We've never wanted to be transported into a TV show more than in the first episode of Nine Perfect Strangers. The new Hulu series from David E. Kelley, based on Liane Moriarty's book of the same name, follows the nine guests of Tranquillum House, an exclusive wellness resort run by a Russian guru named Masha, played by Nicole Kidman. Though Masha's methods are pretty intense, requiring guests to give up all electronics and at one point dig their own graves, the gorgeous forest and amenities offered at the retreat make us wonder if downing a few smoothies would be worth 10 days of luxurious rest.
Though the show is set in Northern California, the show was filmed in a more secluded location. The COVID-19 pandemic upended creators' original plans to film in Big Sur, so the production moved to locations in author Moriarty's native Australia. Here's what we know about the real-life estates where Nine Perfect Strangers was filmed.
Nine Perfect Strangers was filmed in Byron Bay, Australia.
Though the Nine Perfect Strangers novel is set in Australia, the Hulu show changes Tranquillum House's location to Northern California, a similar setting change as Big Little Lies. Filming was originally planned for California as well, but the pandemic changed those plans. Instead, the cast and crew, led by Kidman and the Australian production company Made Up Stories, spent five months filming in the posh beach city Byron Bay.
According to Conde Nast Traveller, Byron Bay is well-known for being a wellness hub itself with "hippie residents." The small town even apparently has the nickname "Goop-ville." Besides being a popular surfing location, Byron Bay also hosts international fashion, writers', and film festivals every year.
The show filmed most of the Tranquillum House scenes at the spa Soma.
Most of the Tranquillum House scenes, specifically those involving the gorgeous home where the nine strangers stay, were filmed at a real-life spa called Soma. Many of the more traditional amenities included in the show, including a freshwater pool, a communal fire pit, and a geodesic yoga dome, are real amenities at Soma. The property is also host to a 200-year-old fig tree, which stands in for the forest-bathing tree that Regina Hall and Melissa McCarthy's characters use.
Director Johnathan Levine said that Soma was a perfect match for the vibes of the show's fictional resort. "The resort itself is such a big character. It was perfect with its amazing woods, jungles and beaches, and captured the feeling we were looking for."
Located on a 22-acre property in Ewingsdale, outside of Byron Bay, Soma is described on its website as "a contemporary oasis purpose-built to serve as a sanctuary for retreats and immersive experiences with a goal to elevate creativity and consciousness." Vedic master Gary Gorrow is a mainstay at Soma, regularly running retreats that include yoga, an Ayurvedic diet, and treatments to help guests "re-engineer themselves inside and out."
Other indoor scenes were filmed at Lune de Sang, a sustainable timber plantation.
When the production team found themselves in need of more space to film, they found another gorgeous outdoor compound nearby. According to Architectural Digest, a sustainable timber plantation called Lune de Sang was the second location where the Tranquillum House scenes were filmed.
The structures at the plantation, which features a private residence and multiple sheds, stood in for other parts of the guests' residence, including an outdoor yoga space and more interiors of the guests' building. Lune de Sang also had many fig trees, which helped with continuity, making the show's retreat seem like one giant space instead of two separate estates.
The cliff-diving scenes were filmed at the nearby Killen Falls.
The non-resort scenes, including flashback scenes for Masha and the guests, were filmed throughout Australia. According to Conde Nast Traveller, most were filmed in Sydney, while winter scenes were filmed in the town of Ballina in New South Wales, where the production put snow down themselves.
Some of the outdoor scenes, including the river and cliff-diving scenes, were filmed at the Killen Falls waterfall and nature walk in Ballina. Though swimming isn't recommended because of the varying water quality, there is also a viewing platform right above the falls.
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