World spa&wellness

SPA PROFILE
Aqua Sana Forest Spa
Pennington explains that Center Parcs
wanted the design of the restructured spa to
reflect the countryside that surrounds it. “In
the UK it’s very difficult to resonate with the
elements and what we have here at Aqua
Sana is a unique environment where we can
utilise the forest and the nature around us,
and that in itself is amazing,” she says. She
adds that the brief for Sparcstudio, the
designers Center Parcs worked with on the
redesign, was “that we wanted to bring the
outside in. The focus was on nature and
daylight, and you can see the forest pretty
much anywhere in the spa.”
Into the woods
In keeping with the global spa concept, it
wasn’t just the immediate nature that Center
Parcs wanted to bring in to the Forest Spa;
the net was also cast further afield. The
entire spa was renovated with the Japanese
wellness concept of forest bathing in mind,
while the six zones draw inspiration from
different parts of the world. The Volcanic
Forest was, for example, “created to
replicate a forest in Costa Rica”, with
facilities including the Lava Sauna and
Volcanic Steam, while the Nordic Forest
features a Finnish-style sauna, eucalyptus
and menthol-infused Alpine Steam and cosy,
sheepskin-filled Scandinavian Snug
relaxation area.
“We did want to connect with our forest
here in Sherwood but it’s not just about that;
the theme was forests across the globe and
how we could reflect that in our new
concept,” Pennington comments. Center
Parcs also took customer feedback into
account, making sure to build some of the
favoured elements from the spa’s previous
incarnation in to the updated facility.
“For example, one of the most popular
experiences in World of Spa was the
Japanese Blossom Steam Room, so we
wanted to maintain a similar feature in
what’s now been reinvented as the Salt
Steam, which features Himalayan salt rocks
that are fantastic for detoxing and
remineralising the body,” Pennington says.
Although there is tough competition for
the title of standout feature in the spa, the
treetop sauna probably has a slight edge
over other experiences. The only one of its
kind in the UK, it’s a wood structure elevated
10 metres above ground, offering stunning
forest views through its panoramic glass
window. “The treetop sauna is so unique
and what I personally love about that
experience is that you can’t capture the
42 World Spa & Wellness | July/August 2017