This Elm Grove, Wisc. remodel began with a large, plain basement laundry room. It was a space the homeowners rarely used since they already had laundry facilities upstairs. Located next to the family’s home gym, the area offered the perfect opportunity for creating a private wellness spa where they could relax, recover and recharge after workouts.
Before specifying the equipment and fixtures for the 300-square-foot space, Christina Kolb, design manager of Delafield, Wisc.-based Kowalske Kitchen & Bath, did a lot of research on cold plunges, discovering that most of the models did not require any direct plumbing, but could be filled and drained with a hose. She also learned that many tubs of this kind required clearances that ate up valuable floorspace. “This knowledge has already come in handy in another basement sauna/wellness spa we are currently designing,” she said.
Planning the Basement Wellness Spa
Kolb wanted to have the cold plunge next to the sauna so that family members could move between the two fixtures easily. The cold plunge and hydrotherapy tub are both arranged on either side of a new plumbing wall that was built around the location of the existing water supply lines in the basement. The designer chose this layout to avoid disrupting the existing hydronic in-floor heating system.
Since drilling into the floor to re-locate any drain or supply lines would have been risky, Kolb created beautiful tiled platforms for the cold plunge and the new hydrotherapy tub. This way she was able to use the supply and drain that were already located in the room to facilitate the new plumbing.
Kolb cultivated created a warm, organic feel for the wellness spa space by bringing in natural design elements with stone, tile and different wood elements to create a tranquil backdrop of neutral paint colors and soft tile.
The lighting was a very important element in the subterranean space. Because this room is in a basement, the designer wanted to make sure that options existed to have a light, bright and airy atmosphere, but also be able to create a subtle mood with the accent lighting. The accent lights are on dimmers to highlight the ipe wood accent wall, wash the stone wall, and emphasize the design elements of the sauna. Installing these lighting options allows the wellness spa to have different moods, from invigorating to restful.
Sources
Design: Christina Kolb, Design Director at Kowalske Kitchen & Bath; Photography: Kyleen DzPloch Photography; Cabinets: Custom Wood Products; Cabinet Hardware: Top Knobs; Countertops: MSI Surfaces; Faucets, Lighting, Mirrors, Sinks, Toilet, Tub (heated massage), Tub Filler: Kohler; Flooring: Mannington; Paint: Sherwin-Williams; Sauna: Sunlighten; Tile: 21st Century Tile, Daltile; Stone: The Tile Shop; Tub (cold plunge): Plunge; Ventilation: Broan
