The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians partnered with JCJ Architecture to provide full planning and design services for the Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza.
Located in Palm Springs, California, the facility spans a 5.8-acre site in the city’s downtown and encompasses the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, the Oasis Trail and Gathering Plaza, and the Spa at Séc-he. JCJ Architecture worked under the direction of Agua Caliente tribal leaders, who have been stewards and custodians of the Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring and surrounding lands since time immemorial.
The interiors draw inspiration from Tribal culture and the beauty of the natural surroundings
An outdoor space inspired by traditions of the Agua Caliente people welcomes visitors, encouraging the exploration of nature, tradition, and relaxation defined by an Oasis Trail running through the center of the site.
The Gathering Plaza is surrounded by Washingtonia filifera, also known as California fan palms, and rock formations inspired by the nearby canyons, the ancestral homeland of the Agua Caliente people that lie at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains. Guests can walk a trail similar to the Tribe’s nearby Indian Canyons engaging with native plants and resources that helped to provide the Agua Caliente people with food, medicine, and shelter—an expression of the region’s natural beauty and the Tribe’s deep connection to the land.
The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum was created to first serve the Tribal membership, and second to act as an educational institution by preserving, sharing, and conserving the culture and story of a people deeply connected to the land. The design process engaged various stakeholders to ensure a respectful response that required the project’s functional, visual, and experiential elements.
The 73,000-square-foot spa complex features one-of-a-kind treatments and cutting-edge therapies, all in a tranquil setting that redefines the luxury spa experience
The Tribe’s goals of educating Tribal youth, creating a cultural legacy for Tribal elders, and enlightening the public were achieved through a discovery and design process that kept the Tribe’s history at the forefront. The nearly 10,000-square-foot exhibit space contains five galleries that include art, artifacts, and visual media that tell the history of the Tribe and its presence in the region. The building incorporates colors, patterns, textures, and imagery of significance, creating a backdrop for exhibitions and events and archival spaces to house a variety of objects and artifacts.
The Agua Caliente Hot Mineral Spring, known to the Tribe as Séc-he, the namesake of the Spa at Séc-he, is an important spiritual landmark to the Tribe, serving as a place of health, restoration, and repose.
The Tribe’s ongoing decision to invite guests to participate in the tradition of bathing in the spring’s water resulted in the construction of 22 private mineral baths, a salt cave, treatment rooms, a fitness room, a health-forward café, saunas, steam rooms, cryotherapy, whirlpools, and pools, some of which are fed by the hot spring itself.
Dazzling mosaics bring the vibrant colors of the spa’s natural setting into relaxation areas
An interior garden space at the center of the treatment rooms is illuminated by a skylight and includes a water feature, creating a calming atmosphere that completely immerses guests in the spiritual and physical healing of the Hot Mineral Spring.
With the goal to create a unique destination that preserves and honors the history and culture of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the resulting campus transcends its physical footprint to become a cornerstone of the community and a destination of great significance.
The destination has earned numerous accolades including recognition as one of Time Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024.
JCJ’s design process engaged with the Tribe to ensure a respectful response that required functional, visual, and experiential elements of the project
Photos by Chipper Hatter | This sponsored content was created collaboratively by JCJ Architecture, the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, and HD.
