Beige wrapped interiors, natural finishes, and a constant connection back to nature. These are some of the features that define the world of wellness retreats. A world designed to be sensitive and soothing rather than ignite conversation. However, Atelier Caracas’ 2020: A Spa Odyssey in Venezuelan capital creates a very different experience. Visitors become submerged in an alternate universe; where interiors are more reminiscent of a Sci-Fi film than a conventional spa. Architects have injected colour and energetic personality into its once white walls, bringing unpredictability to relaxation spaces.

Upon entering, guests slip into a world unlike the one existing outside. Enveloped by the pastel pink interiors of an “airtight hermetic bubble”, visitors become characters within a mysterious other realm. A realm where the noise of the city becomes a distant memory. The client specifically requested the creation of a day spa that was “out of this world”, creating a space which defied typical aesthetics and experiences. Atelier Caracas did not disappoint. The studio has redefined rejuvenation, drawing inspiration from the surreal aesthetic of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. The architecture has been largely informed by the film, architects distilling the dreamlike imagery of the surreal sets and scenography within the design. The result is the creation of “surreal perspectives, a diffused threshold between earth and outer space”.

The interior combines the imagery of a high-tech spaceship with that of a cave – strip lighting and reflective surfaces coupled with the roughness of natural materials. The ribbed slab ceiling structure has been left exposed and sprayed with stucco. It’s body now reminiscent of the coarse inner surface of a cave – only dipped in a pastel pink hue. A laminate-clad reception desk rests precariously on top of a large stone found on the city’s outskirts, standing like an alien in its new home. Its jagged body sits in contrast to the shiny, polished white floors beneath it – the strange junction capturing the bizarre, surreal world created in this captivating interior.

Timber panels are laid out in succession to create cubicles. Each one features a large oculus that may evoke excitement in SciFi film lovers, existing as a subliminal nod to Kubrick’s antagonist, the A.I body known as HAL. Rose-tinted glass dividers sit between cubicles as a coloured lens that washes the whole room in pink, distorting the visitors’ ability to hold on to their perception of reality in this imaginative environment. A collection of clay-potted plants dot the interior – a quiet reminder you have not floated into space but are still firmly rooted in the earth’s soil.

[Words by Caitlin Miller. Images courtesy of Atelier Caracas. Photography by Saúl Yuncoxar + Catalina Quintana.]