The new Indah: Geraldton is ready for extra level of luxury with opening of day spa’s new home

Indah means “beautiful” in Balinese and this gem of a day spa that lives up to its name has had a luxurious and stunning makeover.

If you haven’t heard already, Indah Day Spa — which has been embedded in the Geraldton landscape for the past 14 years — has a new home at 12 Lewis Street. They’re in the CBD, but it doesn’t feel like it — perched up on a hill on this small side street off Chapman Road is a new purpose-built, state-of-the-art facility that offers locals and visitors a retreat away from their normal lives to be pampered, spoilt and rejuvenated.

Walking into the new day spa, with a modern and minimalist vibe, you feel instantly calm and ready to be cleansed — or soothed, or scrubbed or renewed, whatever your treatment may be. Although its style has evolved, it still has that old Indah feeling.

Tess Turner is the driving force behind Indah and has been since day one in December 2009 when she started the day spa from its old premises on George Road with her then-business partner Rhonda, who left after four years.

Ms Turner continued to build the Indah brand with the support of her husband Mat Turner, and grew the day spa into one of Geraldton’s most well-known businesses.

But popularity came with its challenges — Indah had outgrown its old home and was struggling to fit in all its regular clients. It’s been a long journey to get to today, with the vision to create a new space dating back to October 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic halted plans for a while before Ms Turner and her team finally “took the plunge”, with construction getting underway in mid-2022.

The finished product has “absolutely exceeded expectations”, according to Ms Turner. Shifting away from the old Balinese theme, the new Indah has embraced “Australiana” in all its native glory.

“I’m really proud to live in Australia and it’s important to embrace that and I wanted that energy so we have all native plants and used as much Australian products as we could,” Ms Turner said.

“The idea is that it feels like you’re in the Australian bush, away from the hustle and bustle, and somewhere really special and serene.”

The new Indah includes many “little touches” that add to the experience, from soundproof windows and acoustic seals on the doors to instant hot water.

At 386sqm, the new Indah has at least double the space of the old premises. It offers nine treatment rooms, a traditional sauna, steam room, stone bath, showers, relaxing lounge and outdoor areas, a downstairs wellness studio to host a variety of activities including yoga sessions and make-up workshops as well as 21 parking bays.

Opening last Monday, Ms Turner said the client feedback so far had been “amazing”. She is upfront about the need to put prices up. But she stressed Indah had added value to their treatments and staff training to make the client experience even more special.

Many businesses and trades were involved in the creation of the new Indah, including building designer Peter Teakle, of Teakle & Lalor, whose role was to be a conduit between Ms Turner and builders GBSC.

He said the design and build had complex challenges to overcome because of the amount of slope on site. But he is extremely impressed with the “striking” end result. “It’s a design that belongs where it is, it just sits there quietly in that place on top of the hill without dominating the surroundings,” he said.

For Mr Teakle, a highlight of this unique project was working with Ms Turner and witnessing her attention to detail, vision and style choices. “All credit goes to her,” he said.

But Ms Turner insists the venture to create something this special and bespoke was a massive team effort, with invaluable help from many trades and businesses, her dedicated and talented staff of 26 led by three managers Simone, Stacey and Bonnie, and most of all her, her husband and parents, Ron and Jan Franceschi.

In particular, Ms Turner wanted to thank GBSC and all their subcontractors, Teakle & Lalor, Hugs Plumbing, Incite Security, Bruce Perry Landscaping, Sikoya Design, Shanks Electrical, Westshore Glazing, City in Colour Painting, Kick Solutions, Ambassador Tiling Services, Westline Contracting, Minted Elevated Living, Batavia Fencing and Hallinan’s Refrigeration.

Ms Turner says one of the things she loves most about her business is its focus on community as well as customers, and is proud to offer ongoing support to various charities, clubs, groups and other worthy causes.

Their reputation has helped build a loyal client base, which Ms Turner says can now grow even further.

In their old home, they had people travelling into Geraldton from far and wide just for an appointment. “We are hoping by making it more comfortable and more amazing we will attract more people to Geraldton as we are now one of Australia’s best day spas,” she said.

“I think Geraldton is well and truly ready for this kind of luxury.”