Bathe by Aluume is a design-led hot pool and wellness space at 34 Brecon Street in central Queenstown. It describes itself as a modern take on the onsen hot spring tradition. The pools are heated and use magnesium-enriched water, and there are hot pools, cold monsoon showers and a private outdoor hot pool overlooking the city at night. Aluume also runs Thermae, which the company says is Queenstown's first floating sauna, on the waters of Lake Wakatipu. The Bathe building has won the NZIA Southern Architecture Awards for small projects in 2026.
Visitors say the space feels personal rather than commercial, calm and classy, with clean communal areas. Several say they came back more than once, and friends found it a good way to rest after a day of hiking. A visitor who celebrated a 60th birthday there said it was relaxing and calm. Our pick in Queenstown for a hot pool after a day on the trails.