As Therme Singapore breaks ground, we asked Therme’s Adrian Mah to give us his take on Singapore’s blossoming bathing scene and the island’s bathhouses.
With Adrian Mah
Like Singapore’s famed food scene, its bathing culture is an exuberant melting pot of regional influences that reflects the country’s rich demographic mix. Although little of this small island’s historic bathing traditions survive, influences from Malay rituals to Japanese onsen, Thai massage and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are shaping a distinctive local style.
Evidence of bathing in Singapore dates back to the 14th century when the Malay royal court of Singapura bathed in Pancur Larangan, the “Forbidden Spring” in the grounds of a place on the site of Fort Canning. When Singapore was colonized in the 1800s, the British formed swimming clubs as a means to allay the punishing tropical heat, and swam in pagars, fenced in sea enclosures that protected swimmers from sharks and currents.
Adrian Mah, Therme Group
Although fans of Pirates of the Caribbean might think they know what a colonial-era bathhouse looks like from the steamy, atmospheric, and treacherous headquarters of the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea, the reality was rather different. In the 1880s, the bathhouses built for basic hygiene, motivated in part by a colonial desire to protect Western residents from the sight of locals washing nude in streets and rivers, were described as “tastefully designed” with whitewash and tiles.
Today, as the global bathing boom lands in Singapore, it is centered on wellness, active lifestyles and recovery blended with pan-Asian influences. With Therme Singapore set to open in 2030, offering wellbeing experiences at scale amid lush planting and biophilic architecture, the scene will shift again. In the meantime, here are Adrian’s picks for the best bathhouses to visit on the island.
Nowhere Baths in Dempsey Hill is arguably the most design-forward of Singapore’s bathhouses with interiors by Type 0 Architects. Curvaceous spaces, soft lighting and views of lush greenery create a relaxing atmosphere. It has two hot baths, a sauna, steam room and a cold plunge. (Ed’s note: Nowhere seem to have adopted Culture of Bathe-ing’s motto - Soak, Steam, Sweat, Dream – we’re flattered).
Ticket: $55 2-hr drop in
Sydney’s cult wellness brand opened its first outpost in Singapore earlier this year in a restored traditional “shophouse”. Apparently, the bathing sanctuary is inspired by the character of the capybara, described as shy, yet social and harmonious, water-loving and placid. Capybara is a place for family, friends, and community to come together and slow down, accommodating just 25 people at a time, it never feels crowded.
From $55 per 90 minute session
Sembawang, Singapore’s only accessible hot spring, is sited in a public park. The chloride and sulphur-rich water cascades down a series of shallow concrete pools where visitors either soak their feet or cook eggs – although not in the same pool! Sembawang has had a varied history. Officially discovered in 1909, its waters were bottled in the 1920s; later, in 1942, the Japanese Imperial Army built an onsen on the site. In the 1960s, gamblers used the waters as a lucky charm, and the spring was part of an unrealised bathhouse proposal. The spring was reduced to a tap coming out of the ground until its redevelopment in 2020.
Free entry
Founded in 2024, this contrast therapy membership club positions itself as a place “where ambitious people come to reset”. With three Singapore locations and another on the horizon, each outpost is based on the same blueprint designed for recovery: a 30-person sauna, cold plunge pool and magnesium hot pool. Each has a distinct vibe – the East Coast branch gets more families, while the River Valley hub is brimming with young professionals and members who make The Ice Bath Club part of their daily routine. (Although, full disclosure, I don’t think I could do a cold plunge more than once a week). Look out for rollouts in Bangkok, Jakarta, Australia and more.
Membership from $273 per month, drop in from $45
This newcomer inspired by Chinese-style mega-spas is less quiet retreat and more complete leisure and wellness ecosystem. Gender-segregated bathing areas host soaking pools with regularly changing mineral infusions for benefits such as easing muscle tension or skin nourishment, a dry steam room, salt therapy room, and an “earth nest” for deep relaxation. Treatment rooms offer massage, traditional tapping, and beauty therapies. The refreshment bar keeps bathers hydrated, and a full buffet is an optional feast. Alongside this, the complex has an in-house cinema, Esports gaming room, and sleep pods which you can book overnight, blurring the lines between a hotel and a spa. Bubble House+ offers a bit of Chinese hospitality where you are looked after from the moment you arrive.
From $59, 6-hour pass plus treatments
One of the first new bathhouses, Yunomori Onsen originated in Thailand and opened in Kallang a decade ago. It’s a very popular traditional spa which combines Japanese onsen style with Thai massage treatments. Bathers can enjoy a soak in the various mineral pools, the steam room or book a massage.
From $38, day plus treatments
Tucked into the creative enclave of New Bahru, a neighborhood defined by its independent, homegrown brands, Hideaway is a boutique bathhouse and massage concept that uses nostalgic design cues like the retro glass bricks once ubiquitous in Singapore. Hideaway’s treatments take inspiration from local heritage working in collaboration with Singaporean brands like Jing Botanics whose products are rooted in TCM. The offer demonstrates the Singaporean melting pot ethos – you might begin with infrared sauna and cold plunge, have a Guasha head and scalp ritual, and finish with a sports massage.
From $60. Packages with a massage from $85
Reva, right in the middle of the main shopping district, was founded by former national swimmer and Olympian Leslie Kwok. It’s in interesting sports facility, Trifecta, that does surfing, plus snowboarding and skiing. The focus is on contrast therapy with twin cold pools set to 5-7°C and 10-12°C, a 41°C hot pool and Singapore’s first outdoor Finnish social sauna.
Day pass: $38
The Straits Times reports on Therme Singapore as work gets started on the new 720,000 sq ft venue in Marina South
Singapore Business Times interviews Dr Robert Hanea and Mah Bow Tan of Therme Group on why Therme Singapore will be their first outpost in Asia.
Last chance for tickets to FLOW, a one-day festival of movement, music, ritual, and rest on June 28 at Wild Spa WOWO, East Sussex, UK. Book here
Archaeologists have unearthed a large Roman bathhouse in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, the largest to be found in the country
The only rule in Captain Sao Feng’s Singaporean bathhouse? MORE STEAM!!
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