The Byron Bay retreat features an infinity pool, fire pit, day spa and purpose-built dome for yoga, breathwork and strength training.
This luxurious wellness retreat made for a unique setting for the on-screen adaptation of Liane Moriarty’s Nine Perfect Strangers, but you won’t find Nicole Kidman swanning about in
a white kaftan here.
Instead, you’ll find a coterie of women flexing and bending their way through yoga at sunrise, or gathered around a fire pit for a cacao ceremony at sunset.
Designed with the needs of the modern woman in mind, SOMA Lorna Jane is now open, offering curated health retreats, expert-led educational workshops and corporate wellness programmes on a private property surrounded by nearly 9ha of rainforest in the Byron Bay hinterland.
Lorna Jane Clarkson, the Australian entrepreneur, fashion designer, author and podcast host, acquired the property with her husband, Bill, in late 2025 with a vision to expand her 30-year-long active living philosophy into something tangible.
For Clarkson, SOMA Lorna Jane places women’s wellness front and centre, offering a maximum of 20 guests at a time the opportunity to rest, reconnect and recharge.
“When a woman genuinely invests in herself, everything around her changes,” Clarkson says of the immersive experiences on offer at SOMA Lorna Jane.
“I’ve watched it happen for three decades and it never stops moving me. So, whether it’s a small shift at home or a few days with us, my invitation is simple: put yourself back on the list. You’re worth it.”
In this exclusive interview, Lorna Jane reveals what to expect at the newly opened retreat, why self-care isn’t selfish and what keeps her passionate about the health and wellness industry three decades on.
ASHLEIGH COMETTI: It’s been more than three decades since you entered the activewear market. What inspired the decision to launch SOMA Lorna Jane?
LORNA JANE CLARKSON: Lorna Jane has never really been about the clothes. From day one, it’s been about changing the way women live – through active living and the daily practice of move, nourish, believe. What I kept coming back to was this idea of making that philosophy something you could step inside, not just read about.
Bill and I had been looking for the right property, and when we found this one, we just knew. SOMA Lorna Jane lets us take everything we’ve always believed and make it tangible – a place where a woman can arrive, slow down, and leave with the tools to keep living well.
It’s not a departure from what we do. It’s the fullest expression of it.
Dappled light spills into the geodesic dome at SOMA Lorna Jane.
AC: SOMA was established seven years ago and has built a reputation as a leading wellness retreat. How have you managed to put your unique stamp on it?
LJC: I have huge respect for what was already built here, so I didn’t want to change its soul. The land, the stillness, that was already extraordinary, and I’ve protected it. What I’ve added is a distinctly feminine lens: a space where a woman can truly relax and reconnect with herself.
Someone who’s been before will still feel that same calm, but softer, more considered – like it was made for her. We’ve kept it intimate, just 10 rooms, and woven “move, nourish, believe” through everything – the morning movement, the food, the quiet moments for reflection.
My stamp is really about intention. Every detail is there to help a woman come home to herself.
AC: What gaps in the wellness tourism market are you aiming to fill with the tailored retreats you offer?
LJC: Wellness has treated women like we’re all the same for too long, and we’re not. A woman navigating her hormones is having a completely different experience to one whose nervous system is running on empty. The gap was specificity and depth.
Most retreats send you home feeling great for a week, then real life catches up and you’re right back where you started. I didn’t want that.
Each of our retreats goes deep on one real conversation women are having – hormonal health, a frazzled nervous system, longevity – led by genuine experts, and every guest leaves with tools she can actually use.
A retreat shouldn’t be an escape from your life. It should give you a better way to live it.
AC: Beyond offering reset packages to the public, SOMA Lorna Jane offers a corporate wellbeing programme. Why do you believe it’s important for high-powered professionals to take time out to hit the reset button? Has this been one of the keys to your own business success?
LJC: You can’t pour from an empty cup, and the women who need to hear that most are usually the ones running hardest. High achievers are brilliant at pouring into everything else and terrible at putting themselves on the list. But stepping back to reset isn’t indulgent; it’s strategic. When you prioritise yourself, you show up with more patience, more presence, more clarity, and that changes everything you touch.
For me, it’s non-negotiable. I’ve run this business for three decades, and my consistency with my own health has been one of the biggest reasons I’ve been able to keep leading. Our corporate programme is for both men and women, and exists to give teams that same permission.
AC: If you had to design your perfect day spent at SOMA Lorna Jane, what would this look like?
LJC: It starts early – movement first, maybe yoga under the dome as the light comes up. After breakfast, there’s time to learn something new from one of our experts. Then a nourishing lunch, followed by time in the sauna and plunge pools, and a bespoke treatment in the day spa. In the evening, dinner together, then a sound bath or a cacao ceremony to close the day.
Simple and purposeful, that’s my idea of luxury now.
The communal area at SOMA Lorna Jane overlooks the infinity pool.
AC: What is one of the biggest misconceptions the modern woman faces about living well today?
LJC: That it has to be extreme to count. So many women think wellness means punishing workouts and an all or nothing standard they’ll never reach, so they give up before they start. It breaks my heart, because it’s just not true. It’s built from small, consistent shifts – a daily walk, real food, a good night’s sleep.
The other big one: thinking that taking care of yourself is selfish. It’s not. It gives the people you love a better version of you.
My message hasn’t changed – start with one small thing, make it doable, trust the process. You’re worth the effort.
AC: With activewear, podcasts, publishing and wellness retreats now part of the Lorna Jane brand, what other markets would you like to conquer?
LJC: Honestly? I’m far less interested in conquering and far more interested in going deeper. After 30-plus years, I’ve got no desire to chase bigger, faster or louder.
What excites me now is depth – doing what we do more meaningfully, and meeting women through more of their lives, not just more markets.
We’ll keep growing the podcast, keep writing, keep evolving SOMA Lorna Jane. But the real ambition is longevity for the brand, and for the women who trust us. Get that right and everything else takes care of itself.
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