City Baths

There is no other way to enjoy a visit in Melbourne than to catch one of its highly sought-after buildings. For over a century, City Baths stands in the middle of Swanston Street and displays its 19th-century designed building that contains a wide array of fitness and health facilities. Whether for personal health or fitness education, Melbourne City Baths remain as the best choice because of its different programs that provide a healthy lifestyle to the Victorian community. But aside from the locals, the Melbourne City Baths welcomes foreign tourists who seek to learn new skills, relax and to maintain good health.

History

The Melbourne City Baths opened during the 1860s to address the city's health problem. At that time, only the rich could afford to have bathrooms in their homes whereas the rest of the community sufficed from a simple wash in the Yarra or in Port Phillip Bay. But the Yarra became polluted and a typhoid fever epidemic affected the city and caused many deaths during the 1850s. Consequently Sizar Elliot, a member of the Melbourne City Councilors, built urinals and public baths around the city to address its health problem.

Established by Melbourne City Councilors member Sizar Eliot, Melbourne City Baths later became the most notable among the public baths. The center itself started out as a small building situated around the Franklin and Swanston streets, but was opened for use on January 9, 1860. When the new baths opened, a great amount of people flooded these facilities; reports stated that approximately 2,950 females and 79,096 males were the total number of visitors during that year. In 1899, despite its success during its formative years, Melbourne City Baths lacked regular maintenance because of financial constraints and was eventually closed down.

However, this public building was re-established in 1901 with a new design based on the winning concept of JJ Clark, a renowned architect in Melbourne who was also responsible for the architecture of the Old Treasury Building. Thus, with a new facade, the Melbourne City Baths officially re-opened on the 23rd of March 1903.

Facilities

The latest version of Melbourne City Baths encompasses different facilities including swimming pools, activity rooms, gymnasiums, studios, saunas, and spas. This new building provides a 30-meter lap pool for visitors and a 15-meter pool for swimming classes. Apart from swimming facilities, the building also contains rooms, such as the Squash courts, for people who want to enjoy other sports.

Melbourne City Baths also has gymnasiums available for those who want to get fit. From bicycles and free weights to treadmills and Swiss balls, this building contains fitness centers with complete facilities. Aside from gyms and pools, the City Baths also features various studios for wellness and education; these studios are conducive enough for the students who take up fitness or sports classes.

Aside from sports and fitness facilities, this building also has its own areas for other recreational and relaxation activities. In fact, there are designated places specially created for people who are seeking for some calm and quietness, such as public spas and saunas. On the other hand, Melbourne City Baths also houses massage rooms, change rooms and stretch rooms so that people can relax and have some 'me' time after their exercises.