Pandox has opened Atera Bathhouse and Spa in Glasgow city centre, Scotland, a multi-million-pound project that matters to building and architecture professionals because it shows a hotel owner fitting a 2,350 sq m standalone wellness destination into an existing hotel building.

Pandox, a Stockholm-headquartered hotel property owner, also owns the Radisson Blu hotel above the spa, which is managed separately by Axiom Hospitality, and Atera has its own street entrance as well as an internal lift for hotel guests.

BBSpa Group is an international spa, wellness and longevity consultancy with offices in Edinburgh, Paris and Florence, responsible for Atera’s concept, design and operation under a 10-year management agreement with Pandox.

Kirsty MacCormick, SVP of global operations at BBSpa Group, said: “We’re seeing groups of women and men travelling for up to two hours for a wellness day that can include bathing and thermal experiences, a treatment and lunch.”

HD Property Consultants acted as project manager and quantity surveyor, ADP Architecture as architect and AKP as main contractor, with Butler Consulting Engineers, Blyth and Blyth, Kevan Shaw Lighting Design, Barr + Wray and Starpool also contributing.

The structural driver is owners adding wellness to existing hotel assets, with Pandox’s Glasgow hotel, described by MarketScreener, opened in 2002 to a design by architects Gordon Murray and Alan Dunlop and since refurbished across 247 rooms.

For the sector, the timing matters because Pandox has owned the hotel since 2018, and The Caterer lists it among the group’s UK holdings, so Atera adds a further phase to a long-held building.

Technical content is substantial, as the thermal engineering team designed a 12 m by 8 m hydrotherapy pool operating at around 37°C alongside saunas, steam rooms, a hammam and rasul, which calls for specialist pool, plant and services design.

The broader implication for the sector is that hotel owners adding wellness venues create demand for architects, services engineers and pool specialists, with BBSpa UK reporting more than 30 UK projects in development.

Source: CLAD Global / Spa Business / MarketScreener / The Caterer