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Leisure Management - Water features
Swimming pools
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| Water features
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There’s a certain monotony to swimming pool design, with these areas often uninspiring and unimaginative – not to mention all but identical from club to club. But this needn’t be the case. We showcase some eye-catching pools from health clubs and fitness facilities around the world
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South Kensington Club
London, UK
Originally a social club founded by Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood for London’s high society, this club was recently redesigned by the HKS Hospitality Group as a family-friendly centre focused around health and wellness.
The interiors of the main club are designed to evoke a narrative of exploration and travel. Dark lava stone tiles form the floor of a swimming pool, which is filled with seawater transported from the shores of Sicily.
There’s also a spa and wellness facilities, including Russian banyas, a Turkish hamman, a Watsu aquatic therapy pool and a 25,000sq ft health club.
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| The South Kensington Club pool features dark lava stone tiles and seawater imported from Sicily |
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Equinox
Westlake Village, California, US
“For a long time, health clubs have been functional only. I approach things from a different angle,” says Aaron Richter, VP of health club design for Equinox.
“I don’t try to compete with other health clubs from a design point of view. Instead I try and compete with the wider leisure industry – with restaurants, hotels and retail – and also with the homes people live in. I think we need to be on a par with those types of facilities to succeed and build our brand and reputation.”
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Bulgari Hotel
London, UK
At the heart of the Bulgari Spa experience is a beautiful private pool complex: a 25-metre colonnaded swimming pool with loungers and cabanas, clad in the textured Vicenza stone that’s long been the signature of great Italian architecture.
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25-metre colonnaded swimming pool |
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Aspria Uhlenhorst
Hamburg, Germany
Aspria Uhlenhorst was the result of a €25m redevelopment of the 100-year-old Klipper club in Hamburg, Germany. The offering today encompasses hotel, gym, pool and spa, and in spite of its impressive size feels almost ‘aspirational home’ in design.
There’s a huge spa area that spills out into the gardens, including a spa pool that begins indoors, with a swim-through to an outdoor, infinity-edged section.
Five different styles and temperatures of sauna are on offer, plus a steamroom. Facilities also include experience showers, footbaths, ice fountain and a number of different relaxation areas.
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Aspria Uhlenhorst’s spa area
spills out into the gardens, with a swim-through indoor/outdoor pool |
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| The spa includes a number of relaxation areas |
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| The spa includes a number of relaxation areas |
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| The spa includes a number of relaxation areas |
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