Luxury spas are a thing of beauty and almost always fit to bursting with the most opulent and aesthetically pleasing tiles you can imagine, so for tile specialists like us they are a dream to work on.
They are usually quite exclusive places too, so to have the chance to work on an historic spa building which is offering accessible and affordable wellness experiences to the local community is an even greater privilege.
The historic Ironmonger Row Baths near Old Street in Islington, London, has housed a public bathhouse since it was built in 1931, later being upgraded to a Turkish Bath. The spa area was damaged by fire in 2022 leading to the need for an extensive renovation.
We were delighted to be invited to work on and supply a whole range of stunning tiles for this huge project by sauna and steam room specialists Sauna360 UK and Greenwich Leisure London, which manages the facility, alongside builder KJ Evans.
The newly reopened spa includes a range of state-of-the-art treatment facilities including a salt infused steam room, juniper sauna, infrared relaxation benches, Turkish hot rooms, Hammam benches, an ice room and plunge pool, as well as relaxation and treatment rooms.
The designers wanted to ensure the aesthetic flowed throughout the whole of the spa so two collections of striking marble-effect tiles by leading Italian producer Casalgrande Padana – Marmoker and Onice – were specified for the walls of all the treatment areas, in sizes 2780x1200mm and 1200x600mm.
Five polished colours from the collections were used to differentiate between the various types of treatment rooms and areas – from the warm rust tones of Onice Arancio in the reception, plunge pool and relaxation areas, through to earthy Marmoker Birimbau and Night Storm, and even a Caribbean Green in the specialist aroma and salt steam rooms.
The floors throughout the impressive spa were tiled with Amazzonia Dragon Brown Grip 600x600mm, for a stylish but ultra safe anti-slip finish.
The refurbishment is part of the local authority’s drive to make Islington a more equal borough, where all residents can access health, wellbeing and leisure facilities, including the new high end spa, at a more affordable cost, including offering discounted concessionary rates.
David Longbottom, Specification Sales Manager at Ceramique Internationale, said: “This was an amazing project to work on. The building has great heritage and is held in great affection by the local people. We supplied more than 1750m2 of tiles and the level of finish and overall result is absolutely fantastic.
“We have worked with Jeff Le Clos and Peter Mitchell from Sauna360 UK on many projects over the years and this one is on a different level – we were thrilled to play a part in making their vision of a truly high-end facility a reality.”
Jeff Le Clos, Senior Commercial Manager at Sauna360, said: “ We have been working with David Longbottom at Ceramique for a few years. The service is exceptional and David extends his expert advice both to Sauna360 and our clients. Competitive prices and excellent service in guaranteed every time. Prompt service and deliveries are the norm when dealing with Ceramique and this project was no exception.”
