5th Dec 2017

Sensory escape spa proposed in Iceland

Sensory escape spa proposed in Iceland

Architects are hoping to build a new spa north of Reykjavik, inspired by an Icelandic saga and the country's majestic landscape

 

The Red Mountain Resort and Spa will be situated next to Snæfellsjökul, a 700,000-year-old glacier covered stratovolcano. There are wide glass windows showcasing sweeping views rooftops and a red exterior to blend into the volcanic terrain, to ensure a sense of solitude and seclusion.

 

“In a place so spectacular as Iceland I think it is important to create spaces that offer more than a pleasant hotel room, a pool and a nice view,” says architect Johannes Torpe, whose company Johannes Torpe Studios created the design. “Our approach was to embrace the contrast between man-made construction and nature. The landscape is unparalleled in its beauty and local tales of elves and trolls add a layer of mysticism and otherworldly poetry to it all.”

 

The proposal includes a 150-room hotel plus a sensory spa experience is designed to mimic the voyage of half-man, half-troll Bárður Snæfellsás, an Icelandic saga in which Bárður is said to have renounced the world of humans in favour of solitude and serenity inside the glacier.

 

Guests will travel through five emotional states in the spa, which will feature many different types of steam: contemplation, exposure, confrontation, clarity and enlightenment. It’s hoped they wioll have their own version of self-discovery akin to Bárður's in the story.

 

“Our ambition was to create a spa experience that brings you closer to nature in a slightly exaggerated way. It was to be an experience that simultaneously grounds you and liberates you,” says Torpe.

 

http://johannestorpe.com/projects/the-red-mountain-resort

 

 

 

 

 

 

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