SOTHEBY'S PREVIEW, April 2003

FELICIA POLK EXPLORES THE RECENT TREND IN RELAXATION ROOMS

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During the 1971’s hip homeowners installed hot tubs in their residences. Now those same hipsters have grown up and want the 21st century version: the relaxation chamber.
Since the tragedies of 11th September and the subsequent economic situation, more people are retreating to there homes for sanctuary. Some in South Florida have taken it one step further by carving out an actual oasis – a haven from life’s stresses.
‘This is not about therapy’, says Marc Thee of Marc-Michael Interior Design of Boca Raton and Winter Park, Florida, who has created a handful of these rooms during the past few years. ‘It’s about trying to find a respite from this crazy world’.
For as little as $1,000 up could set up your own relaxation chamber: paint the walls a soothing colour, throw down a few mats and pillows, light candles, turn on some quiet music and disconnect the telephone. At the top end, the rooms are generally built as extensions of the exercise room or the bathroom. They usually lack complicated patters and colour. They are minimalist in design and take advantage of natural light. Furnishings could include lounge chairs or sofas.
One recently completed 929 sq. m (10,000 sq. ft.), Neo-Mediterranean mansion in Boca Raton has a 32.5 sq. m. (350 sq ft.) relaxation room, which was built for $250,000. The stone floor features a clam-shell-shaped pattern radiating from the soak tub. Stone columns surround the perimeter of the room. The furniture is covered in terry-cloth material and the colours of the room are cream and beige with accents of terracotta and gold.
‘People want to reconnect with their minds, bodies and spirits’, Thee says, ‘because people are only as good as the positive energy the are putting forth’.

Felica Polk is a Los Angelas-based writer whose work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and Town and Country.