A Place to Pause: Designing Saunas and Spa Spaces at Home
05 September 2025 by Simon Drayson
In the quiet heat of a sauna, time slows down. Steam curls in the air, and the noise of the day falls away. Whether it’s a timber-clad garden retreat or a spa-style bathroom hidden behind a bedroom door, wellness spaces are fast becoming the soul of the home – places not just to wash, but to rest, recover, and return to yourself.
At George and James, we design homes that feel as good as they look. Lately, more and more of our clients are asking for spaces that support not just how they live, but how they feel. Saunas, steam rooms, cold plunges and deep, meditative baths are no longer reserved for hotels. With the right design, they can belong to everyday life.
From Scandinavian Sauna to Sussex Garden
Wellness doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. For some, it’s a dry-heat sauna at the edge of the garden; for others, a walk-in shower and limestone bench where the day can begin slowly. What matters most is that these spaces feel personal, purposeful, and beautifully made.
We’ve designed spa-style master suites in Georgian homes, where the bathroom becomes a quiet companion to the bedroom. We’ve created garden saunas – simple, sculptural forms nestled into the landscape, sometimes near a swimming pool, sometimes paired with an outdoor shower and a cold plunge. We’ve even combined saunas and gym spaces inside multi-use garden rooms, allowing wellness to slip naturally into the rhythm of the day.
The Architecture of Calm
Designing a good sauna or spa space isn’t just about the heat source or the bath fittings. It’s about how the space makes you feel. We begin by understanding the ritual. Is it part of your morning routine? A weekend reset? A daily wind-down before bed?
From there, we consider:
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Placement: Is it tucked at the end of a garden path or hidden behind a linen curtain? Does it connect with a bedroom, or stand on its own as a retreat?
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Light and texture: Think of the soft warmth of larch, the grain of stone underfoot, the flicker of low evening light.
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Connection to nature: We’re big believers in the power of a view – whether it’s a strip of sky above a bath or the silhouette of trees through sauna glass.
Above all, it’s about creating a pause in the day – a space that doesn’t ask anything of you.
Where Architecture Meets Ritual
A wellness space doesn’t need to be large. It just needs to feel intentional. A carefully detailed bathroom can hold just as much calm as a full wellness suite. But when it is part of a larger plan, we work closely with you to fold it into the architecture of your life.
That might mean:
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A poolside sauna that completes an outdoor living zone.
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A garden room with space to work, stretch and sweat – and then step into the steam.
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A master suite designed around stillness, with a private spa beyond the dressing room.
As ever, we work closely with trusted specialists where needed – but we lead with space, flow and feeling.
Wellness, Your Way
At George and James, we don’t believe in design for its own sake. Every detail is shaped around you, your lifestyle, your rituals, your vision of home. So if you’ve been dreaming of a space that invites stillness, we’d love to help you shape it.
Because wellness doesn’t have to wait for the weekend.
It can begin at home.