Spa Guide: Ethereal Experiences at Paddington’s Venustus, Sydney

After studying beauty therapy at age 18, Jeannie Bourke spent the first few years of her twenties travelling the world – educating herself on the healing techniques and natural remedies used across the globe to purify and restore body, mind and spirit.

Returning to Sydney, Jeannie got the keys to a small commercial space on the Paddington end of Oxford Street, and over thirty years on, she’s still there. Venustus – Jeannie’s uniquely magical beauty and body lab – is incomparable to other salons in its masterful synergy of expert physical treatments and a soul-enriching spiritual element that undergirds it all.

“The healing work we do here takes treatments to another level – it’s an ethereal pure energy, love and light and softness that stays with you long after the treatment,” Jeannie explains, and it’s impossible to meet her and not feel some of that magic.

Though Venustus is the brainchild of Jeannie, she’s quick to assert that all of her therapists are trained to the same level, meaning each guest experiences the same high degree of expertise.

“All of our therapists are multi-certified, because it’s important that they feel confident to take on any treatment – that they know that they’re all equally important members of the team. We’ve all studied international beauty therapy which includes waxing, tinting, facials, and Swedish massage, then aromatherapy which is something I’m really passionate about – working with nature to enhance everything we do. Then we study other types of massage: hot rock, remedial, shiatsu and reflexology. Then the healing element which includes reiki healing, crystal healing, shamanic healing, channelling and tarot, so what guests experience is a high rotation of facial work, bodywork and healing,”.

Treatments range from waxing to facials to Venustus’ unique six-hand massage, and though Jeannie and her team are perhaps best known for their lymphatic treatments (Venustus was one of the first salons in Australia to begin offering lymphatic treatments, back in 2018), the offering is constantly evolving along with the expertise of the therapists.

“Training is the biggest expense for us as a business: we’re continuously training our team, and as we develop new skills we craft new treatments that harmonise our learnings with what we believe our community needs,” Jeannie explains.

You can read about our experience of the Angel Collection treatment here, and to learn more, book a treatment or purchase products or gift cards from Venustus, visit venustus.com.au. You can follow Venustus on Instagram @venustus_australia