Park Hotel Kenmare opens new wellness destination

Park Hotel Kenmare in Ireland has revealed Landscape, its new spa and wellness destination.

The 900sqm spa marks a significant development in the Relais & Chateaux hotel’s 129-year history.

Park Hotel is owned by Bryan and Tara Meehan, former founders of Fresh & Wild. They created Landscape on a simple belief: that our relationships to the land and water, to nature, ourselves and one another, is what determines how well we live.

Landscape was designed by Jo Nagasaka of Schemata Architects in Tokyo, together with Bantry-based architect Joe Collins. Spa consultancy was by Lisa Knowles from the Spa Set.

Using the surrounding outer landscape not just as a backdrop, but as an active ingredient, this team have created a spa that looks out into the beauty of nature.

A focus on communal bathing

Landscape’s philosophy encourages guests to be exactly where they are and open to whatever stirs their heart. The Stone Bath (pictured top) sits at its heart, inspired by the centuries-old tradition of communal bathing.

An outdoor warm mineral bath, heated to 38˚C, it is open year-round and centred around a single great stone from the nearby Dromgarriff Rainforest. Two ceramic baths sit beside it, suitable for one or two guests.

The spa offers five treatment rooms, a cold plunge, steam room, sauna and lap pool. Treatments have been developed in partnership with Susanne Kaufmann and Seabody. Thermal areas are by KLAFS.

High-tech optimisation

Landscape also offers significant tech-delivered optimisation experiences, devised for the owners by Dr Mark Hyman.

These include Celluma Light Therapy LED masks, Flowpresso lymphatic drainage suits and Mito Light Master 5.0 full-body red and near-infrared light therapy.

The spa offers Cell Pro Interval Hypoxia-Hyperoxia Training (IHHT) and infrared heat and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF).

In the fitness centre there is a Technogym-equipped gym and a Pilates and yoga studio. This is equipped with both reformers and a Pilates Cadillac.

A sense of place

Lisa Knowles joined the project to support the development of the guest journey, the treatment menu and overall spa experience.

“A key consideration was ensuring the experience felt connected to Landscape’s extraordinary setting,” she said. “The views from the bathing experiences and the use of local elements such as seaweed all provide opportunities for guests to slow down, connect with nature and experience a genuine sense of place.”

The spa sits alongside the Victorian hotel and is accompanied by six new Landscape suites, which contrast with the original hotel bedrooms.

Each suite, named from lines written by Irish poets, looks out into the woodland and over Kenmare Bay through floor-to-ceiling windows

Additional spa partners include Australian designer Arthur Galan for uniforms, BC Softwear for towels and spa linens, and Simple Spa for software.

Receive our newsletters directly to your inbox – sign up here