Design-milk

The Healing Architecture Behind The Spa at Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa

The Spa at Inns of Aurora combines Ayurvedic wellness principles with architectural design to create healing center in New York's Finger Lakes region.

Mar 27, 2025 - 14:14
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The Healing Architecture Behind The Spa at Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa

The Healing Architecture Behind The Spa at Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa

A stone bench radiates a gentle warmth – not from the sun, but from within. It is subtle details such as this at The Spa at the Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa that reveal thoughtful integration of comfort and materiality, which define this award-winning wellness space. The 15,000-square-foot facility, located in Aurora, New York, represents a significant evolution in American spa design, one that merges ancient Ayurvedic principles with contemporary architectural principles. Designed by Hart Howerton, The Spa is the first and only spa in the United States to achieve WELL Certification at the Gold level from the International WELL Building Institute.

Modern living room with high ceilings, large windows, and a view of the yard. Features a dark wood dresser with lamps, beige sofas with cushions, and a colorful framed artwork on the wall.

The spa’s design team goes onto say, “We wanted to create an environment where the architecture itself participates in the healing process.” This philosophy manifests in a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor experiences – from treatment rooms enhanced with warming fireplaces to lavender fields that become natural settings for outdoor massages. The result is a built environment that integrates with its lush surroundings, drawing the restorative qualities of the Finger Lakes landscape into the wellness experience.

Modern room with large windows, wooden chairs, and tables. Outside, greenery and trees are visible through the glass.

Circulation paths guide visitors through a carefully organized sequence of spaces that gradually unfold, creating moments of discovery rather than revealing everything at once. Private treatment rooms with fireplaces provide intimate enclosures of warmth, while common areas open dramatically to frame the landscape.

A modern living room with a lit fireplace, wicker pendant lights, beige armchairs with footrests, and shelves with vases. A textured wall and abstract art piece are also visible.

Two wooden hanging daybeds with cushions and white curtains, suspended by ropes, in a neutral-toned room.

A store interior with wooden shelves displaying skincare products, neatly folded clothes, and ceramic cups on a central wooden table surrounded by neatly arranged items. A ladder leans on a shelf.

Throughout the spa, natural elements speak to the region’s agricultural heritage and contemporary wellness practices. Local stone appears in both structural and therapeutic applications, while wood elements frame views of Cayuga Lake, connecting visitors to the unique geography surrounding the property. Six hydrotherapy pools vary both in temperature and unique visual perspectives.

Spacious modern living room with wood-paneled walls, large windows, gray armchairs, and a wooden coffee table adorned with candles.

Two wooden chairs with gray cushions surround a round black table. Above, an abstract artwork with bold red strokes is displayed on a white paneled wall.

A modern hallway with black chairs, a large plant, framed artwork, and tile flooring. Large windows on the left provide natural light.

A black wooden bench is placed against a white wall. A large green potted plant is beside it, set in a grey woven basket on a tiled floor.

This Ayurvedic philosophy extends beyond the building’s design through the expertise of Laura Coburn, the spa’s Director of Serenity. “Architecture creates the container, but true healing requires individual attention,” Coburn explains. Equally significant is the spa’s commitment to inclusive design, with gender-neutral spaces that challenge traditional spa typologies.

Modern interior with a wooden staircase, glass railing, and black stone water feature with a cascading waterfall. White walls and a console table with a lamp in the background.

A row of white cushioned lounge chairs with matching ottomans is lined up in a well-lit room with wooden flooring and curtained daybeds in the background.

Wooden-framed swing with light gray cushions, including a square and cylindrical pillow, hangs indoors on thick ropes over a textured rug.

A wooden sauna interior with tiered seating, a metal bucket, a ladle, and a heater on the left. Warm lighting enhances the smooth wood panels.

A row of white houses with steep roofs is reflected in a calm body of water, under a pale evening sky.

Aerial view of a large, white house with dark roofs surrounded by greenery and a pond, near a body of water under a clear sky.

For more information, visit innsofaurora.com.

Photography courtesy of Inns of Aurora Resort & Spa.

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