Nature's Energy Day Spa & Bathhouse in Glebe — Attraction in Sydney

Poor communication, underwhelming facilities, and unprofessional conduct/discrimination from staff. I would caution others not to visit — especially neurodivergent or LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Context: I am autistic, have ADHD, and have physical disabilities (EDS/CF/ME). I have also been going through a tough time (grieving). I've been going to a bathhouse outside Sydney, where the policy is to arrive exactly at the booked time—to prevent overcrowding, changing time was factored into session time. I appreciated the structure and clear communication, but wanted to find something local to me.

Booking: Booked online—60-min bathhouse: 3:45–5:00 PM and 60-min massage: 5:00–6:15 PM. Email confirmation noted there was a 15-min buffer between the two sessions, so you can take your time. No request to arrive early. Based on this—and my experience at the other bathhouse—I assumed I was expected to arrive at the booked time (with first 15-min of each session to change/shower, as getting dressed after a massage takes 2 minutes).

Bathhouse: I arrived a few minutes before 3:45 PM. The staff member who checked me in took payment and briefly showed me the facilities. No mention that I should have arrived early. The bathhouse itself was underwhelming. The sauna temperatures were significantly lower than standard (45–55°C vs the typical 65–90°C), reducing effectiveness. Heat escaped due to visible gaps in the doors. It wasn't great, especially considering the price was double that of the place I usually visit, for half the session length.

Massage: At 5:00 PM, I was heading to the showers when a massage therapist approached me to begin the session. I explained I thought there was a 15-minute buffer (as indicated in the booking), and I was about to rinse off. I showered quickly and was on the massage bed by 5:15 PM, assuming the massage would end at 6:15 as listed. The massage was average and ended approximately 10 minutes early. My feet, a source of chronic pain, were not massaged at all. No explanation was given until I raised the issue—I was told the massage had to be cut short as I was late.

Attempted Feedback: Before leaving, I calmly approached the staff to clarify what had happened and share feedback. The first staff member appeared receptive, but was interrupted by the staff member who checked me in, who insisted the issue was my fault because I had arrived late. I explained I arrived at the time listed on my booking and was never told otherwise. She claimed the requirement to arrive 15 minutes early was in the confirmation email, but it was not. She then said it was still my fault for booking online, not in person. She kept rolling her eyes and calling me "lady" (like, "hey, lady," and "listen, lady,") despite having my name in the system. I asked her to stop and said I’m not a lady, I'm non-binary. She replied, “But you are a lady.” Even if I did identify that way, referring to a client as “lady” instead of by their name is unprofessional and dismissive. I became extremely upset, and I began to raise my voice as I began having a panic attack in response to her mistreatment—I do feel bad for raising my voice and potentially disturbing other clients, but I was having a panic attack from being dismissed and discriminated against by the staff—which only became worse when a 3rd staff member came. I thought they might be willing to help. I asked them if they thought it was acceptable to refer to clients as "lady" instead of by their name, even if that person doesn't identify that way, and she smirked and replied, “I don’t see a problem with it.” None of the 3 staff acknowledged miscommunication or offered constructive resolution, they were only dismissive and discriminatory, so I left. As I was leaving, staff accused me of filming them (I wasn’t), and said that was illegal (it isn't), but then all three of them followed me outside and took photos of me/filmed me as I got into my car (wtf???)

Overall, a distressing and unwelcoming experience. I expected better communication, respect, and service, especially at this...

Recently visited for a facial. I’ve visited Natures Energy several times over the year.

You typically visit a spa for a relaxing and professional experience, sadly this was anything but.

Pros: Friendly staff member checking me in who explained some of the recent enhancements. Offered tea and water. Friendly therapist who did the treatment.

Cons: Staff standing around in a group talking whilst customers are waiting to be served, I had to butt into their conversation to ask something. So unprofessional. Pic attached. The treatment room I was placed in was up some of the narrowest and steepest step I’ve ever been up. I get that Natures Energy has been retrofitted into a historic building however this has to be a law suit waiting to happen. Others have made the same comment. The room I was placed in was on Glebe Point Road, for the first entire duration of the treatment all you hear is buses, semi trailers breaking as the road is at the bottom of a slight decline. Music in the room far from drowns this out. How they use these rooms for these types of therapies baffles me. My therapist didn’t ask what my concerns were with my skin nor the process for the session. I had to point these out/ask. Once the treatment was finished I asked to wash my hands, I was directed down to the change room. Washed my hands, not a dryer or towel in sight. Walked back out to the reception area, I asked a girl for something to dry my hands and why. She seemed confused and baffled as to why my hands were either wet or why I was asking for a towel. I explained you have nothing in the change rooms to use. I suggested to her they leave towels or install a dryer in the change room. Upon leaving I asked a staff member why treatments are done in such loud rooms. I was told next time ‘call up and ask for a quiet room’. This completely baffled me as to why staff think it’s normal for loud noise to be part of a spa treatment.. and then suggest you call to ask for something that shouldn’t even happen in the first place. I applaud them for attempting to resolve the issue but come on, think outside the box.

Spend your money elsewhere, noisy and unprofessional. How this place was rated Best Day Spa in 2024 I don’t know, maybe people just don’t think like me or have experienced what I did.

I’ve been to quite a few spas in Sydney and this is just some slapped together store with staff who don’t really seem to care, go above or beyond. Maybe this comes down to training or the care factor. I’ll avoid this one moving forward.

P.S: Natures Energy, if you’re reading this, work with your landlord or the council to triple glaze your windows and get a dryer in your change room. An electrician can install this...

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday and this place was so disorganised and claustrophobic, the lady at the counter rushed us through, saw that our hands were full and just piled the towels on top. She asked if it was our first time here and we said yes, then she continued to do her spiel super quickly facing away from us so we had no clue except at the end when she sternly kept reiterating that we had to be back here sharp for our massage. The female locker room was not well thought out in terms of traffic flow and use of the lockers, nor was the entrance way or the inside spa area either. The indoor saunas are small and there's a lot of traffic at the start. One of the infra-red saunas were out of order when we went and there seemed to be more people than the place could handle. Make sure you go outside, that's probably the only real nice area. Later when making sure I was on time for the massage, I had to face another anxiety inducing experience in the poorly planned locker room. My boyfriend and I were met by the two therapists and went up this very narrow staircase before entering a room and being separated, seated in the complete opposite, furthest points in the room. He was with the female therapist and the male therapist was in front of me introducing himself and telling me to change and get on the bed... at no point was I even asked if I was comfortable with a male therapist. Luckily my boyfriend noticed the dissociated look in my face as I just nodded to my therapist as I held myself together, I felt so isolated and cornered. My boyfriend checked in on me and I just cried for the second time being completely overwhelmed and uncomfortable in that place. They gave us a minute and we switched therapists, she was lovely and the massage was really nice, but never again, that was the most stressful spa experience I've ever had. To top it off when waiting near the shop area I heard the girl who gave us the spiel chatting to her colleague joking around and saying "I knew I had to be nice to her but I just couldn't", no idea who she was talking about but poor character, really solidified that it's not a pleasant/ genuine place to be, all along it had felt like they were herding sheep in this place. I've been to the Newtown one, it's smaller, no outdoor space but the people were so much...