Sol Elements: The Hinterland Bathhouse Redefining Rest

Hidden within the lush hinterland of the Gold Coast, Sol Elements offers a complete wellness experience with saunas, pools, and private suites, all housed in a space inspired by Japanese design.

Positioned within the surrounding landscape, Sol Elements is designed to help people relax, rejuvenate, and reconnect with nature. From ancient charred Yakisugi timber creating a dark, tactile backdrop to wabi-sabi-inspired interiors layered with our  soon to launch Antique Bronzefinish, every material echoes the bathhouse’s raw, authentic architecture, for a deeply immersive experience.

“The inspiration behind Sol was Japanese architecture. We fell in love with Yakisugi, which is the burnt Japanese wood. It’s one of the oldest traditions, and it’s around 600 years old,” shares owner Russ Raven.

Positioned at the edge of a pond, a concrete platform brings the pools and sunken firepit to near water level, creating an intimate connection with the surrounding landscape and wildlife.

“The fact that we’re on a lake with the submerged firepit, we really wanted to make it so that you could sit as close to eye level as possible with the turtles, the fish, and all the birds,” says Russ.

A peaceful Zen garden and blossom tree sit at the centre of the circular building, creating the focal point of Sol Elements that each space is oriented around. Inspired by bathhouses visited throughout the world, Russ and Shae set out to create a unique wellness experience in Australia. After spending time in the hinterland, the vision for Sol Elements quickly fell into place. 

“We thought something like that would be so incredible here, because you’re only an hour from Brisbane and 45 minutes from the Gold Coast, yet it feels like you’re disappearing into the rainforest and entering another world,” shares Shae.

With layered, organic architecture throughout, elements like raw timber slabs, Italian travertine tiles, fossil coral stone lighting, and Antique Bronze tapware draw their tones and textures from the earth itself. Together, they offer a sense of warmth that contrasts the dark, charred appearance of the Yakisugi, creating depth and richness throughout every space.

“The Antique Bronze that we’ve used from ABI Interiors, alongside all the really beautiful red timber we sourced, worked so well together. Having incredible collaborators like ABI Interiors to bounce ideas off and ask, ‘What do you think about this?’ was such an important part of the process,” shares Shae.

Each texture is allowed to bring its own natural patina and patterning, giving Sol a narrative quality where the grooves, veining, and tactile richness of the surfaces deepen the calm the space is intended to inspire.

“Everything we did, we wanted to be a little bit more moody and rustic and earthy,” Shae adds.

Given the nature of a bathhouse as an extremely high-traffic environment that must still uphold a sense of luxury, material selection was crucial. Longevity, quality, and durability guided every decision, as Russ explains: “We followed wabi-sabi, which means the perfection within the imperfection of nature. Everything that Shae put in, it all leans into wabi-sabi being imperfect, but in that way, it's still perfect.”

The decision to use an Antique finish not only lifted the aesthetic throughout Sol Elements but brought a material quality that is purposefully imperfect from the very start. Where other finishes may show signs of wear or degradation over time, our Antique Collection upholds its character, with its lived-in patina only adding to the authenticity of a space.

Looking back on the project, the pair express profound respect for the way a space can influence how people experience it. What was once a quiet pocket of nature has become a sanctuary for calm and connection, where thoughtful design and wellness come together to encourage presence with the surrounding tranquillity.

“It's easy to build a building, I say that after the fact, but the difficulty is making it have a life or a heart. And that's what Shae created, along with our therapists and our team, to give it the blood that pumps around — and that's what you feel when you float out of here, people leave holding hands and connecting and laughing, because they feel like they've just left somewhere that's given back to them,” Russ reflects.

Inspired by this project? Explore more Behind The Designs here: 

Aúra by Kamber: An Idyllic Indoor-Outdoor Modern Coastal Retreat

Luxury on Every Level at Rocabella by GRAYA

Inside Mackenzie & Reuben Cotter's Moditerranean Family Home