8 Stunning Spas Designed by Famous Architects
If you’re a design-minded traveler, you’ve likely selected your hotel based on its architect or designer. But have you ever given a thought to who designed your hotel’s spa? A lot of work goes into creating a truly serene environment, so it’s no surprise that big-name architects and designers from around the world have taken their talents from restaurants and room design to spa treatment rooms and swimming pools (for example, who knew Frank Gehry designed a spa in a Spanish resort?). And the results are stunning, to say the least. Whether you’re taken with Philippe Starck’s audacious designs or prefer the sleek, minimal lines of Japanese architect Rie Azuma, here are eight hotel spas with a world-class infusion of style.
Photo: Courtesy of Tschuggen Grand Hotel1/8Tschuggen Grand Hotel (Arosa, Switzerland)
Mario Botta designed the cathedral-like Tschuggen Bergoase spa in the Swiss resort town of Arosa. The 54,000-square-foot complex has become well known for its trademark steel-and-glass sails that allow the interior to be permeated with light and mountain views. Carlo Rampazzi created the delicate interiors that combine light, water, and stone.
Photo: Getty Images/David Calzada2/8Hotel Marqués de Riscal (Elciego, Spain)
The inimitable Frank Gehry, along with Yves Collet, designed the Caudalie spa at this Spanish resort. While the exterior of the building features the undulating forms that Gehry is well known for, the spa’s interior takes a more refined approach, housing a minimalist-chic pool and treatment rooms with expansive views of the property’s vineyards.
Photo: Courtesy of La Réserve Paris3/8La Réserve Paris
Situated in a breathtaking Parisian hôtel particulier, La Réserve has become a favorite of fashion’s movers and shakers since its opening in 2015. Designer Jacques Garcia’s rich interiors carry over into the spa, which features a 50-foot indoor pool—a rarity in Paris—lined with crimson banquettes and billowing draperies.
Photo: Courtesy of Mii Amo4/8Mii amo (Sedona, Arizona)
Few spas have a sense of place like Sedona’s Mii amo. New York–based Gluckman Tang Architects (the team behind the original Whitney Museum’s New York expansion) designed the 24,000-square-foot sybaritic retreat using influences from the region’s Anasazi culture and the surrounding environment. The spa’s focal point is a 172-foot-long horizontal spine featuring five brick towers inspired by Anasazi cliff dwellings.
Photo: Courtesy of Le Royal Monceau5/8Le Royal Monceau (Paris)
Philippe Starck’s intense style comes full circle in the intimate spa at Le Royal Monceau in Paris. The centerpiece of the spa is an indoor pool bathed in natural light thanks to a skylight and Starck’s trademark mirrors on the wall. Women’s treatments rooms are decorated in pure white with touches of feminine pink, whereas men walk through a showy stainless steel hallway.
Photo: Courtesy of Huvafen Fushi6/8Huvafen Fushi (Maldives)
Underwater experiences—from hotel rooms to dining experiences—are all the rage, so why not have an underwater spa treatment too? Huvafen Fushi is home to the world’s first underwater spa, originally designed to mimic the resort’s 43 thatched-roof bungalows. Studio RHE refreshed the spa at Huvafen Fushi in 2007, creating a futuristic space with an LED-illuminated recessed ceiling and blue-and-white terrazzo flooring.
Photo: Courtesy of Dolder Grand Hotel7/8Dolder Grand Hotel (Zurich, Switzerland)
When Norman Foster revamped Zurich’s historic Dolder Grand just over a decade ago, he also added a truly remarkable spa. The 43,000-square foot ground-level space includes an aqua zone, 18 treatment rooms, 2 spa suites, a meditation room, and a salon. (Foster’s affinity for Switzerland is well known—he’s worked on countless projects throughout the country.)
Photo: Courtesy of Hoshinoya Tokyo8/8Hoshinoya Tokyo
Japanese architect Rie Azuma reinvented the traditional Japanese ryokan when she created Tokyo’s Hoshinoya property in the city’s buzzy Otemachi neighborhood. For spa-goers, the main attraction is a breathtaking hot-spring bath, situated on the hotel’s 17th floor. The baths are filled with healing waters and offer full exposure to the sky, creating a truly sensual experience.