AFTER 15 years sitting idle, the historic Royal George Hotel in East Fremantle has reopened as an eye-popping sauna and wellness destination.
The former horse stables in the basement have been transformed into a modern bathhouse by Alchemy Saunas, the Freo-born business that has grown from a backyard project into a rapidly expanding wellness brand.
For founder James Browne, the project was a chance to breathe new life into a building he had watched closely during exterior renovations.
“It looked beautiful, but inside it was dilapidated,” he said.
Mr Browne said the opportunity came after unexpected circumstances forced him to rethink the future of his existing business.
“My hand was sort of forced. I built this great business and I wanted to be in the area.”
• The Royal George’s stables have been transformed into an eye-popping sauna. Photo by Clay de Jong
After discovering the Saracini family which owns the Royal George, were already Alchemy customers, Mr Browne pitched a new future for the site.
“They had had pre-approval for a multi-story residential tower, and to convert the balance of the heritage building into a whole heap of other amenity for this residential development,” Browne said.
“The long and short is that when the feasibility was done and the design was done, it was going to be a $25 million development, and then it turned into a circa $60 million development, which they parked during Covid.”
Mr Browne secured a long-term lease and set about creating a wellness venue inside the former hotel and stables.
“We spent a few hundred thousand bucks on building an incredible bathhouse throughout the basement of that building, which was horse stables in its formal glory.”
Upstairs, originally flagged as a hotel, will be home to Alchemy’s headquarters, as the company continues its rapid growth.
“Alchemy Saunas has over a 100 staff now. We’ve got 10 operating venues in Perth, and we’ve got five more in construction and a whole heap more in planning.”
The transformation marks a remarkable journey for Browne, who started Alchemy in 2022 with a homemade sauna in his Fremantle driveway.
“I’m a carpenter by trade and a registered builder, and so had skills and the know how to build a sauna, which is what I was in love with and passionate about.”
“When building became too exposed and too risky during Covid, I sort of went all in and had a crack at operating a wellness offering. And here we are.
“We will be expanding nationally, and we’ll be doing it at a rate of knots,” Mr Browne said.
“The kickoff for that it is not right now, but it’s in probably six months to 12 months’ time.”
After overseeing the transformation of a heritage building into a contemporary wellness space, Mr Browne said even he was impressed by the result.
“I am conditioned to nice finishes… and coming from a high-end residential construction background, it takes a fair bit to sweep me off my feet.”
by STEVE GRANT