During the winter, while some people seek tropical getaways to escape the cold, others find solace in the warmth and rejuvenation of indoor environments and natural hot springs. These spaces, highlighting the best of spa architecture and design, offer the perfect antidote to the winter blues.
Take a Pause With These Spa Architecture and Design Hot Spots
1. Blue Lagoon Retreat Spa by Basalt Architects and Design Group Italia
Picture: A woman steps into a blue lagoon surrounded by rock formations while holding a wooden railing
The Blue Lagoon Retreat Spa in Iceland is famous for its warm aquamarine water, known for its healing properties. The subterranean spa features treatment areas dedicated to silica scrubbing, algae moisturizing, and mineral purification.
2. Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa by AvroKO
Picture: A man walks in a room lined with blue tile and a pair of light blue clawfoot bathtubs
The architecture and design of Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa exudes a congenial, comfortable, and subtly transformative vibe. The tub room, adorned with porcelain mosaic tile, introduces custom-colored tubs.
3. Spa des Soules by Jouin Manku
Picture: An indoor pool surrounded by wooden walls and floor-to-ceiling windows with open wooden blinds
At Spa des Soules, four treatment rooms, including a willow-bark oil massage option, are complemented by a sauna and a steam bath. A corridor leads to the plunge pools, with the warmer one flowing outdoors, creating a hot tub experience.
4. Kimpton Seafire Resort and Spa by Powerstrip Studio
Picture: This spa design includes a room with blue and white tile and glowing candles, creating an underwater effect
The Kimpton Seafire Resort and Spa spans 8,500 square feet, successfully infusing a beachy aesthetic with sophistication while paying tribute to local artisans and island history. Mosaic tiles artfully depict the sun's reflection on the ocean.
5. Artyzen Sifang Nanjing Recreation Centre by Hirsch Bedner Associates
Picture: This modern bath features a curved tub with cement walls and golden accents
With a focus on soft textures and tones, the Artyzen Sifang Nanjing Recreation Centre's spa palette caters to guests' expectations of tranquility and refuge. The hot tub, floor, and walls are elegantly adorned with marble.
6. Sangha by Octave by Tsao & McKown Architects
Picture: An indoor pool surrounded by white walls, with loungers featuring gold and blue accents along the back wall
Sangha by Octave boasts a subterranean spa with glass mosaic tiles lining the pool. The treatment rooms include a therapeutic salt room for breathing and skin problems, as well as a dome room for meditation.
7. Sukhothai Shanghai by Neri & Hu Design and Research Office
Picture: The architecture of this spa includes meditative cement stairs with an open shower
Every aspect of Sukhothai Shanghai's design embraces nature. To reach the spa on the lower level, guests follow a path through a pebble-bordered garden that seamlessly continues into the spa itself.
8. Jaffa Hotel by John Pawson
Picture: Wooden slats line this massage room, with a white massage bed at the center and flowing candles
The Jaffa Hotel's subterranean spa harmoniously combines the restored 19th-century building with a contemporary addition. Cedar veneers the walls in one of the treatment rooms, creating a warm and inviting ambiance.
9. Four Seasons Hotel Bogotá by Rottet Studio
Picture: A vibrant red and gray tiled ceiling creates visual intrigue in this spa design, with a sheer curtain dividing the room
The spa design of Four Seasons Hotel Bogotá is lush, textural, and far from clinical. The ceiling fabric, with its striking stripes, evokes thick rope, while the relaxation room is furnished with Tom Dixon tables, custom love seats covered in cotton velvet, and Michael Anastassiades lamps.
10. Explora Valle Sagrado by José Cruz Ovalle Estudio de Arquitectura
Picture: The architecture and design of this spa includes tiled walls that meld with natural wood accents
Explora Valle Sagrado's spa is located in a house that once belonged to 18th-century independence hero Mateo Pumacahua. The spa's design features adobe walls and offers various massage rooms, steam baths, and saunas.
11. Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort Alpine Spa by MKV Design
Picture: This spa design features glass walls with views of the nearby mountains covered in snow and wooden floors
Part of Bürgenstock Hotels & Resort, the Alpine Spa boasts a sauna housed in a cantilevered glass building, perched on the side of a mountain overlooking Lake Lucerne. This project received the Best of Year 2018 award for Beauty/Spa.
12. °C Pod Hotel by Schemata Architects
Picture: A man sits in a sauna lined with wood planks in this spa design
The °C Pod Hotel utilizes space on its third level and offers a sauna lined with abachi, a wood that doesn't transmit heat, and fragranced with fresh mint water. Visitors can drop in for an hour or two, and sleeping pods are available for overnight stays.
13. Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown by AC Martin Partners
Picture: Red stools add a pop of color against the white tiled floor and wooden walls and furnishings in this spa
At the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown, each space within the vast 1,000,000-square-foot hotel has its own personality. The gym's sauna combines hemlock and porcelain tile, with red stools providing a colorful touch.
14. Healing Stay Kosmos by The System Lab
Picture: A wooden archway leads to a small oval window at one end, offering a curved bench for seating
Healing Stay Kosmos, a resort designed to let its natural beauty shine, features a Finnish-style sauna with cedar lining in Villa Kosmos—the main building with four suites. This architectural element adds a truly unique touch.
15. Mortenhals House by Stinessen Arkitektur
Picture: Wooden slats snake around the wall, providing space to sit in this spa design
Mortenhals House seamlessly combines the natural environment with understated architecture, as is typical in Norwegian design. The sauna offers breathtaking views of the surrounding forest, allowing guests to relax while connecting with nature.
16. Freizeitbad Stegermatt by 4A Architekten
Picture: A sitting nook covered by a geometric structure creates a portal to another world
In the Offenburg, Germany aquatic center, the sauna serves as a relaxing haven. The shingled exterior walls beautifully evoke the feeling of a cozy cabin.
Not done relaxing? Take a quick nap and, when you wake up, treat yourself to a visit to your favorite coffee shop. We won't tell.
