Alberto Apostoli is creating a spa inspired by icebergs and the Northern Lights
– Alberto Apostoli
Alberto Apostoli is designing a new four-level spa for the Formentin Hotel that is inspired by the Aurora Borealis and the icebergs of the Northern seas.
A historic thermal hotel built in 1911, the Formentin Hotel is located in the centre of Abano Terme, an ancient thermal area located between Verona and Venice.
The 840sq m (9,042sq ft) spa will include a swimming pool on the ground floor, a thermal area with Turkish bath, a sauna, an ice waterfall, an outdoor whirlpool, changing rooms and a relaxation room.
Treatment rooms will include a couple's cabin, a Spastream cabin, three individual treatment rooms, a double treatment cabin with a Vitalis bathtub and a third-floor terrace.
Apostoli is recreating the Northern Lights with the use of a fabric that integrates special optical fibres, while "icebergs", based on a design by Studio Apostoli, are to be made of sintered expanded polystyrene covered with resin.
"The hot-cold and water-fire combinations have always been the basis of wellbeing," he told CLAD sister title Spa Business. "For the Formentin Hotel spa, I wanted to mark this contrast, creating a Nordic environment in opposition to the sauna and the Turkish bath. So I thought about the icebergs and the Aurora Borealis, symbolically recreated through an illuminated fabric. The result is an environment that provides emotional cold – a cold that warms the spirit of the spa guests."
The spa is scheduled to open in April 2020.
Northern Lights Alberto Apostoli Italy Hotel Formentin thermal spa
Temazcal, Kotatsu feature at new Apostoli-designed Italian spa
Alberto Apostoli designs extensive Italian thermae spa
Second location confirmed for Lefay
Alberto Apostoli-designed spa opens at Portopiccolo eco-resort
Italian designer evokes ancient crypt with Burgundy wellness centre
Forum Hotel & Spa: How to create a profitable spa
Architect Alberto Apostoli designed the new spa at Casale Del Principe, Sicily
AI firm Midjourney enters wellness with spa, fitness and body scanning concept
Hot spring wellness community Ameyalli sells residences and breaks ground on resort and spa
OMA completes New Museum transformation with landmark expansion and Oberon restaurant
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance, hospitality and public programming. The latest addition, Oberon, extends the visitor experience beyond the gallery, reflecting a growing trend for museums to become all-day destinations.
The New Museum in New York has entered a new chapter with the completion of a major
David Rockwell creates immersive magic destination, The Hand and The Eye
Montana Heritage Center by Cushing Terrell opens after US$107 million investment
Universal launches new theme park model with Kids Resort
'Minor wellness hotels' recorded the strongest growth across top KPIs in 2025, finds RLA Global
Great Barrier Reef attraction set for AU$180 million reinvention
Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere, has architecture by Leach Rhodes Walker and interiors by Bergman Design House.
Marriott International partners with Fitwel for wellness solutions across its residential portfolio
Preidlhof Luxury DolceVita Resort to unveil new spa in February 2027
Places Leisure is working with Roberts Limbrick to build £60m wellness flagship in Basingstoke
Hoshino Resorts opens Kai Kusatsu as it expands the Kai onsen ryokan brand
Qiddiya and Populous share details of Saudi Arabia’s National Tennis Centre
Disney confirms US$30 billion investment programme as it highlights its economic impact
Until combines multiple disciplines at new Canary Wharf club
Sea Lanes opens following a partnership between The Eden Project and Canary Wharf Group
Bas Smets brings water and wilderness to Vitra
Expo 2030 Riyadh will create a permanent global destination
Luxury resort coming to Hunter Valley will have longevity spa
'Data chocolate', dreams made real and artworks shaped by visitors’ emotions: Refik Anadol’s AI art museum launches in Los Angeles
London Museum reveals 2026 opening date for new Smithfield home
BIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Palazzo di Varignana launches family wellbeing and longevity retreat in Emilia Romagna
Anasa Wellness and Spa debuts at Patmos Aktis as it joins Marriott
Design-led Koru Health Club combines high-performance training with recovery
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres





















