Described as an “immersive, design-focused spa activation”, the Spa of Unconscious Desires is coming to the Mondrian London at Sea Containers for a one-night residency on September 19, 2017, as part of the London Design Festival.
Taking place at the hotel’s Agua Bathhouse and Spa, the Spa of Unconscious Desires has been dreamt up by leading experts in multi-sensory experience design, Bompas & Parr. Tickets cost £80 per person and can be booked here.
The idea is that it is a continuation of the hotel’s existing “Spa Social” programme, a form of “health-minded socialising” where guests have exclusive after-hours access to the facilities. Although Globetrender hasn’t visited, we imagine this involves drinking and having facials with your friends. Although temporary, the Spa of Unconscious Desires signals a new direction for wellness and transformational travel in urban locations. A statement says that it will “push the boundaries between comfort, fear and disgust, submerging guests into a new interpretation of beauty and relaxation by playing with the predictable norms of spa treatments”.
The sensory menu has been created by emerging design talent Lucy Hardcastle, Method Studio, Edible Stories, and Lyon & Lyon, with the intention of encouraging guests to indulge in their “alter ego shadow selves”.
What can you experience at the Spa of Unconscious Desires?
Shadow Wrap
Guests experience total darkness as they are cocooned in a whole-body wrap, coupled with an immersive monologue by Lucy Hardcastle and accompanied by a design object that encapsulates the sensory deprivation that will be felt during the treatment. The Shadow Wrap is combined with a muscle-melting scalp treatment for total relaxation. Additionally, guests will also be able to consume their before and after treatment “self” through an edible object created by Edible Stories.
Veil of Terra
Visitors will self-apply mud masks using a textured mirror designed by Edible Stories and manufactured from “melting metal”. Guests will leave the mask on for 15 minutes in the steam room, then in the shower, use a specially designed “dirt soap”, conceptualised by Lyon & Lyon, to remove it.
Shamanic Egg Healing
A group activity where rituals developed by Mesoamerican shamans are practised to rid the body of toxins. Guests then get to break their toxin-filled egg to symbolically crush the negativity out of their lives.
Magma Massage
Volcanic stones are used to create a “seismic sound bath”. Lyon & Lyon have created stone objects to be placed over the ears during a massage – the grating of the material amplifies sound, creating an intense and claustrophobic feeling.
Chromatic Nail Bar
Guests will receive mirrored manicures colour-matched to their mood and their choice of cocktail. Guests will receive three micro treatments, along with a choice of two beverages complete with a palate-matching dish.
The food and beverage offering from My Lyan (Ryan Chetiyawardana, the hotel’s bartender) will include:
Poinsettia Daiquiri – Greener grass rum, lime, Thai basil, pear, green and red tomato
Connotations of ripeness and fertility, linked to our fight or flight mechanisms. A bright green coupette glass is topped with a vibrant red powder. The aroma is that of rich fruit, whilst the drink is green and fresh.
Served with beet dyed devilled eggs.
Millennial Pink – Hibiscus and mint gin, amaranth, pink citrus, pomegranate, soda
Garnished with dianthus and spritzed with vanilla and strawberry, but purposefully kept tart and fresh.
Served with savoury Battenberg.
Colour Changing Corpse Reviver – Absinthe, Macqui tequila, lemon, Cointreau, Lillet
A coupette glass is filled with liquid that looks white, but slowly turns to blue and then red as additional liquids are added.
Served with a marzipan and fondant marble cube.