Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The spa building for Al Maha desert resort and spa in Dubai, UAE, was a turning point in the resort's short history, which has been acknowledged by the numerous awards it has received.

A WELLNESS EXPERIENCE

Like the resort itself, the spa building sought to offer a spa and wellness experience unique to its desert location.

The result is a building that unfolds as a journey, like a cluster of small buildings, the feeling is more of walking through a small settlement, where every turn creates a vista which draws the guest; at which point another vista is revealed and so on.

It has seven level changes across its single storey, following the natural lie of the land, and thus preserve as much of its indigenous location. The architectural language is indigenous to desert architecture of the region – and most of the work carried out using traditional methods by local craftsmen.

The spa treatments are unique to the Al Maha Spa, formulated using local resources – another way of supporting local industry while making the development unique to location.

The spa secured a position in 'the top ten best spas in the world' by Conde Naste. Additionally, with the development of the Spa, the government of Dubai, extended the resorts land for 25km² to 5% of Dubai's land, which is now managed by WWF and preserved as the first conservation park in the Middle East.