Shibui Spa

Shibui is a Japanese construct that refers to a particular aesthetic of simple, subtle, and unobtrusive beauty. The client wanted the Spa to be a place where their guests could feel connected to something much deeper, be transformed to another world, a space so overwhelming it was disarming to the personality and forced their deeper selves to come to the foreground which connected with the realities of their own beautiful essence. They had to feel they came walking out from the the premises as their most connected beautiful self. Make it feel like it was 2060, was what the client told us. We decided that it had to be avant-garde as the client wasn’t just merely looking to push the boundary but instead wanted a whole new vision. The client liked what she saw, and Shibui Spa remains a members only spa nestled in Dubai today. We first tried to imagine the future by having as starting blocks the new emerging philosophies in mindfulness, health, metaphysics and finally the material world. Taking a cue from Zaha Hadid, we did not want to have any right angles. Nothing straight. Nothing linear. We wanted a flow. We wanted a user of the space like they were wind passing through wind tunnels, feeling that the different layers of the walls, and its features mimicking vector movements of particles of air. There was a vision of not having a single joint in the project. This was achieved with the help of extensive use of Corian Dupont, allowing us to create the layers and the flow that we required, with the space being full of curves so much so that doors was avoided to demarcate some of the different functional spaces. Storages and display spaces were blended in to the walls. To achieve the goal of fluidity, we tricked the perceiver into thinking the space was not rectangular. We eliminated the hard edged geometry and instilled a vision of clarity and serenity, of fluid motion and the cyclical flow of nature. Even the placement and orientation of the mani-pedi stations was thought about immensely to help aid the illusion of motion. The toilets had blue marble reminiscent of being deep in the ocean. There was a waterfall that fell into a plunge pool, making it a corner of tropical utopia. There were lights that was infused into the wall running in an asymmetrical fashion. There was a private kitchen designed where a personal chef cooked up fares for the guests. There was a floatation pool, a meditative epicentre in the space it was placed. As elements broke form from the walls it became different features such as seats and hollow spaces. This project needed a hard look into how we both made it efficient and sustainable. As the spa had different features and a lot of presence of moisture with a strict need to maintain certain climatic conditions indoor, particular attention was given to building the space to last as long as possible. The reason to choose an expensive material such as Corian was keeping in mind that traditionally used gypsum and other materials wouldn’t last as long given the tough indoor conditions. In the longer run, the materials chosen for the Spa would turn out to be far less expensive and in that sense reduce a lot of wastage and maintenance and what we projected to be outright replacement. The client was extremely happy with the project. The feedback from the guests was of admiration, and the result has been that the number of high net worth individuals seeking for memberships even before its completion. To have received the testimonial, we have arrived in 2060, was truly a milestone for the project.