Thermal spa design & guest experience
Champneys Forest Mere
Resort SPa | Hampshire, UK
A spa immersed in the woodland around it.
Designing a thermal spa for Champneys Forest Mere that draws guests into the ancient woodland surrounding the retreat.
Our role
Spa Planning & DesignShaping the overall spa experience around Forest Mere’s unique woodland setting.
Creating a journey through heat, water and cold, from immersive thermal cabins to the UK’s first real snow cabin.
Thermal Experience DesignInterior DesignDeveloping the natural materials, lighting and bespoke details that bring the character of the forest inside.
The brief
Bringing the forest into the spa
Champneys Forest Mere sits within more than 160 acres of ancient woodland and lake in the Hampshire countryside, part of the South Downs. The original brief was to improve guest flow, update the spa’s interiors and enhance its thermal experiences.
Working within a protected woodland setting brought its own responsibility. The spa needed to feel contemporary while retaining the quiet character and sense of place that made Forest Mere distinctive.
Rather than imposing a new identity, we saw an opportunity to strengthen the connection between the spa and the landscape around it, allowing the forest to become an integral part of the guest experience.
“
The work Butterscotch Design have completed so far for Champneys has been a resounding success, making a really positive contribution to our existing guests as well as attracting the younger generation, which will help form the future of Champneys for years to come.
Ray Piper, Director, Champneys
What we did
Designing a complete thermal and treatment experience
The forest became the starting point for the spa design. Natural stone, hand-finished timber, woven textures and forest textures are layered with grounding neutrals, while low lighting echoes the dappled light beneath the tree canopy.
Real pine trees, treated for interior use, are integrated directly into the architecture, alongside rustic waney-edge timber panelling. Glass, natural materials and carefully framed views blur the boundary between the spa and the woodland beyond.
The idea carries through to the smaller details too. Bespoke glass etching references the surrounding landscape, while the circular rooflight in the deep relaxation room creates the impression of looking upwards into the tree canopy.
The thermal journey
A journey through heat, water and cold
The thermal journey was designed as a sequence of contrasting experiences, moving guests through heat, water, cold and deep relaxation while maintaining the connection to nature.
Immersive experience showers, pine-infused aroma steam and thermal cabins sit alongside hydropools and relaxation spaces. Full-height glass and views through the spa allow the woodland to remain present as guests move between experiences.
At the heart of the journey is the UK’s first real snow cabin, introducing an intense cold experience in contrast to the warmth of the thermal suite. From here, guests can move into quieter spaces for recovery and relaxation, including poolside daybeds, social relaxation around the fire and areas designed simply to stop, rest and look out towards the trees.
The outcome
A spa shaped by its setting
Forest Mere became a spa that feels intrinsically connected to the landscape around it. From real pine trees and natural materials to views into the woodland and details inspired by the canopy, the design gives the resort a distinctive identity rooted in its setting.
The new thermal experiences added greater variety to the guest journey, while spaces for socialising, quiet relaxation and recovery created different ways to spend time within the spa.
The project also helped establish an approach to nature-led spa design that we have continued to develop since, creating experiences that respond to their surroundings rather than simply sitting within them.
Planning a spa or wellness project?
Whether you’re developing a new destination or rethinking an existing space, we can help shape the right experience from the start.