Upscale independent hotel, Arabella Hotel Sedona, in Arizona, US, will build an extensive hydrotherapy spa using a US$25 million (€23.0 million, £19.5 million) construction loan. The loan was arranged by real estate investment banking firm Arriba Capital, which specialises in hotel debt and structured finance. The new hydrothermal spa The hydrotherapy spa has been designed by architects Erwin Architecture and Development and LemayMichaud. Tim Valaski, Vice President at Arriba Capital,

Laugarás Lagoon, a new two-storey geothermal day spa destination, has opened on Iceland’s Golden Circle – a popular tourist route. Located on the banks of the Hvitá River in the village of Laugarás, the facility honours traditional Icelandic turf houses – grass-roofed earth shelters that blend into the landscape. Drawing on Roman and Japanese design principles, visitors can descend from an upper pool to a lower pool through a passage

Studio Apostoli has designed a thermal bathing complex called New Thermal Park in Civitavecchia, Italy, next to the ruins of a Roman bathhouse site called Terme Taurine, as part of a project to revitalise the Lazio region. The land is owned by Terme dei Papi SpA, a company that has a thermal bathing site of the same name in Viterbo, also in the Lazio region. Terme dei Papi, which was

Milan has raised its profile as a leader in the thermal spa sector with the opening of De Montel Terme di Milano in early April. The new property, Italy’s largest urban thermal and wellness complex, was first reported in Spa Business back in Q3 2024 and is being managed by Terme & Spa Italia, which runs Tuscany's Terme di Saturnia. De Montel Terme di Milano accommodates 700 guests and features

Global wellbeing organisation Therme Group has acquired Therme Erding – a vast 145,000sq ft wellbeing destination located near Munich in Germany. Recognised as one of Europe’s largest thermal wellbeing complexes, Therme Erding features a 40-pool bathing oasis, 35 steam baths and saunas and 28 indoor and outdoor slides. Founded by architect and entrepreneur Josef Wund in 1999, the facility has become a cornerstone of the European wellness industry. The acquisition

A luxury Canadian day spa nestled in a 600-acre protected forest reserve in Quebec has recently been elevated with a new two-floor wellness facility, designed to inspire relaxation and reconnection with nature. Since launching in Bromont in 2005, Balnea Spa + Thermal Reserve has positioned itself as a wellness retreat in nature committed to immersing guests in the beauty of its surroundings. The centrepiece of the new facility is a

The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has published the fourth edition of the Guide to Hydrothermal Spa & Wellness Development Standards The 230-page guide, developed in collaboration with the GWI Hydrothermal Initiative* members, continues to set the industry standard for designing and constructing thermal experiences and wet areas in commercial and residential properties. Originally published in 2014, the publication is designed to help stakeholders – including owners, operators and consultants –

A multi-million-euro geothermal spa and leisure centre, called Terme Bjelovar, is scheduled to open in the Croatian city of Bjelovar in Q3 of 2025. Already six years in the making, the project in Veliko Korenovo is projected to cost €38 million (US$41.2 million, £32.6 million) to complete – according to Dario Hrebak, mayor of Bjelovar, who says the facility will “revitalise the city”. Terme Bjelovar will be home to a

A new geothermal forest spa called Forest Lagoon will launch in April near Akureyri, in Northern Iceland, with design by Basalt Architects – the creative driving force behind Iceland’s iconic Blue Lagoon. The story behind Forest Lagoon began in 2014 when workers digging inside the Vaðlaheiðargöng heath – for an unrelated project – discovered a geothermal hot water spring. This water source will serve as the beating heart of the

Global spa, hotel and wellness consultancy The E77 Company is realising a new thermal spa resort and hotel among a historic pine forest in Lithuania’s coastal region of Klaipėda, Lithuania. E77 is working alongside project owner and developer Releven to create the destination, as well as Lithuanian architecture studio Arches and professor of architecture Dr Edgaras Neniskis to sensitively integrate the resort within the forest habitat. In his work, Neniskis

The long-awaited Buxton Crescent Hotel and Thermal Spa in the historic spa town of Buxton in the UK will open its doors on 1 October 2020 following an extensive multi-million-pound restoration, after plans were first submitted nearly 15 years ago. Archer Humphryes Architects and Nicholas Jacob Architects have both worked on the project, which has revived one of the UK's first genuine spa hotels, the 81-key destination will re-establish Buxton’s

Following approval to build a £250mn wellbeing resort in Manchester, Therme Group has revealed plans to develop and expand its concept in other major UK cities. “Our aim is to ensure that a Therme Group wellbeing resort is within easy reach of 90 per cent of the UK population,” commented Therme UK COO, James Mark. The development plan includes projects – with a similar concept to Therme Manchester – in

Global wellbeing organisation, Therme Group, has confirmed its 28-acre wellbeing project in the UK is on track to begin construction. Set to open in 2023, the £250m (US$308.6m, €274.4m) waterpark and spa project will combine hundreds of water-based activities with wellbeing treatments, art, nature and technology to create a unique destination. Therme Manchester will feature a dedicated adults’ area with warm-water lagoons hidden among botanical gardens, therapeutic mineral pools, swim-up

Spa management group Groupe SKYSPA has opened an expansive thermal spa in Quebec, Canada, that will be designed by Blouin Tardiff and will offer bathing experiences from around the world. Surrounded by forest, the 60,000sq m (646,000sq ft), CA$12m (US$9m, €8.3m, £7m) Förena Cité Thermale includes three thermotherapy circuits individually themed on Russian, Icelandic and German bathing traditions, along with three pavilions, outdoor bathing facilities and a restaurant. "The idea

European health spa operator Ensana has recently opened a new luxury wellness and relaxation centre at its 5-star Thermia Palace Ensana Health Spa Hotel, on the spa island of Piešt’any, Slovakia. The €4m ($4m, £3m) development, which covers almost 13,000sq ft (1,200sq m), features year-round indoor and outdoor swimming pools, experience showers, a tepidarium, a large whirlpool, Finnish infrared sauna and steam room. The new wellness and relaxation centre at

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

After five months of construction and an investment of CHF 45m (€40m), the completely renovated Grand Hotel Quellenhof in Switzerland has opened its doors. For 150 years, the Quellenhof has served as the flagship of Europe’s wellbeing & medical health resort in Bad Ragaz. Swiss interior designer Claudio Carbone has been responsible for the redesign and the development of a new concept which is centered around the hotel’s history and

French ecological architect Vincent Callebaut has won a competition to redesign ancient thermal baths in the Savoyard town of Aix-les-Bains, France. Dubbed "Ecume des Ondes" (Foam of Waves), Callebaut's proposal features a many-storied, heavily foliaged structure with waveform green terraces. Other elements of the spa centre include a retail galleria dedicated to wellbeing, a rooftop restaurant with an aquaponic urban farm, and a viewing centre for the site's Roman ruins,

Turkish architects Project Design Group have designed the KentPlus Yalova Wellness Spa Resort in Armutlu, Yalova in Turkey, which is due to open at the end of this year. The project includes three five-star thermal hotels with more than 1,300 bedrooms and more than 1,000 apartments for timeshare and full-time living. A Physiotherapy Medical Centre will provide thermal water healing, together with detox, physiotherapy and rehabilitation services. The complex will

Architect Claudio Carbone will oversee a complete renovation of Switzerland’s Grand Hotel Quellenhof in Bad Ragaz as part of an extensive investment programme of around 40m Swiss Francs (US$42m, €34m, £30m). Part of the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz, the five-star wellbeing and medical health resort first opened in 1869, and includes 106 suites, which have hosted film stars, statesmen and royalty. CEO Patrick Vogler said the forthcoming renovations will “complete

This autumn, the famed Blue Lagoon in Iceland will open a subterranean spa, a 62-bedroom luxury hotel and a restaurant celebrating the country’s culinary heritage, all designed by Reykjavik-based Basalt Architects. Blue Lagoon managing director Dagný Pétursdóttir called this is an “important milestone.” “We are evolving and expanding our horizons,” said Pétursdóttir. “Our foundation is the unique geothermal seawater, our stunning environment, and the commitment of our employees to provide

Four Seasons is planning a new luxury resort in Napa Valley, California, that will include a spa using the natural geothermal waters unique to the Calistoga region. Owned by Boston-based real estate private equity firm Alcion Ventures and developed in partnership with Colorado-based boutique firm Bald Mountain Development, the Napa Valley resort will include 85 guest rooms and 20 private residence villas. Designed by O’Bryan Partnership Architects, with interior design

Greece’s Miraggio Thermal Spa Resort is set to open in May of this year in Halkidiki, with a 3,000sq m (32,291sq ft) Myrthia Thermal Spa, and plans for a medical wellness section to be added in 2017. Owned by Med Sea Health, the resort is designed by Greek architecture firm DLP, owned by Michel De Landtsheer and Eleni Pletsa, and will feature 300 bedrooms and suites, 48 with private pools.

The Italian design team behind the world’s deepest thermal pool have told CLAD that the concept could go global in the near future. Emanuele Boaretto made history last year when he opened a 40m pool, named Y-40, at his Hotel Millepini resort in Padova, north Italy. Equivalent in height to nine double decker buses, the pool incorporates four caves for technical underwater diving and a transparent viewing tunnel. Nicknamed The

The Galgorm Resort & Spa in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, has opened a new Thermal Spa Village, which means the resort now boasts 75,000sq ft (6,968sq m) of picturesque riverside spa facilities. The Thermal Spa Village was launched at the same time as the resort added another 48 guestrooms, designed by architect Douglas Wallace, bringing the total offering to 122. Spa consultant Jennifer Gorman helped create the Thermal Spa Village, which

New Zealand’s Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools and Spa has released a plan to build a European-style day spa in the historic Chisholm Ward of the Queen Mary Hospital, located in the Hurunui District of the country, just north of Christchurch. General manager Graeme Abbot said the NZ$15m (US$9.4, €8.4m, £6.1m) investment is required to create the spa and the pools, and he is looking for a joint venture investor to

EPR Architects are working to design the hotel and spa at the upcoming Poultry Hotel in London. The five-star offering will occupy the Grade I-listed former Midland Bank headquarters – the vault of which was portrayed as Fort Knox for the climax of the 1964 James Bond film Goldfinger. Scheduled to open in 2016, the hotel is set to feature 252 bedrooms, a restaurant, health and leisure facilities, rooftop terraces