Lon Retreat & Spa is a place so peaceful and calm that you’re relaxed before you even arrive – truly, I’ve never felt more zen driving to a destination, thanks to the Spotify playlist you’re invited to listen to on your journey.
As I drove from Torquay to Point Lonsdale, about a 40-minute drive, misty grey clouds opened up to peaks of blue sky – spurts of rain landed on my windscreen. As I pulled into one of my favourite stretches of road, 13th Beach Road in Barwon Heads, a rainbow appeared over the moody grey ocean. Heaven. Does anyone else love nothing more than arriving at an oceanside stay in the rain? Or is that just me?
A sign along the driveway of Lon Retreat says “Time to slow down”, and while I’m sure it serves a purpose for traffic control too, it’s a sure sign of what’s to come on my one-night Solo Slow Package.
We had moved to Torquay a few weeks earlier. Our new home still had boxes everywhere, and we were yet to buy a couch, so ‘relaxing’ hadn’t been high on the agenda – or logistically possible. We had been lucky enough to enjoy a family trip, as well as a couples getaway in our last few weeks in Tasmania, but this stay – this was for me. A night away on my own to stop, rest and reset. To take some time out to mentally wrap my head around our big life transition.
Lon Retreat’s Solo Stay Package includes
1 night’s accommodation for 1 adult
A bottle of local wine for one in suite on arrival
Hand-selected gift
Farm sourced breakfast for one served in your suite
Seasonal home-style meal for one
The Slow Down spa ritual including a 60 minute massage and 30 minute facial
Unlimited access to Lon heated mineral pool and hot soaking tub
I was a month into a sober curious journey at this point, so I skipped the bottle of wine – my first sober test! I would have quite enjoyed a glass of red overlooking the ocean after a spa treatment, but the promise of waking up clearheaded and well rested the next morning won over the wine – a moment of growth.
I arrived at Lon early in the afternoon and had my spa treatment booked for before check-in – the team are more than happy to accommodate this, so you don’t miss any time enjoying the tranquillity of your suite. Time is precious on a one-night stay, after all.
It’s one of those places you walk into, and your body sighs with relief. You just know you’re going to leave feeling restored. My ‘The Slow Down’ spa ritual with Jenna was one of the most relaxing spa experiences I’ve ever had in my life.
A 60-minute massage was complemented by a 30-minute rose quartz facial, where Jenna used a combination of stunning Vanessa Megan and Subtle Energies products, along with a pure rose quartz Gua Sha and eye mask.
I’ve got a few Gua Shas sitting around the house. One sits at my desk and is used more as a cooling stress relief than a facial device, and I’ve noted previously about my lack of patience for beauty tools, but my goodness, I had no idea the sensation these tiny little tools produce when someone who knows what they’re doing is in control.
I left the treatment floating on a cloud. As I sat in front of the fire in the shared space of the guest lounge, Jenna brought me a cup of tea to enjoy post-treatment. Earlier, I had seen a couple in this exact spot enjoying a glass of sparkling wine and a beautifully presented cheese platter – the perfect activity for a romantic stay.
The retreat is located on lush farmland that runs along the edge of the ocean overlooking Bass Straight – looking back to where I’d come from. When I made my way back to the Nimbus suite after my treatment, I took in the beautiful scenery from my upper-level balcony. Cows grazed in the paddocks out front, with the ocean further beyond, and to the left, a view of Point Lonsdale Lighthouse.
I was still in such a calm state after my treatment, I thought I would sit in the lounge chair looking out to the ocean, phone-free, and just relax, do nothing, rest. So I sat. And I tried to relax, tried to do nothing, tried to rest.
My hand kept going to reach for my phone. I thought, maybe that glass of wine would help me relax after all? No, I should read my book – Bad Drunk, by Millie Mackintosh. No, I should just sit and enjoy the calm. Then I realised, I was Chilli Heeler in the Bluey episode, Relax, where Bluey’s mum realises on holiday, “I don’t know how to relax!” Even if you don’t have children, it’s a highly recommended episode.
I decided the best way to distract myself from the temptation of technology and pinot was to go and enjoy the mineral pools, sourced from natural springs running beneath the farm. I had the space to myself, and as soon as I immersed myself in the hot soaking tub, my body melted and my mind quietened.
Soon, guests will be able to enjoy the expansion of Lon’s mineral pool offering, with the inclusion of a new outdoor sauna & cold plunge pool. “Think contrast therapy. Think design-led open-air immersion. Where sauna meets scenery. Where wild weather is embraced & senses are invigorated.”
Every guest I ran into along the way back from the pools in my dressing gown was also wearing theirs, a telling sign that this is a place where guests feel comfortable to be themselves and truly unwind.
The next morning, after a luxurious sleep-in, I took the opportunity to walk some of the tracks on the property, meeting many cows along the way and finishing on Point Lonsdale Back Beach. While I didn’t want to leave, I drove home grateful for the opportunity to reset, and ready to take on a few more moving boxes.
The Lon Solo Stay Package starts from $860 per night, and is available Monday to Thursday nights. For more information, or to book visit here.
The writer of this article was hosted by Lon Retreat & Spa for a complimentary stay. All opinions expressed are based on the author’s personal experience.
