17 MELBOURNE, VIC

Melbourne might be our food, wine and coffee capital, but it also has some of the best Japanese bathhouses in Australia. Weary travellers can soak and steam at The Japanese Bath House ( japanesebathhouse.com) in Collingwood, which has been open since 1999 and underwent a slick refurbishment in 2015. Men and women have their own bathing areas and everything is provided, including towels, soap, robes and shampoo. For a more upmarket unrobing, try Onsen Ma ( onsenma.com.au) at Meyers Place in the city. It offers exquisitely serene designer baths as well as Japanese massage packages, as does the Japanese health space Sensu Spa ( sensuspa.com.au).