The DecaArchitecture studio has made it possible to relax in a 3,000-square-metre cave located inside a building dug out at the base of a mountain in Mystras. Announced as the first holistic spa retreat of wellness destination in Greece, the Euphoria Spa is located between a cypress forest and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mystras, an important Byzantine site.

Its spectacular interiors have been selected for the Dezeen Award in the category Interiors for leisure and wellness.

“The Euphoria Spa consists of 3,000 square meters of varied and carefully articulated experiences. This is done through a choreographed transition of spaces where light, sound, temperature, humidity, texture, materials and smells create engaging sensory experiences”.

At the base of the four-storey building are the spa reception, treatment rooms and changing rooms, which are distributed in a series of elliptical spaces of various different scales connected by a network of catacomb passages. Three concentric cylinders dot the building. The inner circle is a well of white light 20 metres deep, which opens up towards the sky and acts as a directional beacon.

The physiognomy of the structure makes one think of a modern paradise for the Greek gods, where the golden and turquoise colours give a sense of peace and well-being through colour therapy.

A Byzantine hammam is aspace in which the visitor’s journey to the spa ends. Higher up the spiral staircase of the building are small monastic rooms that serve as private treatment rooms. The top floor, which is the closest to the forest, has two large, bright conference rooms.

If you are planning a trip to Greece, take a look now at the structure’s website here.