Dedicated wellness spaces are usually a good investment in one’s mental health, but with prices beginning at $50,000 a pop, the WelPod takes that notion to new heights.
Designed and constructed by Circle Wellness Studios in Vancouver, these 10-foot x 10-foot smart rooms are outfitted with offbeat features like Korean-style charcoal filters that purify the air, optional blackened wood exterior siding that is resistant to UV rays, insects, and fire, and glowing Himalayan salt brick walls that emit mood-lifting negative ions and help relieve skin and respiratory problems while storing heat and increasing efficiency.
“Instead of creating static and single-purpose amenities, we create environments that can be used for many activities, depending on the personal lifestyle of our clients,” explains Paul Hennessey, founder of Circle Wellness Studios. “We use specialized materials, features, and building techniques to increase efficiency and to create functional diversity. We are re-thinking the ways that wellness spaces are built.”
Unlike traditional saunas, the WelPod doesn’t require preheating; it remains warm at all times because of the efficient building envelope, the natural radiant heat-emanating salt walls, and the intelligent control system operated byWestminster, British Columbia-based integrator the Smartest Builder through the Loxone Miniserver, Touch Tree, and Tree Extension interfaces.
“Loxone was the only system that could offer complete control in addition to the programming—this is what makes it unique. With the press of one button, the user is immersed into a fully curated wellness experience,” says Inder Kanwal, founder of the Smartest Builder,
Homeowners are able to fully personalize their sessions, easily adjusting temperature and humidity—the Loxone Touch Tree can operate in temperatures ranging from -4 to 158° F, with a maximum of 95 percent non-condensing relative humidity—as well as lighting and music through built-in sensors.
“Everything” is being controlled, points out Kanwal, noting how since its inception the WelPod has run smoothly “and we have continuously increased functionality as Circle Wellness Studios expands.”
A version of this article was originally published by CEPro.
