With an odd-shaped building in an off the beaten path location in Mountain View, California, Aruna Day Spa posed a challenge right from the start. But architect David Fenster, founder of San Jose, California-based Modulus, turned that negative into a positive. “As opposed to many other high-end day spas, this location was much more urban and did not offer spectacular views or babbling brooks,” he says. “We turned the focus inward to create an environment that transported the clientele to a more serene and peaceful place.”
His design aesthetic: “to intertwine a modern simplicity with warm materials and poetic lighting.” To that end he accented a simple color palette (mostly white, with pops of red) with natural materials (a lot of wood and stone), sweeping arcs, scalloped walls, and a blend of natural and artificial lighting that “allowed the soft and gentle curves to create an organic space and movement while also providing a stage for quiet moments,” he explains.
The highlight of the space is definitely the sculptural gypsum-wrapped steel staircase with sisal carpeting and a wood handrail that sweeps from the lower to upper level and acts as an anchor for the curved product shelving. “It’s a path within this environment that is ever changing and provides a unique aspect to the overall experience of the day spa,” Fenster says. At its base is a concrete reflecting pool and fountain, which adds sound for the lobby and clients as they move from public to private spaces. And above is a large circular skylight that’s surrounded by fabric of varying heights and translucency, which create varying shadows throughout the day.
“Access to the upper level and overall circulation within the space presented quite a challenge. The goal was to interweave the movement throughout the space with the pattern of functions the clients would typically move through-but do it in such a way as to make it feel natural and not forced,” he says. “In addition, every square foot is at a premium so we needed to try and achieve that in a small footprint.”
