Over the weekend we had the utmost pleasure of indulging in a ‘staycation’ with some blogger friends on the Mornington Peninsula. Before arriving at our stunning Aquabelle apartment, we stopped by Victoria’s only natural hot springs, the Peninsula Hot Springs for a thermal mineral soak. This was baby’s first swim! I was both excited and a little scared. I forgot to bring a swim nappy for Winston but thankfully the Springs provided him with a Nemo one!

The Peninsula Hot Springs was founded in 1997 by brothers Charles and Richard Davidson and Norm Cleland. Charles had been living in Japan and frequented the hot springs there. One day, by chance, he was informed that in the late 70s, hot geothermal water had been discovered on the Mornington Peninsula. So after years of intensive research and design, the Hot Springs was built. It has two distinct offerings: the Bath House boasting over 20 pools, and the private spa, “Spa Dreaming Centre”. Bathing experiences include (I’ll just mention a few) a Turkish steam bath (Hamam), cave pool, Hilltop pool, underground sauna and family bathing area!

Actually, come to think of it, I was here at the Peninsula Hot Springs last year in my first trimester, so technically, baby’s already been here! We arrived on Friday morning at 11 am thinking that there would be less people, but the pools are so popular that lockers were already running low. Since most people come to the Hot Springs to enjoy the hot bathes, the 36 degree pools were vacant and perfect for a family swimming lesson!

The waters at the Peninsula Hot Springs are classified as a ‘Sodium Chloride Bicarbonate Spring’. According to the Japanese Health Authority, the therapeutic benefits of bathing in this type of mineral-rich waters include the alleviation of neuralgia, bruising, breaks, articular rheumatism, stiffness of the shoulders, skin diseases, recovery from fatigue, infertility and muscular complains.

For all my doctor friends and chemistry buffs, here’s some bathing trivia. The bicarbonate helps to open peripheral blood vessels and aids to improve circulation to the body’ extremities, hence why it assists those with cardiovascular disease such as hypertension and mild atherosclerosis, as well as nervous system imbalances. Chlorides are considered to be beneficial for rheumatic conditions, arthritis, central nervous system conditions, posttraumatic and postoperative disorders ,as well as orthopaedic and gynaecological disease. Sodium and natural salts also assist with the alleviation of arthritic symptoms.

No wonder hubby and I felt so relaxed after the bathing! If we didn’t have Winston with us, we would have stayed in the pools for longer, and then napped in the Relaxation Room. The bean beds are so awesome! Winston was so happy after his swim he started to coo!

I wore a black bikini not just for its ‘slimming effect’ but also because the sulfates in the springs can stain light coloured clothing. So dark colours or old bathers are preferable. Since we had Winston with us, we used the family change room for the first time. It made changing everyone so much easier! And another pleasant surprise? There’s a little dryer for our bathers! It works like a washing machine, centrifugally spinning out water from bikinis to boardies. No more going home with soggy bathers!

Having a soak at Peninsula Hot Springs is such an indulgence, but the icing on the cake is that it’s so family friendly! I am super chuffed for Winston. When he grows up, he can say that his very first swim was at the Hot Springs! Wearing a Nemo swim nappy!