Wellness Centre With an “Ayurvedic” Style: Dhara by Alberto Apostoli

We recently received a project consisting of a modern wellness center developed by Studio Alberto Apostoli and located within the Belfiore Park Hotel, on the Venetian side of Lake Garda, Italy. By opening a new wellness center spread along an entire floor of the hotel and named the Dhara Wellness, the hotel is given an ayurvedic dimension. Ayurveda is a Sanskrit term which can be literally translated as “knowledge of life”. Here is an excerpt from the official press release we were sent: “The project aimed to create a balance between the classical elements of the SPA by carefully studying spaces, forms, materials, colors and lights. By taking advantage of the local materials, the particularities of the location and a natural spring that was discovered during the construction, the SPA obtains a sensorial environment that is alive with every construction detail and material that was specially designed for it. Following a characteristic horizontal element made with bamboo canes that run along the entire floor leading to the SPA, one enters, or rather ‘filters in”, a socializing room that is neutral and contemporary. A final element is the large olive tree that was placed within the structure during the intervention.

The geometrical and emotional core of the SPA is a basin of water that is constantly replenished by the natural spring whose waters are utilized almost as a lining as it flows directly onto the bare stone. Within the basin, there is a shower that is made by a particular element that is the local stone and a special Kneipp treatment composed by single pools that are also made in the local stone. The sauna, another strong element of the center, is created entirely in stone and is characterized by a large glass partition for the unusual transfer to the basin of water. Alongside the sauna is a vapor bath, covered by a special mosaic in resin whose parts ‘digitally” recreate the intertwined branches of the lemon trees. The relax area is positioned at the end of the center and offers a magnificent view of the lake that is only a couple of meters away”.[ Photography by Maurizio Marcato]