Spa at home. Design and wellbeing custom made

“Before you build the sauna, then the household”. Reads as follows an ancient Finnish proverb perfectly describes the centrality in this environment of Nord Europe’s houses, and allows understanding how taking care of yourself—in some regions around the world- represents an innate element in the residential architecture.

Arranging a small private well-being centre is in fact one of the most requested modern luxury: an oasis can assume many different configurations based on the surface and the available budget, as though the typology of relaxation and wanted treatment too.

But what is a spa at home? In the specific, it ranges from “smart” solutions integrated into the existing bathroom—such as small saunas, whirlpool bath or emotional showers -, well-being or outdoor areas complete with external saunas, pools and relax zones.
A tendency in continuous growth, thanks to the design’s technologies always being more and more compact and flexible too that can be positioned easily also inside flats.

Building a spa at home means firstly investing on your well-being, thanks to a space enjoyable freely and in wherever moment of the day. A place where feeling good becomes a ritual engaging both the body and the mind.

The domestic spa’s advantages are indeed mainly tied to the stress and tensions reduction, while on the physical side, saunas, Turkish baths and whirlpool baths nurture blood circulation, relax the muscles, improve the respiration and contribute to skin care through the action of heat and steam.

Not to overlook is the real estate aspect: a well-designed domestic spa increases the residence value, contributing to lend it an exclusive allure and offering a unique service and very much appreciated.

The spa at home’s planning always starts from the analysis of the available spaces and of the desired modality’s usage. The contained surfaces can be transformed into elegant well-being environments too, optimised on the dwelling’s exigences and – why not-the outdoor.

• Spa in the existing bathroom. One of the most widespread solutions consist in inserting a spa into the home’s bathroom, taking advantage of the compact 2×2 or 2×3 meters configurations. In this case it is fundamental choosing upholsteries resistant to humidity, non-slip surfaces and ventilation systems appropriate to guarantee comfort and durability. Compact saunas and emotional showers integrated to small whirlpool baths allow creating an authentic well-being centre inside an urban flat too.
• Room dedicated to well-being. When instead the surface area is generous, here designing a room completely dedicated to relaxation becomes the ideal solution. This configuration allows combining more elements, such as sauna, Turkish bath, multifunctional showers and relax area, giving shape to a complete domestic spa and highly custom-made.
• Spa in the garden or terrace. Always more appreciated are the outdoor spa too, that combine the benefices of an advanced well-being area to those in touch with the surrounding nature. Gardens, rooftops and terrace allow installing outdoor saunas, small pools and well-being itineraries protected by elegant and functional covering, thus to utilize the space during all year round. 

When the space inside the house is missing, a clever and suggestive alternative is to install the outdoor spa, for example in the garden or terrace.
The advantages are evident: no internal surface area subtraction, more privacy and a total immersion in nature. Not randomly, the direct contact with the solar light, open air and panoramic view enhance the well-being sensation and acts positively on body and mind health.

In the case of saunas, showers and whirled pools installation on the terrace, it is fundamental to verify the slab’s lift and the quality of the flooring, let alone the presence of adequate plumbing.
By the same token, a spa in the garden must take in account the proximity to the water and electricity connection.

But beside the practical aspect, there is also the design one. The outdoor spa must know how to fit in a harmonic manner with the landscape and to guarantee the correct privacy too, obtainable by the presence of plants, curtains and custom-made furniture.

Among these the solar shielding, such as awnings and pergolas, offer a double benefit: secrecy and comfort – both in terms of shading and shelter from wind and light rains. The bioclimatic pergolas, in particular, allow creating actual relax areas where light and ventilation are regulated by the blade’s movement composing the covering. An advantage allowing to imagine spaces differently: from a solarium complete with ergonomics sunbeds to the whirlpool perfectly repaired.

But what are the principal spa elements that should never be missing, both indoor and outdoor?

Between the most diffuse solutions for the garden and terrace spas too, there is surely the sauna: a real must have for the well-being that can be used in wherever season. Often realised with a self-supporting design and easily installable everywhere, the outdoor saunas are designed with materials resistant to bad weather and provided with specific thermal insulation systems.

The more advanced models can be distinguished for the essential design, the wide mirrored surfaces and the compact dimensions, therefore perfect to be installed spacious bathrooms or small dehors too. The options are limitless: from the classic Finnish wood sauna to the infrared models and to the gas or electric biosaunas.
Even more exclusive is the Turkish bath. The design is the same, but the functioning differs, based on the action steam’s action to create a humid and entrancing ambient that apports benefits to the skin and the respiratory tract.

The sauna and Turkish bath can also be combined to the emotional showers and the hydro-massage systems, obtaining complete and custom-made well-being routes. The multifunctional showers combine differentiated massage jets, chromotherapy and aromatherapy, for a more immersive therapy and available in only a few square meters. Whirled pools and small pools are situated indoor or outdoor, both in the freestanding version and the recess. These stimulate the relaxation and facilitate the circulation reactivation, mostly if fully-equipped with cascades and water jets.

Always more widespread are the “all in one” solutions: design modules, completed with sauna, Turkish bath, shower and whirled pool in one elegant and compact structure, perfect for in and out environments.

But relaxing is also an atmosphere matter, and recreating the correct sensorial experiences is a fundamental requirement, also when the spa is at home.

A precious supplement to the well-being area is represented by the Kneipp routes and thermic contrast systems alternating cold and hot to stimulate the circulation, tone up the body and facilitate the physical recovery. Well-being rituals inspired by the Nordic tradition, can also be reproduced at home through pools, emotional showers, ice cascades or simple differentiated temperature jets.

If instead you are looking for a simple option, but with guaranteed effectiveness, the aromatherapy optimises the sauna, shower and Turkish bath’s benefices, thanks to fragrances working on the respiratory tract and relaxation.

The chemotherapy is essential for an environment full of relax using coloured LED lights combination to positively influence mood and energy. These work efficiently not only inside the area dedicated to treatments, but also inside the lounge and in the relax areas: for example dimmable LED lights can complete the bioclimatic pergola’s covering to create relaxing and sophisticated environments, to implement – if wanted – with audio system for musicotherapy.

In the development of a home spa, materials and finishes contribute to defining comfort, atmosphere and experience quality. Not only, but a thorough choice also allows assuring resistance and practicality, mostly in areas characterise by humidity and strong temperature changes.

Among the absolute well-being protagonists there is the natural wood, declined in its more prestigious versions and used mostly for saunas and upholstery thanks to its capacity to transmit immediately heat and hospitality. For the sophisticated environments, there it comes the natural stone, marble and big potter slabs, particularly esteemed inside Turkish baths or as finishes for outdoor spa and dedicated well-being rooms. Lastly glass and aluminium add value more modern projects, amplifying brightness and visual lightness.

Wherever is the favourite style, however, it is always fundamental planning non-slip surfaces, in addition to materials easy to clean and resistant to humidity, essential to guarantee the private spa’s security and durability.

When there is a talk about design, the spa at home must be integrated with naturalness into the dwelling’s style, because what really makes a difference is mainly the complex project harmony: natural palette, material texture and continuity between flooring, walls, and the home’s furniture contributing to create an elegant and intrinsic environment to the already existing architecture.

When the spa is made indoor it becomes indeed more important to coordinate the finishes and the various well-being area’s elements into the surrounding context, making a harmonious and univocal aesthetic language.

If on the other hand the spa is outdoor, therefore is possible to travel more with creativity, always maintaining a dialogue between the new environment and the outdoor space in which is placed. Today, the most successful trends recommend a contemporary and minimalistic spa aesthetic, easily adaptable to wherever context. The well-being areas by the zen style are timeless, recreated through the usage of natural elements such as bamboo partitions, walkable stone paths and small water cascades which amplify the relaxation sensation.

The more wide and complete projects are not missing paring with saunas, showers and whirled pools in perfectly equipped areas too and in well-being areas complete with ergonomic sunbeds. Spaces to be obtained inside your own home, but also outdoor thanks to an original usage of bioclimatic pergolas.

Before realizing a spa at home it is fundamental to carefully verify the project’s feasibility, as well as the more compact and easy realizations to install that may have strict technical requirements, to guarantee security and functionality.

First of the requirements is the space, in other words if the dimensions are adequate and allow a more efficient distribution among the various domestic spa environments. From here it is essential to verify the presence and the correct functioning of the electric system, from the hydro connections and plumbing systems, essential mainly in the presence of a sauna, Turkish bath and whirlpools.

Great attention must be reserved to all the precautions concerning preventing the onset of condensation and moulds. Therefore a space with mechanical ventilation and dehumidification systems is combined with a meticulous thermic isolation environment project affected by the spa at home.

In the case of well-being outdoor areas, mainly for the terrace’s installations, it is moreover important to verify the slab’s lift, the flooring’s condition and the protection from the adverse weather, so then to assure the maximal comfort and the continuity of usage throughout the year. 

A domestic spa always efficient, comfortable and salubrious is the result of a careful maintenance and a correct humidity management, it is inevitable in environments such as sauna, Turkish bath and whirled pools, characterised by elevated quantity of steam and strong temperature leaps.

The mechanical ventilation and the dehumidification systems help to prevent condensation and moulds, preserving the quantity of air the surfaces’ durability. This last must be looked after periodically with protective and waterproofing systems: by doing so the material deterioration is preventable and therefore the necessity to intervene with a massive upholstery restoration or their replacement.

To avoid unpleasant malfunctioning a few little expedients are necessary: form cleaning the glasses and upholsteries, to the constant filters and technical components checking. For a spa at home always performing but also hygienic safe. 

But what are the costs and the categories of investors to create a spa at home? The answer changes much depending on the dimensions, technologies and on the level of customisation wanted, however three principal categories may be pinpointed.

The more compact solutions, ideal for a custom-made spa too, generally recoup into the category 3.000-6.000 euros and comprehend emotional showers and small whirlpools.

Among the 6.000-15.000 euros there are the domestic spas complete with sauna or Turkish bath, while the luxurious configurations are over the 20,000 euros, they include bespoke-made well-being areas with whirlpools and multisensorial systems.

It is in addition important to keep in mind that to have a bearing on the budget the spa elements and accessories are not the only ones, because also the rearrangement of the electric and hydro systems are important, such as masonry works may be indispensable

At last, the power consumptions change depending on the installed elements too. An example? A sauna request on average 2-3 kW/h, while a whirled pool can get up to 4-6 kW/h. 

Before realising a spa at home it is important to verify eventual authorisations and legal requirements, mainly in the case of outdoor installations or interventions modifying permanently the spaces-

The indoor spas do not generally require peculiar authorisations, as long as they do not implicate structural works. Different is the case of outdoor saunas, pergolas, canopies or well-being environments fixed in the garden or terrace, for which it may be required to consult the municipality and with the local urban regulations.

Fundamental, moreover, is the respect of the securities norms regarding the electric plant, ventilation and the non-slip surfaces. 

Every domestic spa is born from a custom-made project, developed through the professional counselling. From the space analyses to the well-being products selection, from the systems’ check to the final trail, every phase request technical and planning attention to guarantee a highly performative and aesthetically curated result.

For this reason entrusting a specialised professional represent the best solution to customise every detail – dimension, finishes, illumination and optional – avoiding technical mistakes and valorising to the maximum the outdoor and indoor environments potential.

Where to begin? Surely from a technical survey (often free) form an expert, who evaluating the house context in its complex, they will be capable of recommending the best solutions for your necessities.