The rise of wellness spaces at home
Teleisha Thomas
June 2026Move over home gym. The wellness sanctuary has arrived, and it’s reshaping what buyers expect from a premium home.
Across Melbourne, a new wave of studios has changed the way we think about health. From Inner Studio's meditative hot and cold therapy in Collingwood to The Commons Health Club's breathwork-led bathhouse sessions opening in Richmond and South Yarra, intentional wellness has become part of how the city lives. Now, that experience is coming home.
Rooftop sauna at 166 Evans Street, Port Melbourne designed by Odyssey Architecture. A project that places wellness at the highest point of the home, both literally and architecturally.
At Jellis Craig, we're seeing a rise in considered wellness design in homes, from saunas and cold plunges, to reformer rooms and meditation spaces, and what was once a luxury outlier is quickly becoming a staple. Buyers in the premium market are reflecting this appetite, with realestate.com.au recording a 43% year-onyear growth in searches for 'sauna'. With interest in intentional recovery growing, architects are fielding a new kind of brief. One that asks not just how a space functions, but how it makes you feel.
Principal at Odyssey Architecture, Michael Nguyen, has watched this shift happen in real time. "Five or ten years ago, a wellness brief basically meant a home gym — a dedicated area with a rubber mat, a treadmill, a bike, and some weights,” he says. “In the last two to three years there's been a significant shift toward more considered spaces that also include saunas, ice baths, dedicated yoga or Pilates rooms, and meditation areas."
As for who is asking for these spaces, Michael has noticed a significant broadening. "It used to be a conversation with top-tier $5 million-plus clients on large blocks of land. Now it's filtering into the $2–3 million builds and even the $1–2 million range. The demographic has shifted too. It used to be more established couples in their 50s but it's now a common request from clients in their 30s and 40s."
On materials, the practice is equally clear-eyed.
Whatever direction we take, it's usually a pared-back, calming aesthetic — nothing overstimulating or over-detailed. Microcement on floors and walls has been a popular choice recently. It's smooth, warm, tactile. It recedes so the space itself can breathe.
Wellness design has moved well beyond a trend, to the point that it's reshaping how people think about space, value, and the way they want to live. Where past generations invested in wine cellars and cigar rooms, today's clients want infrared saunas, cold plunges, and rituals that support a longer, fuller, healthier life.
For Domenic Cerantonio, Co-Founder and Managing Principal of Cera Stribley Architects, the shift runs deeper than aesthetics. "Wellness design has moved well beyond a trend, to the point that it's reshaping how people think about space, value, and the way they want to live. Where past generations invested in wine cellars and cigar rooms, today's clients want infrared saunas, cold plunges, and rituals that support a longer, fuller, healthier life,” he says.
"Private wellness is becoming the new marker of luxury, and we're seeing that translate across everything from office buildings and high-end residential towers to bespoke private homes. Projects like Camberwell House are a perfect example of how we're responding to this shift."
Designed by Cera Stribley Architects with interiors by Golden, Camberwell House, wellness amenity offerings are comprehensive: a sauna, massage room, pool and spa, and fully equipped gym with private change rooms with lockers so residents can keep their kit on-site.
At its core, the rise of wellness spaces at home signals a value shift as much as a design one. The home has always been a reflection of what we prioritise, and now in Melbourne’s premium homes that's health, recovery, and the quality of everyday life.
