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The best ideas come at the most random of times. In Alexis Dyson’s case her idea for an independent boutique bathhouse on the Gold Coast came while she was relaxing by the pool enjoying a rare moment of solitude.
“My partner Niki and I were on a weekend away trying to get some downtime after a busy couple of months,” the former lawyer and health and wellness business leader said. “We spent an hour by the pool and felt so refreshed afterward, and we decided we really needed to find a way to get this into our lives more regularly.”
It was more than a spur of the moment plan prompted by some much-needed tranquility, according to Alexis the idea grew from there and the pair went about ‘creating a wellness experience that could make a real difference to people’s health and wellbeing’.
“Soak is for everyday, not just a weekend away,” Alexis said. “We wanted to make it accessible for everyone, we didn’t want it to be part of a hotel where you needed to buy accommodation to access it.”
A relatively new concept for the Glitter Strip, Soak at Mermaid Beach offers locals and tourists a place to wind down and wash away their everyday stresses.
“It’s been a tough couple of years for the entire country and people are looking to wellness and social connection in a new way,” added Alexis, who she relocated to the Coast a little over two years ago.
Positioned within the city’s Lone Star tavern building, Soak offers paying guests indoor and outdoor Himalayan salt and magnesium pools for complete recovery, a cold plunge pool, sauna, steam and an infra-red sauna for the wellness warrior-set, as well as massage dens, a co-working space and a yoga studio.
“The Lone Star site itself had fantastic bones with big open spaces and access to an underutilised outdoor area that we transformed into a beautiful bathhouse space.”
With plans afoot to open a second venue up the road in Brisbane’s West End in the not too distant future, Alexis and Niki are excited about the expansion of their brand, taking the business to new heights – a rooftop location.
“We’ve taken the most popular parts of the Mermaid Beach establishment and expanded on them, more pools, more massages, a group spa and a private one.”
Set to open its doors early next year, it’ll be a welcome addition to the Brisbane health and wellness scene, if the word of those who frequent the Gold Coast venue regularly is anything to go by.
“I come here for my regular dose of me-time,” one patron told me. “I have a young baby, so when I have some time to myself, I come and soak, read a book and leave feeling way more relaxed.”
Come with a group of friends or on your own; pay for a membership or approach it more casually, it’s entirely up to you.
A word of warning though, do take care on the wet floor and for me, alcohol and wellness doesn’t really mix, but if you do choose the Soak and Sip option do so in moderation.
In addition to this, if you are truly after a tranquil experience, my suggestion would be to go early evening and perhaps avoid weekends altogether.
For as long as I can remember I have loved to write. Combine that creativity with an inquisitive mind and a desire for adventure and what you get is a career wordsmith whose prose is her craft.
