fbpx
We rely on advertising revenue to support the creative content on our site. Please consider whitelisting our site in your settings, or pausing your adblocker while stopping by.

Get the Magazine

Private spa by Soler Orozco Arquitectos

In the mountains of Tepoztlán, about two hours south of Mexico City, a private spa by Soler Orozco Arquitectos invites nature to flow right through it. Located a short walk from an ultramarathon runner’s weekend home, the getaway provides a quiet place for its owner to escape the city and work out in peace. “He enjoys spending time on his own,” explains Juan Soler, co-principal at Soler Orozco.

An Aztec calendar sits outside the building’s main corridor, formed by two masonry walls covered in stucco.
An Aztec calendar sits outside the building’s main corridor, formed by two masonry walls covered in stucco.

By leaving its forest setting largely untouched, the project also honours the beauty of its region, known as the birthplace of the Aztec god that created humankind. Made from volcanic stone and concrete slab covered in vegetation, the spa’s truncated cone–shaped design effectively camouflages it within its mystical surroundings — even carving space for existing trees directly into its sloped walls. The structure’s rounded form also means that it lacks any distinct boundaries or borders, merging with the natural world around it. “It becomes like its own mountain,” says Soler.

Positioned directly in the centre of the roof, a void carries sunlight and rain into the room below.
Positioned directly in the centre of the roof, a void carries sunlight and rain into the room below.
A double-sided staircase grants roof access from both inside and outside.
A double-sided staircase grants roof access from both inside and outside.

To enter the building, one walks into an open passage that cuts right through its centre. Formed by two masonry walls covered in stucco, this narrow hallway’s sense of compression makes the round room at the core all the more dramatic. Additional spaces — including a gym, sauna, cold plunge pool, massage room and change rooms — radiate out from this inner sanctum to create a ground floor that’s entirely “dedicated to the body,” says Soler.

The rooftop firepit and hot tub are bordered by cacti and other native plants selected by the landscape team PAAR Taller.
The rooftop firepit and hot tub are bordered by cacti and other native plants selected by the landscape team PAAR Taller.

Throughout the seasons, the building harnesses the elements to work with nature, rather than against it. Passive ventilation removes the need for air conditioning, while rainwater gets re-used for the pools and showers. As raindrops hit the disc-shaped roof, they fall through the circular void at the centre and into the round space below, where they then filter into underground cisterns. As they crash onto the ground, the sound echoes throughout the space, encouraging quiet contemplation.

While many wellness environments engage nature to deliver a heightened sense of calm, it is clear that this one taps into something even more spiritual.

Soul Meets Body in a Mexico Spa

A primordial retreat channels the stillness and power of its setting near humanity’s mythical birthplace.

We rely on advertising revenue to support the creative content on our site. Please consider whitelisting our site in your settings, or pausing your adblocker while stopping by.