When it comes to wellness product development, Myrtha Pools has been a world-leading innovator in pool design and technology for the past six decades.
Its revolutionary use of stainless-steel vessels in the design of all types of facilities – from competition pools to waterparks – has given the company a foundation in design that has enabled it to launch an international wellness division.
With a global operation in more than 70 countries, Myrtha Wellness has a unique understanding of bathing cultures through its partnerships with international architects, designers and engineers that has led to the creation of innovative, cross-cultural spa solutions.
This global knowledge, coupled with its engineering expertise, has inspired a stunning line of water-inspired wellness facilities – including saunas, steamrooms, Kneipp pools, salt rooms and salt walls, tepidariums, ice fountains and experience showers, vitality and experience pools, frigidariums and heated loungers – all of which benefit from exceptional ‘made in Italy’ design.
Expert partners
According to director Stefano Cattaneo the company has gained a wealth of knowledge in its role as a supplier to the last six Olympics and supplier for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics and World Championships around the globe, as well as from working on major international hospitality projects with its partners.
This expertise extends to materials science, patented technologies, millimetric precision engineering and high-end manufacturing.
Its reputation for sustainable product design has also been elevated through the excellence of its partnership working. “Our unique use of modular, laminated stainless steel in the design of thermal bathing facilities offers exceptional 15-year warranties for the wet thermal structures and cabins,” explains Cattaneo.
“In addition, our products are designed, engineered and manufactured using environmentally-sustainable processes and comply with up to six of the nine LEED certification categories, which means we use the most environmentally progressive products for our wet areas, cold plunge pools and relaxation pools,” he says.
Tracking trends
Keeping track of the trends that drive innovation in the spa sector is important to Myrtha and Cattaneo says an increased recognition of the healing and therapeutic effects of thermal bathing are helping transform the design and flow of these experiences in new spa and wellness builds.
Water can be a key component in contrast bathing, which Cattaneo says is gaining popularity across the world, due to the increase in research studies showing its healing and health-giving benefits. “Repetitive vasoconstriction and vasodilation gained through contrast therapy flushes toxins from the body accelerating soft tissue recovery, while also reducing inflammation and stimulating the immune system,” he explains.
“Although these benefits have been understood for thousands of years by indigenous people around the world, it’s only recently that scientific research has allowed a more thorough understanding of them,” he says.
“The spa and wellness industry is ideally placed to deliver thermal bathing facilities to enable people to enjoy and benefit from intuitive aquatic journeys,” says Cattaneo. “This can be achieved through the design and composition of a facility’s mix of experiences, such as sauna and steam cabins, snowrooms, experience showers, hot vitality pools and cold plunge pools, hammams, ice fountains, tepidariums, frigidariums and other related ‘hot and cold’ water concepts”.
“Thermal bathing can deliver economic benefit for operators, due to reductions in labour costs and increases in customer flow,” explains Cattaneo, adding that thermal bathing circuits also attract people from local communities into hotel, spa and wellness facilities.
Regarding design approaches that support this emerging trend, Cattaneo says wellness areas can benefit from layouts focused on zoning and flow. “Myrtha Wellness favours the elimination of narrow corridors and claustrophobic thermal cabins to create convivial social circulation or piazza spaces and cabins with expansive glazing facades,” he says.
“The design and positioning of the spa in areas of the building where it’s possible to integrating the indoors and outdoors and involve nature and the external landscape results in improvements to the user wellness journey,” he explains.
Global expertise
The company’s industry know-how and trend-tracking expertise has resulted in it being engaged to create many high-profile wellness facilities across the world, many of which reflect a unique market or geographical location.
Cattaneo is particularly proud of the company’s installations in the recently-opened Wai Ariki Hot Springs & Spa in Rotorua, New Zealand.
This 4,453sq m spa and wellness centre is grounded in Te ao Maori culture, which emphasises the relationship between nature and people. This includes the design of the building and the two main spa areas: Te Āhuru Mōwai (The Sanctuary) and Wai Whakaora (Restorative Journey), which is made up of hot and cold experiences designed to maximise therapeutic benefit. The journey includes a herb pool and a mud experience and a frigidarium.
Myrtha Wellness and its industry partners are also involved in a project which is due to open at the Mandarin Oriental in Los Angeles, and the first three luxury hotels of the new Saudi Tourism Development under Red Sea Global.
This is in addition to projects due to open soon in the Middle East with a number of leading hotel operators.
In Europe, Myrtha has finished a project in the Accor MGallery Collection’s Domaine Reine Margot in Paris, while major upcoming projects in Italy include a Baccarat in Florence and a Marriott Edition in Lake Como.
A Myrtha luxury wellness area is also in the planning stages at a Four Seasons resort in the Bahamas.
When asked the secret to Myrtha’s success, Cattaneo says: “Our principles of design, innovation, technology and customer service have been widely recognised for years and are now in force at Myrtha Wellness, shaping projects and creating unique experiences for customers.”
More: www.myrthawellness.com
