Club culture to inclusivity: wellness spaces are changing and design is leading the way

It’s a sign of the wellness times that Tramp, the Mayfair members’ club famed for its late nights and even earlier mornings, will open Tramp Health this spring. How very yin to the yang. ‘I have always believed that a fulfilled life cannot exist on one side only,’ says CEO Luca Maggiora. ‘People want nights they remember – energy, friendship, music, the feeling of being alive together. They also want mornings that ground them – time to work on their body, their mind, their longevity, and to do it inside a community that understands them.’

In the process, Tramp Health isn’t just carving out a piece of a pie predicted to be worth close to £7 trillion by 2028, but rethinking the recipe for wellness interiors. Architect and interior designer Tommaso Franchi says the venue will honour the Tramp heritage with an aesthetic that ‘seamlessly blends natural materials, such as timber and stone, and sophisticated, alluring 1970s influences exemplified by stainless-steel cladding’.

A preview of Tramp Health’s interior

This new mood is epitomised by The Commons Health Club in Melbourne. ‘We wanted to signify a shift in the design of wellbeing spaces as being for real lives rather than the usual stereotypes,’ says Mark Simpson, creative director of DesignOffice. ‘We intentionally moved away from the binary aesthetics long associated with wellness – either hyper-masculine darkness or overly muted, spa-like femininity.’ They ‘pursued an environment that feels fresh, non-gendered, comfortable and rooted in everyday experience’.

A pool at The Commons Melbourne

Texture was key, adds Simpson, ‘to give the interiors a richness that unfolds gradually rather than relying on visual noise or spectacle. The mix of tiles, timber and stone introduces subtle shifts in pattern, light and tactility, encouraging members to feel rather than simply see the qualities of the space. This layered approach creates depth and softness, allowing each zone to have its own identity, while still feeling part of a cohesive whole’. The palette is rooted in soft green for freshness and light timber for warmth and approachability, while circular shapes, from tables to hanging mirrors, ‘naturally soften movement, creating a sense of flow that supports both physical and mental ease… and help to dissolve hierarchy and corners, encouraging a more inclusive spatial experience’.

The wellness suite at The Sloane Club

Curved detailing also features in the fitness area of The Sloane Club in London’s Chelsea. Founded in 1922 to provide accommodation to ex-servicewomen after World War I, the club recently enlisted Russell Sage to oversee a revamp. Arched mirrors feature in the gym ‘to break up the often rigid straight lines of the equipment and architectural features, creating a less severe, more harmonious atmosphere’ and to ‘naturally guide the eye upward, creating the illusion of a higher ceiling, making the gym feel more open’. Blue accenting on walls and carpets is a continuation of a colour theme from the rest of the club – but it’s also a hue, says Sage, that ‘promotes relaxation, mental clarity and balance’.

In Doha, the recently opened outpost of The Ned is housed in a 1970s building (formerly Doha’s Ministry of Interior) and has embraced a mid-century aesthetic with a retro-chic meets-modern-comfort vibe for the spa and gym ‘channelling the glamour of the 70s, while honouring local wellness traditions’, explains director of marketing Raja Naceur. The signature shade of Ned green is omnipresent but, in the gym, it’s partnered with a palette of neutrals and natural woods to foster relaxation, all under the direction of the Soho House interior-design team and David Chipperfield Architects. The Moroccan hammam, for instance, is clad in bespoke green and white marble – ‘a fresh twist that ties into The Ned’s iconic green Tinos-marble accents elsewhere’.

A changing room at The Ned Doha

Arches were key here too, with softer edges introduced to mirrors and doorways in contrast to the hotel’s more geometric look; even the furniture here has rounded edges. Tactile textiles further foster zen spa vibes: plush upholstery, woven rugs and warm ambient lights with a hint of vintage style features, such as Murano-glass fixtures.

Lighting is key to creating a new, less intimidating type of wellness space. It was central at The Grounding, the gym and wellness rooms in the basement of west London’s self-catering hotel from Mason & Fifth. Although it is subterranean, a circular ceiling window allows daylight to flood into the gym; the effect is mirrored in the next-door pool area using lighting to mimic natural light (PJC Light Studio worked with them to create a series of innovative luminaries). Overseen by the design and architecture firm TiggColl, every element is considered to lend a sense of gentleness and to bring nature inside, including panels of jute carpet, timber detailing and green plants. Cork tiles feature in the Pilates room. A drinks station includes a green-marble worktop and handle-less ceramic mugs. Lockers are off-white (no harsh metallics) and white-metal ceiling grilles disguise plumbing and distil light so that it looks like ripples of water on the honed stone floor. There’s a curated playlist for each space.

Reception desk at The Rogue Room

Music and lighting combine to relaxing effect at Rozana Hall’s The Rogue Room on Chance Street in Shoreditch. She’s doing things her own ‘rebellious wellness’ way, and says: ‘The future of wellbeing is not polished.’ The Rogue Room is vivid, impactful and ‘closer to the design language of club culture’. With Mark Shaw of Studioshaw, she’s embraced RGB brights and neon palettes, ‘cultivating an aesthetic that feels underground, gritty, alive’ and is shaped by music. Hall practices what she preaches and has introduced a vivid colour palette at home, too.

For Shaw, it’s about ‘not defaulting to expansive materials or layering luxe finishes’, but deploying his Re:Low philosophy of recycle, restore, repurpose, and thinking about how people move through spaces – corridors, for instance, aren’t dead space, but have a secondary function as places for impromptu gatherings. ‘Even at home,’ he says, ‘don’t be afraid to challenge conventional layouts.’ It seems designing for zen no longer means conforming to stereotypes – there’s inner peace to be found for everyone, whatever your style.