Time Out - Auriga Spa Sydney

The Auriga Spa is Sydney’s lushest (and bougiest) new wellness addition that’s arrived at the five-star Capella Hotel, and it looks like everything our most luxurious White Lotus dreams are made of – just without the weird guests and/or murder sub-plot (hopefully). The only catch is that (much like in White Lotus) this spa is currently extremely exclusive and only available to in-house guests – though this may change in the future. 

Set deep within the heritage walls of the Capella Hotel in the centre of Sydney, the Auriga is awash with low-lit moody corners, white marble, an immense 20-metre heated pool, and massages that are tailor-made to reflect the changing cycles of the new and full moon. Quite transcendent, if you ask us. 

While the Auriga Spa is synonymous with the Capella brand all over the world, this new Sydney iteration is distinctly Australian, and it taps into Sydney history, being built off an intentional synergy with the heritage-listed former Department of Education building that Capella Sydney has taken over.

From bespoke aromatic skincare products made by Synthesis Organics in Byron Bay, to heated stones gathered from remote corners of Australia, to native botanical facials and wellness journeys that draw on connecting to country as a ground base, Auriga is centred on working with what we’ve naturally got. This is also obvious in the spa’s careful consideration of the historical legacy of the building that it’s housed in. We’re told that the teams from Make Architects and BAR Studio were deeply invested in site-sensitive architecture and design, working closely with heritage experts to ensure that as much as possible was preserved in the 1930's space. 

When it comes to spa experiences, you’ve got plenty to choose from. Using the moon as a focal point, you can get a variety of massages that promise (amongst many other things) a scent journey and a little tap into your chakras. If a full-body wellness experience is more your thing, you can get wrapped in a volcanic mud wrap and rubbed up with rainforest-infused essential oils. If facials are what you’re after, there are lots of options on the menu, with the star probably being the ‘Australian Elemental Facial Academy’, which gives you a hot stone massage, followed by a facial infused with desert stones, precious gems and botanicals from the land, ocean and rainforest. You can get across the full spa menu here. 

Although the spa is yet to open its doors to the public, all in-house guests at Capella currently have the option of getting a special package that gives you $200 worth of spa credit, overnight accommodation, a full breakfast at the resident Brasserie 1930, access to the veryyyy exclusive ‘Living Room’ and a whole lot of non-boozy drinks delivered to your room. Not too shabby. 

Even though most of us can’t get amongst this spa just yet, we can head down to their basement to feast, drink and make merry like Parisian poets at Brassiere 1930. 

Jennifer Coolidge (circa White Lotus) would probably approve.