Mii amo Spa
Sedona, Ariz.
Gluckman Mayner Architects

A spa reckons with a spectacular natural setting and navigates the nuances of New Age therapies

© Harry Zernike

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

The client for this spa envisioned a facility catering to a sophisticated clientele seeking both pampering and healing. It would perfectly fit the locality’s holistic, therapeutic orientation while also widening the appeal of a resort built for tennis in the early 1980s that had failed to live up to the potential of its unique setting. Within its 24,000 square feet the spa needed treatment rooms to house a wide range of therapies. The program included both indoor and outdoor pools, as well as an exercise room, yoga room, library, cafe, demonstration kitchen, and outdoor area for tai chi and stretching, while accommodating customized programs ranging from weight loss to drug-and-alcohol detoxification (a three-day package can range from $1,890 to $2,790).

The complexities of site and program might have resulted in a sprawling, informal layout. The architect instead created an exceptionally disciplined plan, responding to both a small site and the firm’s own design proclivities. From a central north-south corridor that stretches the entire length of the structure, treatment clients enter a dressing area with lockers, sauna, steam room, and whirlpool. They ascend within adobe-brick-clad towers to the upper level, where they are greeted by their assigned therapists, who conduct them to one of 16 treatment rooms. Skylights open onto the cliffs looming above. The pool deck opens to a Cinemascope-sized canyon panorama.

Clients come to this "destination" spa for three- to seven-day experiences and stay in one of 16 casitas—handsomely appointed rooms opening to a shared patio or to intimate courts or decks. Elegantly striated stone countertops quietly echo the geologic drama outside. Sunlight dapples deep tile-clad tubs, and, diffused by the enclosing walls of the outdoor spaces, spreads evenly over wood cabinetry and woven, striped carpet runners.

See the May 2001 issue of Architectural Record for full coverage of this project.

Formal name of building:
Mii amo — a Spa at Enchantment Resort

Location:
Sedona, Ariz.

Gross square footage:
24,000 sq ft

Total construction cost:
$7.2 million

Owner:
Sedona Resort Management

Architect's firm:
Gluckman Mayner Architects
250 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10013
www.gluckmanmayner.com