Building the Bathhouse World

Bathhouses have always intrigued me—the way the space makes a personal and intimate ritual, like bathing oneself, a fairly public act (with strangers nonetheless!)

As I dove into research for the Redoux Bathhouse Bar, I realized the practice of communal bathing was popular across different cultural backgrounds. Still, some qualities floated to the top. In bathhouses around the globe, you're likely to find a sauna (dry heat), steam (wet heat), varying temperature baths, or a ritual-based wash performed by someone else. The Bathhouse Bar explores how bathing encourages a reset. Bathing is a moment to commune with ourselves—and curating an environment for the reset is part of personal renewal...

...The hot steam and sounds of water echoing off the tiles. The spatial awareness of being vulnerable. The scent of soap coating the room, lingering through thick air and penetrating the skin, and all of your senses—heavily imprinting a cleanse onto my entire system. The rhythmic nature of the experience, from having your body scrubbed to the rippling of the pools of water, creates an experience I can only describe as "fluid." It's powerful, but it's not intrusive.

Why does taking a bath make us feel so special? To me, it's the water. The sound, movement, and feeling of water is the connecting element that allows us to be relieved of stress and find a place of balance. Refreshing, pure, and abundant.

The experience of a bathhouse leaves you cleansed—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I've found that being cleansed in all these aspects can create a feeling of internal weightlessness, similar to gently floating with your ear submerged underwater. That's even what I love about taking a bath at home.

These aspects translate to a cloudy blue, green color. I readily compare the color to what water looks like in motion, and ripples crash into one another. Visually, it creates a space of peace and balance. Its scent translates to crisp, herbal, and noticeably wet—like cold air on warm, wet skin after getting out of the bath.