Creating a Luxury Spa Room at Home
The home has always been a place of refuge, but it’s increasingly becoming a place in which to restore mind, body and soul. Where rain showers and jacuzzi baths once embodied at-home wellbeing, today home saunas, steam rooms and thermal suites are the new must-haves in upscale living, enabling us to recreate the luxury spa experience round-the-clock.
Why create a luxury home spa?
“Every home can have some kind of sauna, steam or spa facility,” says Erin Lee, Projects Director, Dröm UK. “A small cellar can transform into a beautiful spa conversion. Equally, a compact loft could be the perfect setting for a private wellness retreat. An existing shower can convert into a steam shower equipped with chromatherapy mood lighting and aromatherapy oil diffuser for an extra indulgent bathe.
Where space allows, a larger indoor home sauna or steam room, or even an at-home salt room for halotherapy can be a great way for the whole family to take control of their health and wellbeing without leaving the home.”
If you have a large period or new build property you can enjoy a wellness space that extends way beyond a traditional Finnish sauna or Banya, for Russian-style bathing, to an ultra-luxurious thermal suite. These suites comprise a series of therapy rooms designed to take your body on a wet and dry, warm and cold temperature journey, and can include a salt therapy room, floatation pools, tropical shower, ceramic heated loungers – even an ice cave or snow room. The luxe list goes on and on.
Trends in at-home spas
Modern technology has made it possible for saunas, steam rooms and wellbeing area to offer experiences that satisfy all the senses. Colour and light positively affect our mood (chromatherapy) and can be incorporated within your zen den with the use of LED technology. Steam-shower generator kits can pump in essential oils, allowing you to enjoy the wellbeing benefits of aromatherapy, while invisible or exposed acoustic speakers make it possible for you to listen to music as you sauna, steam or bathe.
How much will a luxury sauna or steam room cost?
“An indoor sauna cabin starts from as little as at £5,000” says Erin, Projects Director, Dröm UK, “which quickly pays for itself if you regularly pay to use a spa. A deluxe sauna the whole family can enjoy will cost more, but the benefits can really outweigh the expense. Many spas don’t allow children into saunas, but creating a tranquil year-round space where you all put down your phones and spend time together is priceless. You don’t even have to drive anywhere to enjoy that time together. It’s right there on your doorstep.”
Will a sauna or steam room add value to my property?
The classic rule of thumb that there will always be a maximum price people will be prepared to pay for a property in a particular area. That said, you can always improve a property’s wow-factor, which can help you achieve the highest asking price. According to George Clarendon, Partner at Knight Frank estate agents: “People rarely come to me and ask for a house with a spa but a beautiful bespoke wellness space with an indoor pool and spa facilities can be a huge enhancement when securing a buyer – but only if it’s well designed and made. A luxury hot tub integrated into landscaped grounds, along with other lifestyle elements such as a BBQ area or pizza oven can also be especially attractive to property buyers.”
Will I need planning permission for a luxury home spa?
Unless you live in a listed property or intend to extend it, you can usually add a spa room without planning approval. Some building works and changes, including garden spas, can also be built without planning consent if they fall under ‘permitted development rights’. Your local planning authority can advise on planning permission.
Designing a luxury spa
An at-home spa room offers a tranquil oasis, any time of day or night, but the design of the spa adds to the R&R effect. “It’s all about using natural materials to create a calm, energising environment, says Emma Hooton of Studio Hooton. Dark interiors can provide warmth, atmosphere and a cocoon-like feel, which is especially welcome in the northern hemisphere where it’s often cold and chilly outside. Lighting can add to this cosiness or hygge-ness by being layered and flexible and automatically adjusting in colour and brightness as you move between therapy zones.
Comfortable seating and storage for towels and robes are a must-have part of the spa experience, which should always start and end with a delightful space in which to change. A hair drying station, bench seats, and somewhere to dry swimwear and store clothes really add to the comfort factor. We love using natural woods in these spaces to harness the feel-good benefits of nature.”
Looking to create your own luxury spa room?
If you’re planning an upgrade to your home then find out how Studio Hooton can help you create a striking design. Find out more about our interior design services here.
Image courtesy of © Drom UK Ltd