Gaia Retreat & Spa Takes Wellness to the Next Level

There is a sense of calm you’ll tune into at Gaia even before you sign up for one of its yoga classes. The 10-hectare property – with winding walkways, trickling fountains, well-tended gardens and manicured lawns – is located on the highest point in the Ballina shire, with sweeping views of the Byron Bay hinterland. Co-founded by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John in 2005, it is regarded as one of Australia’s best wellness retreats. But you can tailor your itinerary to make your stay here as indulgent or challenging as you like. Sign up for high-intensity personal-training sessions if you want to get back in shape in a jiffy or spend the whole week exploring the spa’s encyclopedic menu of massages. 

The location

The retreat is about 25 minutes’ drive north of Ballina Airport and about an hour south of the Gold Coast airport, but you’ll never have to worry about the logistics as complimentary return airport transfers – at set times – are part of the package. Having access to a hire car is a good idea if you want to explore the Byron Bay region and the iconic coastal town just 30 minutes’ away. 

The rooms

Accommodations at Gaia range from the entry-level Layana Rooms (with private decks) to the Komala Luxe Villa with a private heated swimming pool, large outdoor deck, spacious living area with fireplace and two large bedrooms with their own ensuites. Our pick, however, is one of the Komala Villas, with a well-appointed bedroom that opens onto a big living room, which further opens onto your private deck with an infinity-edge saltwater plunge pool. You could literally spend the whole day here – villa guests can have their meals delivered to their rooms – but it would be remiss to not visit the beautifully designed dining room at Kukura House. 

Food and drink

All meals are part of the package, including non-alcoholic beverages, and served in the atmospheric Kukura House, where – in addition to the dining room – you’ll also find the retreat’s reception area and a boutique gift shop. Nab a table inside (under soaring pitched ceilings and swathes of curtains) or settle down on the deck outside, with local birds providing the soundtrack. Balance is the key word when it comes to food. Chef Dan Trewartha sources organic produce from Gaia’s own gardens and local farms, orchards and plantations but doesn’t skimp on flavours, whipping up meals that are downright delicious. Enjoy a frittata of pea, kale and asparagus with goat’s cheese for breakfast; pumpkin and chickpea tagine with couscous and harissa for lunch; and cured kingfish with apple, cucumber and verjuice for dinner. There’s a wine list, too – with a firm focus on organic drops – if you wish to indulge post-workout. 

For wellness travellers

Gaia is primarily set up for people looking for inner zen, with itineraries ranging from two-night Revive Package to seven-night Restore Package. All packages include wellness consultations, spa vouchers, full use of facilities (such as pool, gym and tennis court) and access to group classes – from yoga and meditation to pilates and high-intensity workouts. There are a few specialised packages, too – from Timeless Beauty Retreat to Pregnancy Package Retreat (both three nights long) and a new four-night Rebalance offering that focuses on the shifts in women's lives.

For business travellers

For a wellness retreat, Gaia is surprisingly corporate-friendly, with the resort well set up to host off-sites of up to 44 guests, while the dining room is capable of hosting seated events of up to 100 people.

The fab factor

The serene property is dotted with striking sculptures. Pick up a map from the reception and make sure you check out all of them, including our favourite – a statue of Buddha set within a spiral maze of pathways. 

Our experience

A new program at Gaia Retreat & Spa focuses on the momentous – but often downplayed – transitions in women’s lives, writes Di Webster.

In hindsight, it must have been easy to spot the new arrival – the hurried steps, furrowed brow and feigned confidence that I knew where my villa was. “There’s a shortcut here,” calls a woman strolling down a path through subtropical plants. We’ve been at the same meditation class high on a hill, but only one of us has taken the long way home. “This is my fifth visit,” says Natasha, a nurse from Brisbane, to explain both the shortcut and her shiny, happy face. “Five?” I exclaim. “It is,” she adds, “my favourite place on earth.”

I’ve checked in to explore the retreat’s new four-night Rebalance program, which was designed to address an often overlooked health issue: the hormonal changes that come with life transitions such as perimenopause and menopause. During these natural but often deeply challenging life stages, general manager Emily Griffin tells me, women often “go to their GP, get put on medication and that’s it – see you later! They’re supposed to continue working, be good partners, be good mothers and they’ve got all of these symptoms. And it’s not spoken about.”

After a survey of 60,000 subscribers to Gaia came back with an emphatic “we want support… we feel invisible”, the team got to work creating a schedule that would send participants home feeling nurtured, rested, educated and, importantly, seen.

Nestled into the highest point of the Ballina Shire, the 22-room property co-founded 20 years ago by the late singer/actress Olivia Newton-John (and now owned by Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s private investment company, Tattarang) blends into the lush Bundjalung Country hinterland of Byron Bay, NSW. Quiet pathways meander down to a magnesium pool, sauna and the resort’s spa complex, back up to an expansive yoga studio and fitness centre and across to Kukura House, where guests dine or relax between treatments.

When I arrive, couples, singles and huddles of women are savouring a lunch of Mediterranean-style chicken, featuring organic produce grown onsite, or chatting over coffee (yes, it’s allowed!) and muffins.

Later, I meet therapist Caroline in the spa. We chat about my general health, what’s going on hormonally and what I want from my stay; from this, my individual program is created. While there’s no specific Rebalance menu – food at Gaia is generally low-carb, low-dairy, low-sugar and, hand on heart, delicious – Caroline suggests avoiding caffeine and alcohol. But, like everything here, it’s up to me. Schedule sorted, I lie back for some gentle acupuncture, cupping and a massage I’d describe if I hadn’t fallen asleep.

Each night during dinner, guests are slipped a card with their plans for the next day, be it a rejuvenating facial, a 90-minute lymphatic or Ayurvedic massage, mindfulness meditation or a private yoga session using poses you can do at home and that ease some symptoms of hormone imbalance (the teachers have been through menopause themselves).

Gaia isn’t a white-coat, medical-grade treatment centre. It’s more like a warm hug from Mother Nature, which, if my experience is any guide, will leave you happier, calmer and armed with coping mechanisms. Do everything in your package or none of it. Create your own meal plan if you like. “It’s the quiet luxury of choice,” explains Griffin, “not the loud luxury of things.”

SEE ALSO: 16 of the Best Wellness Escapes in NSW