Gold Coast’s newest wellness hotspot proves Australians will pay mortgage-level prices for a smoothie that doubles as social media content. Words by Eleanor Wicklund.
Outside a terracotta-hued building on Mermaid Beach, queues now regularly spill onto the footpath, with women in activewear and influencers with tripods patiently waiting for their turn to try the Gold Coast’s buzziest new cafe.
House of Halsa, a new ‘health hub’, has quickly become the latest hotspot on Australia’s smoothie-obsessed wellness scene, where one drink can set you back $22.
It’s the kind of place where your order doubles as a status symbol, designed to be photographed and uploaded to Instagram before you even take a sip.
The venue is the brainchild of partners Coco Loberg and Gareth Fletcher, the duo behind fine-line tattoo studio The Raspberry Room. But their latest venture takes a completely different direction.
Inside, the cafe’s aesthetic is somewhere between a Palm Springs bar and a chic hotel lobby, with glossy marble countertops, pastel artworks and a retro sunken lounge.
There’s even a micro-retail corner selling protein powders, turmeric tonics, incense and granola.
The $22 smoothies
The smoothies, which look more like drinkable art, are catapulting the cafe into viral territory.
Flavours include Millionaire Shortbread, Black Charcoal Sesame and Strawberries + Cream, priced between $16 and $22.
Each includes buzzwords like collagen, sea moss, spirulina and protein, and one even has the surprising addition of cauliflower, which adds creaminess without the sugar hit.
Some are ‘dupes’ of cult LA grocer Erewhon’s famous creations, including a take on the Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Smoothie.
But Halsa has also jumped on the celebrity collab bandwagon, teaming up with Gold Coast-born Olympian and singer Cody Simpson for the Blue Neptune Smoothie, a $22 mix of mango, banana, avocado, lemon, sea moss, coconut cream, collagen and maple syrup.
“It’s very ocean-inspired,” he said on Instagram from behind the smoothie bar.
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Reviews flood in
Unsurprisingly, the internet has lapped it up.
Influencers like Sopha Dopha, Tammy Hembrow and Lauren Simpson have all dropped by to post their reviews to millions of followers.
“Yummy,” said Sopha Dopha. “You can definitely taste that it’s healthy”.
But others are less convinced.
On TikTok, local Natalie Sinead documented her disappointing visit.
“They had no food, didn’t have the coffee I wanted and it was a 40-minute wait for a smoothie,” she said. “So we just left”.
Others simply couldn’t get over the price tag, with one declaring: “God’s gift better be in there.”
“This is why we don’t have houses,” another quipped. “You need a personal loan to buy a smoothie these days”.
Some called it a “rip off”, “absolutely ridiculous”, and “insane”, but others defended the cost.
“People pay $22 for avocado toast and think that’s fair,” one argued. “Why not for a smoothie that’s basically a meal?”
Meanwhile, one fan said it’s actually a bargain if you compare it internationally: “Erewhon charges $22 USD – that’s $33 here”.
House of Halsa explains prices
A House of Halsa spokesperson told news.com.au, “Our pricing reflects the quality, sourcing, and craftsmanship behind everything we serve – alongside significant investment in skilled staff and thoughtful design.
“While we have a range of lower priced smoothies, our higher-end recipes are crafted with premium functional superfoods.”
For example, the type of spirulina used in the blue smoothies costs $1.80 per serve.
“In the coming weeks, we’ll also be introducing a smaller sized smoothie – offering a lighter option at a more accessible price point,” they added.
House of Halsa isn’t an isolated phenomenon.
Across the country, cafes are tapping into the smoothie craze as the next big wellness trend.
In Sydney, Bondi’s Common Supply and Cali Press have jumped on board too, with the latter recently teaming up with JSHealth founder Jessica Sepel for a branded smoothie.
The collab launched off the back of Sepel’s own Erewhon moment, when the supplements entrepreneur brought out her own smoothie with the brand in September last year.
This article originally appeared on news.com.au. It was published here with permission.
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