There's a new icon on the horizon, and it's coming from a most unexpected source: Harads, a small town in Swedish Lapland.
Perhaps it shouldn't be such a surprise – after all, Harads has already given travellers the Treehotel, an eco-friendly seven-room hotel suspended high in the trees of a Lappish forest. Now, also from Kent Lindvall, visitors can anticipate a new addition to the pantheon of modernist Scandi architecture with the opening of Arctic Bath, a luxury spa with its own unique location – the middle of the Lule River.
Designed by architects Bertil Harström and Johan Kauppi, the spa will offer a romantic getaway with an otherworldly backdrop, operating all year round from the middle of the river. In the winter, this will mean a sweeping vista of smooth white ice, while summer will bring with it gently lapping currents and birdsong.
According to artists' renderings, the shape of the spa is inspired by the region's logging heritage, as piles of logs would occasionally jam in the river. The spa building will ring a central cold bath, and contain saunas, treatment rooms and relaxation rooms, a restaurant, bar and lounge.
Nearby, but separate from the main structure to preserve the peace and privacy of the surroundings, will be six guest rooms, each accommodating two people. Ideal for a romantic getaway, the spa will sleep just 12 guests in total. The entire hotel will be situation downstream from the bridges of Bodtraskfors, and just north of the Treehotel.
Currently slated to open at the end of 2019, space will be available to book from July onwards. Interested? Let us know and we will make sure to let you know as soon as space can be reserved. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook to stay up to date.
