‘Wellness rooms’ are claiming space in many homes
[March 29, 2025]
By KIM COOK
Our homes have been multitasking for a while now. They may be where we
work, they are certainly where we play, and in today’s stress-filled
world, they’re often the place where we feel most at peace.
Spurred by the pandemic, dens became offices, extra bedrooms became
workout zones, dining rooms morphed into multifunctional creative
spaces.
Often, we’re seeing rooms transformed into sanctuaries of self-care:
welcome to the “wellness room.”
“Small sophisticated home gyms, music rooms, meditation rooms and Zen
gardens are some of the wellness spaces we’ve designed recently,” says
designer Gonzalo Bueno, who owns the firm Ten Plus Three in Dallas.
“Spaces for wellness, retreat and recharging are all really popular
right now.”
Bueno and his team combined several of these ideas in a home renovation
in Austin, Texas. There is an outdoor Zen garden, flanked indoors by a
meditation room on one side and the soaking tub of the primary bath on
the other, with both facing a serene green space.
Holistic high and low tech
“Soundbathing,” where you immerse yourself in soothing instrumental and
natural sounds, has become popular at many professional spas. Now,
companies are making versions for the home, or you can set one up
yourself.
Create a low-tech soundbathing studio with some comfy pillows, yoga
mats, essential oil scent and dimmed lights or candles and then either
play or use recorded sounds of chimes, singing bowls and gongs. You can
find links to meditation sounds online.
There are full-size beds available that use low frequency sound and
vibrations, or you can find cushion-y mats with some of the same
features, far less costly.
Traditional saunas use steam, but infrared light saunas are an
easier-to-install alternative for indoors. Several makers offer single,
two-or three-person versions made of wood or just an insulated fabric.
Fancy ones come equipped with Bluetooth audio and color-changing lights.
If you really want to splash out on an in-house, multi-sensory, luxury
experience, there are shower units integrating tech into customizable
water, steam, lighting and music.
Quiet and maybe deep
Jack Ovadia, whose eponymous design firm is based in New York, created a
one-person onsen, the Japanese deep-soak-style tub, for a Phoenix
client. The cocoon-like space has a contemplative wall of terrazzo
pebbles and a pretty, petal-bedecked chandelier above.
But he also is doing wellness rooms that can multi-serve with a sauna
and then an invigorating cold plunge tub. In his own home, he has an
area to practice yoga and Pilates.
“Having a private space is essential," Ovadia says. "A wellness room
should be a space where the outside world dissolves; no background
noise, no movement beyond your own. This is where you go to let go; to
drop into something quieter, something deeper.”
Celebrating creativity solo or with your peeps
Your ideal wellness room might be a little more energetic than the
serene, spa-like versions.
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This photo provided by Ovadia Design Group, shows a primary bath
with an Onsen tub in Phoenix. (Ovadia Design Group via AP)
 “We’re designing more music rooms,”
Bueno says, “which isn’t surprising since music is so healing. “
He notes how much fun it is to work with clients who have a passion
— “art, yoga, music or entertaining” — and design spaces to help
bring that passion home.
“Recent clients had an extensive vinyl collection," he says. "Others
have wanted a room to enjoy music during large family gatherings.”
Materials and accessories to set the mood
Make sure the size of the space suits your activity and you use
materials to set the tone.
“Bring in warmth and a sense of calm with things like natural tan
oak, cork, bamboo, neutral tones and organic textures,” Ovadia says.
Small table lights can be set on a timer to play calming nature
sounds. Some offer a soft amber glow or an array of soothing
day-to-evening hues. Invest in a comfy sectional if you have space,
or look for flop-worthy giant beanbags and squooshy oversize chairs.
If it’s an energy-filled space you’re after, Bueno has some
suggestions for lighting that kicks things up a little, or a lot.
“We did a home gym with red accents, to bring in passion and
motivating energy,” he says.
Engaging art can add to that vibe. Bueno mounted a clubby neon work
in a large music/family room that says, “This Must Be the Place.” In
the red gym hangs a contemporary piece that reads, “Keep On Keeping
On.”
And for the quiet well room? Dreamy nature photographs, prints or
mural wallpaper would be the chef’s kiss.
If you don't have room for a wellness room
Nowhere to stake out a wellness room in your own place? You might
have something similar in your hometown.
Public wellness spaces are becoming places to jive and gather as
well. So-called social spas offering traditional spa services, as
well as group hangout spaces and social activities, are popping up
around the U.S.
“It’s the new nightclub,” Ovadia says. “Self-care is evolving into a
shared experience, becoming a prominent scene rather than just a
side routine.”
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New York-based writer Kim Cook covers design and decor topics
regularly for The Associated Press. Follow her on Instagram at @kimcookhome.
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