and scientifically-backed solution called Ovira, and it’s an absolute game-changer. 

This month, we look at the power of positive headlines in a crisis, the industry emerging to serve our newly-formed at-home dining habits, 5G's unlikely place in pop culture, the dismantling of high maintenance beauty and international shopping, and our new-found enthusiasm for a ballet class. 

Stress and anxiety can really start to take a toll on our bodies during a time when our physical and mental health has never been more important.

You can’t go to your favourite group sweat session right now and the outdoor gyms have been shut down from Princess Park right across to Elwood, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get that heart rate up a notch or two from home with some of your favourite trainers and studios offering up their services online.