My Review of Alba Thermal Springs and the Business of Unplugging to Recharge
More than twenty years ago, I stood at a crossroads in my own life. I was a corporate marketer with two young children, and I felt a deep sense of disconnect. I looked at the world around me and saw us all drowning in a sea of stuff. We were giving gifts out of obligation, adding more clutter to our homes, and missing the profound opportunity for genuine human connection.
It was from that personal frustration that a powerful, life-changing idea was born. A belief so strong it became my mission: what if we could change the very nature of gift-giving in Australia, shifting our focus from accumulating possessions to creating lasting, cherished memories?
That single, simple idea was the spark that became RedBalloon. It was built on the philosophy that investing in our experiences, in our wellbeing, and in our connections with the people we love, is the highest-return investment we can ever make.
For two decades, I have lived and breathed this philosophy. I have seen the transformative power of experiences in the lives of millions of Australians. And yet, I have to be honest. There are times when even I, the founder of RedBalloon, fall into the entrepreneur's trap.
It’s a paradox every founder knows intimately. We are driven by a passion to build, to create, to grow. Our minds are a relentless whirlwind of ideas, strategies, and to-do lists. We wear our "busyness" as a badge of honour. We sacrifice sleep, we postpone holidays, we tell ourselves that rest is a luxury we will indulge in after the next big milestone is hit.
We build businesses designed to give others joy and connection, while often denying it to ourselves.
I am here to tell you, as a founder who has been to the brink and back, that this is not just an unsustainable way to live; it is a terrible business strategy. Your most critical asset—the one that powers every innovation, every sale, and every leadership decision—is your own energy, your own clarity, and your own resilience. And if you are running on empty, so is your business.
It is with this deep conviction that I want to share a recent experience with you. I want to tell you about a place that is not just a destination, but a profound and beautiful embodiment of the entire RedBalloon philosophy. I am not just reviewing it; I am wholeheartedly recommending it as a strategic imperative for your business and your life.
I'm talking about my visit to the Alba Thermal Springs on the Mornington Peninsula.
The First Promise: A Masterclass in Arrival
The journey to Alba is a deliberate act of decompression, a gentle winding through the vine-covered hills that signals you are leaving the chaos of the city behind. As the founder of an experience business, I am obsessed with the customer journey, and I believe the first touchpoint is where a brand makes its most important promise.
Alba's promise is one of calm, of sophistication, of a seamless connection to nature. And it delivers on that promise from the very first moment. The architecture is a stunning collection of minimalist, sculptural buildings that feel as though they have emerged organically from the landscape itself. There is an immediate sense of peace, of having arrived somewhere special.
Walking into the reception, the experience deepens. You are not met with the transactional hustle of a typical check-in desk. You are welcomed into a space that is calm and inviting. The air is still, the light is soft, and the team greets you not as just another booking number, but as a genuinely welcomed guest. This is not an accident; this is world-class experience design. They understand that relaxation is not a tap you can just turn on; it's a state that must be gently and intentionally cultivated from the moment of arrival. For any business owner, this is a powerful lesson: what is the core feeling you are selling, and how can you begin to deliver on that promise from the very first interaction?
The Experience Itself: A Journey, Not a Destination
Given a plush robe and towel, you step out into the bathing landscape. And I use the word "landscape" deliberately. This is not a single, crowded pool. It is a sprawling, beautifully designed journey of over 30 different geothermal pools, each offering a unique temperature, mineral composition, and atmosphere.
There are large, social pools where you can have a quiet conversation with your partner, and there are small, secluded, almost hidden pools nestled amongst the native grasses where you can be utterly alone with your thoughts. This, for me, was a stroke of genius in customer-centric design. It shows a deep understanding that the need for "rejuvenation" is not one-size-fits-all. Sometimes we need to connect with others; sometimes we need to disconnect from everyone. Alba masterfully provides the physical space for both states of being.
As I moved from the gentle warmth of the herbal-infused pools to the invigorating heat of the geothermal springs, I couldn't help but see a powerful metaphor for the life of an entrepreneur. We often get stuck in one mode of operating—the comfortable, familiar "temperature" of our daily routine. But real growth requires us to move through different states: the warm, collaborative pools of teamwork; the hot, intense pools of focused execution; and, most importantly, the quiet, secluded pools of deep, strategic thinking. Alba's very design encourages this rhythm, this fluid movement between different energies.
And then, of course, there is the cold plunge pool.
Let me be candid: I am not someone who naturally gravitates towards icy water. But I am a passionate believer in the power of doing the hard things, of pushing beyond your comfort zone. Standing at the edge of that pool, every instinct in my body was screaming "turn back!" It’s the very same voice of fear and resistance that every founder hears when they are about to make a big, scary leap—quitting that secure job, making that first crucial hire, pitching for that life-changing deal.
But I’ve learned that growth only ever happens on the other side of that resistance. Taking the plunge is an act of pure, visceral resilience. The initial shock is immense, a system-wide alarm. But as you force yourself to control your breathing, to surrender to the moment, something incredible happens. The chaos in your mind vanishes. You are forced into a state of absolute presence. And when you step out, the feeling is one of electric vitality, of profound accomplishment. You have proven to yourself, in a very physical way, that you can withstand the shock and come out stronger, clearer, and more alive. It is a powerful lesson in the mental fortitude our journey so often demands.
The Final Touch: A Brand is an End-to-End Promise
Our Bathing & Brunch package included a meal at the onsite restaurant, Thyme. This is so often where a great experience can fall flat, where the food and beverage offering feels like a generic, outsourced afterthought.
Not at Alba. The restaurant is a seamless and beautiful extension of the core brand promise. The space is stunning, with floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the tranquil landscape like a living work of art. The menu, curated by the acclaimed Australian chef Karen Martini, is not just an add-on; it is a headline act. It is a celebration of fresh, local, seasonal produce, creating dishes that are both deeply nourishing and utterly delicious.
This, for me, was a critical business insight. A truly great brand is fanatical about consistency across every single touchpoint. The quality of the food, the professionalism of the service, the design of the restaurant—it all told the exact same story as the springs themselves: a story of uncompromising quality, of deep care, and of a genuine respect for the customer's holistic wellbeing. They have built an end-to-end, fully integrated experience, which is the hallmark of a world-class, customer-centric business.
The Strategic ROI of a Day Off
As we drove away from Alba, feeling calm, reconnected, and profoundly rejuvenated, I found myself thinking about the experience in the terms I know best: Return on Investment.
What was the real ROI of this day? On paper, it was a "day off," a cost in the time-is-money ledger of a founder. But the true return is so much deeper, and so much more valuable.
- The Return on Clarity: By creating a total disconnect from the daily whirlwind of emails, meetings, and operational fires, I created the mental space for high-level, strategic thought to emerge. It is in these moments of quiet stillness, not in the chaos of the open-plan office, that our best, most innovative, and most courageous ideas are born.
- The Return on Connection: Sharing this experience with my husband, David, was a powerful act of reconnection. As fellow entrepreneurs, our lives are a constant juggle. The simple, uninterrupted act of spending a day together, talking about our dreams instead of our to-do lists, is a vital investment in the partnership that is the foundation of everything else. This is a non-negotiable for any founder with a partner.
- The Return on Resilience: The physical and mental reset provided by an experience like this is not an indulgence; it is a strategic necessity. It refills the deep well of energy and resilience that is so relentlessly drained by the demands of leadership. You return to your business not depleted, but overflowing, ready to lead with a renewed sense of calm, creativity, and perspective.
This is Why RedBalloon Exists
This is why I started RedBalloon. It was for experiences exactly like this one. Experiences that do more than just pass the time; they change the way we feel. They reconnect us to ourselves, to nature, and to the people who matter most.
Your energy, your health, your clarity, and your relationships are the most important assets you will ever possess. They are the true fuel for your ambition. And you must be as intentional and as disciplined about protecting and replenishing them as you are about managing your company's balance sheet.
I cannot recommend the Alba Thermal Springs and Spa Bathing & Brunch for 2 highly enough. Consider it my personal prescription for the busy, ambitious, and slightly overwhelmed founder. It is not a day off. It is an investment in your most valuable asset: you.
Take a look at your calendar. Amidst all the meetings and deadlines, where have you scheduled the time to refill your own cup? Your business, your team, and your family will thank you for it.
What is one experience that has given you a profound sense of clarity or rejuvenation on your own journey?
