Project: LOESS SPA Space
Architecture: DDDD Creative Company
Design Team: John Sun, Renee Zhu, Herb Lau
Location: China
Area: 662 m2
Year: 2023
Photo Credits: YUUUUNSTUDIO
LOESS SPA Space, envisioned by DDDD Creative Company, offers a serene escape in the heart of Chiang Mai, a city renowned for its ancient massage and spa traditions. The design of the spa draws heavily from the city’s historical elements, particularly the iconic red bricks of Chiang Mai’s ancient city wall. Consequently, this unique setting transports visitors to the ancient capital of Lanna, offering a momentary escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Design Inspired by Historical and Natural Elements
The design integrates staggered water features with the unexpected tropical greenery, creating a harmonious blend that mirrors the city’s landscape. Additionally, these elements, along with the reflective water shadows on the city walls, evoke the ambiance of ancient Lanna. The spa’s color scheme centers on loess colors, incorporating vintage materials like red bricks, thin rock slabs, terrazzo, and earthy red antique tiles, all maintaining a cohesive ancient city-inspired palette.
Atmospheric Details Enhance the Experience
Local wood carvings, various herbs, rattan furniture, and linen-dyed hanging curtains strategically populate the spa among tropical plants, setting a scene that reflects Chiang Mai’s rich cultural past. Moreover, the scent of lemongrass aromatherapy and the sounds of birds and running water stimulate the senses and promote deep relaxation.
Thoughtfully Designed Spaces
Each area of LOESS SPA meticulously enhances the guest experience:
- Entrance and Pre-entry Room: Serves as a waiting and display area, providing a buffer from outdoor noise. Here, light filters through round windows and reeded glass onto the red brick walls, setting a calm tone upon entry.
- Footbath Area: This space features a rainforest water feature and is adorned with white wisteria flowers. Mirrors create a sense of infinite reflection, reminiscent of an ancient garden.
- Lounge Area: Filled with the smell of lemongrass and the sound of water, this area uses dark brown herbal bottles as semi-partitions, complementing the rattan furniture and maintaining an open yet intimate space.
- Staircase and Red-Brick Pool: A lowered ceiling over the staircase leads to a staggered red-brick pool, enhancing the feeling of navigating through an ancient city. Additionally, mist clouds above the pool add a dynamic and ever-changing element to the space.
- First Floor Sensory Experience: Deliberately creates sensory illusions with mirrors, transparent glass, heavy curtains, and varying textures underfoot, encouraging guests to lose themselves in their surroundings and focus inward.
- Massage and Spa Rooms: Use heavy curtains and dim lighting to ensure privacy and tranquility, allowing guests to fully immerse in their spa experience.
Conclusion
LOESS SPA Space is more than just a spa; it’s a carefully crafted experience that connects visitors to the ancient traditions of Chiang Mai through a modern lens. Each design choice, from the material palette to the sensory elements, works together to transport guests back in time while providing a peaceful retreat from their daily lives. Thus, this spa stands as a tribute to the cultural and historical essence of Chiang Mai, making it a unique destination for relaxation and rejuvenation.
