#Industry News
Ironmonger Row Baths SPA: creative colour combinations using porcelain tiles
The Ironmonger Row Baths restoration project, by Sauna 360 UK, won third prize in the Office and Shopping Centres, Public and Service Buildings category of the 13th edition of the Grand Prix architecture competition
The Ironmonger Row Baths restoration project, by Sauna 360 UK, won third prize in the Office and Shopping Centres, Public and Service Buildings category of the 13th edition of the Grand Prix architecture competition, with the following motivation: ‘The radical renovation of the long-established spa in the city centre involved redesigning the spaces and creating new atmospheres. The project used the most expressive, stylish materials in the Casalgrande Padana collections, chosen to enhance the various spaces and services. The undisputed key element in the project is porcelain stoneware, the material used to bring expressive character to the whole spa, with carefully studied combinations of colours and finishes.’
Originally built in the 1930s and comprising a swimming pool with Turkish bath, hot rooms and a cold plunge pool in the basement, the Ironmonger Row Baths spa was upgraded in 2012 with the addition of saunas and steam rooms. After the fire that destroyed part of the building in 2022, Sauna 360 UK was entrusted with the complete restoration of the area affected, comprising both the construction materials and the services offered. The aim of the project was to turn the baths into a temple of wellness, relaxation and peace.
Casalgrande Padana porcelain tiles were chosen for both the floors and the walls: Amazzonia Dragon Brown, in the 60x60 cm size, was used for the floors, while the walls were tiled with the Marmoker collection, in the colours Birimbau, Caribbean Green, Night Storm and Statuario Grigio, and the Onici collection, in the colour Onice Arancio, in the sizes 60x120 cm and 120x278 cm.
Coming out of the changing area, guests can turn right for the modern saunas, aroma steam rooms and feature showers, or left for the traditional saunas, cold plunge pools and massage tables, with spacious relaxation areas in the centre. The more modern area of the spa houses the juniper sauna, with automatic infusion and infra-red panels, and the Finnish salt sauna. The stylish juniper wall, with its characteristic spiced aroma, is a delight for both the eyes and the nose, while in the Finnish sauna, the backlit salt wall and the elegant finishes can be admired from the outside through the glass façade.
The same modern area also houses a luxurious aroma steam room, with a relaxing atmosphere created thanks to the under-bench lighting and to the abundance of steam infused with essences that vary according to the season.
In addition to the aroma steam room, guests can enjoy a salt inhalation steam room, in which the infusion of a mint or lemon essence complements the automated salt spray, enhancing the inhalation benefits.
Completing this central area are two showers with warm and cool programs using essences, as well as a room with an ice and iced mint spray, a long recliner bench designed for comfort and equipped with infra-red heating, and a large relaxation area.
In the traditional area are a sequence of hot rooms with a gradually increasing temperature as guests move inwards, all covered with large-format porcelain tiles, while outside the hot rooms are a cleansing shower and a large plunge pool with an exclusive heat recovery system. Also in the traditional area are two heated massage slabs for wet massage treatments by the spa therapists, and benching with heated footrests under the backlit wall.
Ph: Simon Callaghan Photography
