With the rise of wellness design, these five luxury spas are taking their aesthetics to a whole new – and utterly relaxing – level.
Dry January, cold water swimming, sound therapy: wellness trends have been taking centre-stage over the past few years, with an increasing number of us prioritising our health more than ever before. As with all the best movements, it’s no surprise that renowned interior designers and architects have been turning their hands to wellness-oriented spaces, creating beautifully designed spas in both commercial and residential settings, and transforming them into stylish havens that are about much more than just relaxation and pampering.
“Health has been on the agenda for us all over the past few years, but even before the pandemic, the focus on personalised healthcare, wellbeing and fitness was exploding,” Jo Littlefair, co-founder of Goddard Littlefair tells Effect. “Wellness in design has followed through on this shift and we’re now asking really important questions of our spaces such as: ‘Do I feel good in this space? Am I cocooned here?’, and ‘Can I truly relax?’”
Perhaps the ultimate embodiment of relaxation, high-end spas are most certainly having a moment, as clients search for designs and products that will promote good health and an overall sense of wellbeing. Even bathhouses and saunas have been getting the interior design treatment – the much buzzed-about Aman New York has made banyas and hammams central to its 22,000-square-foot spa, while the likes of Hailey Bieber and the Beckhams have all been busy posting pictures of their suitably stylish saunas.
Feeling inspired? These top five design spas marry high-design décor with luxe amenities maximised for occupant wellbeing.
Chelsea Barracks, London
Chelsea Barracks in London’s prestigious Belgravia district is one of the most spectacular luxury developments in the world. As to be expected, then, its in-house spa is equally as breathtaking. Brainchild of award-winning luxury interior design studio Goddard Littlefair, it was designed as part of The Garrison Club as a private oasis for residents looking to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life.
The lighting played a huge role in creating an elegant ambiance that connected back to nature by warming the space gradually throughout the day.
Martin Goddard, co-founder of Goddard Littlefair
Briefed to create a luxury hotel-standard spa experience within the iconic setting, designers used only the best quality materials such as Carrara marble to create an elegant, opulent and timeless space free from trends. “To us, good quality Carrara marble offers a truly timeless finish – you only have to reflect over its use by artists and sculptors to understand its universal attraction,” says Martin Goddard, co-founder of Goddard Littlefair. “As admirers of the swimming pool lined with Carrara marble at the RAC club in London, we wanted to emulate that success and detailed our pool at Chelsea Barracks Spa with the material.”
When it comes to the colour palette, the spa features lots of calming neutrals helping to create a sense of relaxation and tranquillity. “The lighting played a huge role in creating an elegant ambiance that connected back to nature by warming the space gradually throughout the day,” adds Goddard. “To create contrast within the treatment areas we used darker tones, including deep blue faux leather panels set off by golden accents to create a cocooned feeling of opulence, stillness and privacy.”
Aman, New York
When Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston Architects, the legend behind some of the world’s most iconic luxury hotel and resort designs, was commissioned to design America’s first urban Aman Resort in New York City, he was tasked with creating a relaxing escape from fast-paced city life for hotel guests and residents. And when it came to the elevated, three-story Aman spa, he achieved just that.
A holistic haven offering a full spectrum of wellness-enhancing facilities including two vast and nurturing Spa Houses with curves and warmer hues, a banya and hammam rooms in black marble and active spaces that feature light timbers and grey tones, as with all Aman hotels, the name of the game here is privacy and seclusion.
Elsewhere, as with all of Gathy’s designs, dramatic water features take centre-stage, including a 25-metre indoor swimming pool which comes bordered by alcoves of double daybeds and firepits.
SENSASIA Stories Spa, Dubai
Extravagance and Dubai go hand in hand, so it’s no surprise that spectacular design spas can be found scattered throughout the city. Our pick of the bunch, Pallavi Dean’s Roar studio took cue from pan-Asian architecture typology when creating the serene interior for SENSASIA Stories Spa, which combines natural materials, a muted colour palette and textured tone-on-tone – the result of a 4,000-square-foot tranquil space specially curated to take clients on a journey through the senses of Asia.
“The design process for SENSASIA Stories was an exercise in restraint for me,” says Dean. “We have purposely not overpowered the senses. Instead this is a place of quiet, respite and reflection.” Playing with just three main materials and colours, the spa’s interior scheme of dark and light grey hues comes complemented by a warm wood finish and strong stone slabs.
Inspired by the architecture of countries including Thailand, Bali and Vietnam, arches were influential throughout the design, with large, illuminated shapes above the lobbies and incorporated arch-like decorative elements around the reception area’s shelving composing a dramatic, theatrical effect.
As for the lighting, Roar collaborated with a dedicated lighting consultant to tackle the lack of natural light, with Dean explaining that: “As well as giving the space the right amount of type and illumination, we also experimented with lighting to create dramatic effect. Adding the strip LED lights to the arches is a signature moment, for example, while we also clad the ceiling with a captivating bronze mesh structure. Each room has a unique pattern creating a new experience for every visit to the spa.”
Babylonstoren, Franschhoek
Just last year, Babylonstoren – the renowned garden and working wine farm in South Africa’s Franschhoek wine valley – teamed up with TV3 Architects to launch a brand-new Hot Spa and with it, brought an exceptional new design feat to the award-winning destination.
With the style and design elements stemming directly from owner Karen Roos, the space is designed to offer a holistic wellness experience to guests, complete with new hammam and Rasul treatment rooms. Crafted with a vaulted vibrant blue mosaic ceiling that nods to the traditional Arabic practice, it brings a centuries-old wellness experience to Babylonstoren that combines the health-enhancing properties of heat, steam and mud for the ultimate sensory relaxation.
“Stand-out features of the design palette include Western Red cedar timber cladding and Bisazza mosaic tiles which we used in the alcoves, vitality pool, rasul and hammam,” Edwin Swanepoel of TV3 Architects tells Effect. “We also brought in specialist tilers from Italy to complete the Bisazza mosaics.” Elsewhere, other design highlights include Blue Lias stone, Carrara marble, white Corian cladding and Plexi glass installed in the vitality pool.
Designed as an indoor-outdoor experience, the spa’s connection to nature was another essential aspect to consider when imagining the interiors and, as such, large glass walls on the north-western side of the building frame the Simonsberg mountain. Bringing the surrounding greenery and outside light right into the spa, it creates an atmosphere that is laid-back and restful. And not forgetting the extensive glass roof which allows magnificent natural light to fill the indoor pool area throughout the day, as well as the fireplace next to the pool which creates a distinctive, cosy and inviting space.
Euphoria Retreat, Mystras
Sitting between a cypress forest and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mystras, carved into the base of a mountain, it’s not just the spectacular location of the cavernous Euphoria Retreat spa by Deca Architecture with Natalia Efraimoglou Architects that sets it apart from the crowd – its dramatic interiors are something to behold.
With 30,000 square feet of carefully articulated experiences, the spa itself is sunken to reflect the belief that proximity to the earth promotes healing. Spaces are also carefully choreographed through use of light, sound, temperature, humidity, textures, materials and smells to create immersive journeys for guests.
The reception and underground treatment rooms, for example, are spread across a series of elliptical spaces connected by a network of catacomb-like spaces, while a white 20-metre deep light well, which opens up to the sky, is spiralled by a grey concrete staircase and fitted with Byzantine-style arched windows that allow guests to gaze up to the skies. Equally as impressive, the dramatic Sphere Pool is inspired by the immense dome of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, complete with a dark spherical structure at its centre that can be entered through a series of archways, designed to involve a “sense of womb-like calmness.” Elsewhere a sauna (pictured at article head), steam room and cold plunge pool are all designed to engage both the skin and the senses.
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