From sybaritic soaks to salt-lined steam rooms and full wellness floors, wellness is big business.
Wellness in the home is a growing trend, says Aoife Byrne of Versatile Bathrooms.
Spas.ie is reporting that for upcoming Valentine’s Day, couples are eschewing a candle-lit dinner for two for duo spa escapes.
It’s a smart way to try some of the high-spec equipment before you buy.
For wellness is now big business.
In super prime homes, a wellness suite is now as essential as a designer kitchen and bespoke furniture.
Solas, at 3 B Greenwich Court, in Rathmines, Dublin 6, is one such property.
The four-bedroom, three-bathroom, A2 Ber-rated property is set over four levels to a design by the recently retired Coda Architects.
Seeking €3.75 million through agents Sherry FitzGerald and extending to 450 square metres, the wellness suite is at the basement level and includes a gym and a fully soundproofed multi-media cum entertainment room.
This space would be the perfect setting for a sound bath session with Core State, which charges upwards of €650 for a group session.
Lap of the gods
Solas, the aforementioned Rathmines super prime property, also has a 14-metre lap pool to help you get into the best condition of your life.
Illuminated by chromotherapeutic lighting, the design was installed and fitted by Pool and Spa Services, Co. Wexford.
Access to this level can be via the stairs, or lift inside the house or via an entirely separate entrance.
Beautiful bathing experience
The Cliff House at Ardmore, Co Waterford, offers an alfresco, sybaritic seaweed soak in a copper bateau-shaped bath.
Inspired by the design heritage of 19th-century France, the William Holland costs about €7,500, excluding VAT, from Navan-based Versatile.
Fill it with seaweed that you can buy in most health food shops, order it online from Voya, €30, or if you live close to a shore, you could harvest it for free at low tide.
Strip tease
The spa at The Address, Co. Sligo, uses strip lighting to sketch out architectural detailing.
It’s design feature that is especially effective in dark corridors, but in such spaces there needs to be a dynamism to the light, that it has a daylight effect, that automatically adjusts from a cooler tone during the day to a warmer tone as darkness falls, counsels Rocky Wall, of Wink Lighting.
Mood-making soft vibes
The treatment rooms at Cashel Palace Hotel feature the same kind of quiet luxury that is in evidence throughout the establishment.
Pictured is the couple’s room, which features soft, 450-gramme cotton mix blankets from its spa supplier, the UK-based BC Softwear, explains spa and wellness director Tara DeCourcy.
These come in six serene colour options, including the aubergine shown, and cost about €26, ex delivery. Underneath, in a tonal colour, is the Supreme Soft treatment bed makeover kit, complete with space for your head.
This costs about €134. LED candles add ambiance and you can dim the overhead lighting, designed to highlight the beams to your preferred depth.
Flavour with salt
Halotherapy has a long history and is said to have numerous potential health benefits.
The salt-lined steam room at Ballsbridge-based Eden One is one of the treatments you can enjoy at its day spa, which costs €260 and includes a facial and lunch.
Designed by Tom Braken of Braken Pool Services using spa specialists Klafs systems, it breaks the salt apart and circulates the particles, allowing them to be breathed in and exposed to your skin.
Prices for such a system in the home start from about €25,000. Opening soon is the thermal spa at The Davenport, which also features a salt steam room.
It was installed by Pool and Spa Services, Co. Wexford.
To find out about more treatments to try, visit spas.ie
