During London Design Festival, the spa inside the Tom Dixon-designed Mondrian Hotel will host a series of unconventional healing rituals devised by design studio Bompas & Parr.
Mud masks, volcanic stone soundscapes and a ceremony centred around bright blue eggs all feature in The Spa of Unconscious Desires, which is taking over the Mondrian's Agua Bathhouse and Spa for one night only, on 19 September 2017.
Bompas & Parr – whose diverse portfolio includes everything from jelly architecture to algae jewellery – have designed five different experiences for visitors, all intended to offer an alternative to "the conventional world of wellness".
Some of these experiences are accompanied with specially designed food and drink, which comes in bright colours and unusual shapes.
"The fully curated spa evening at Agua Bathhouse and Spa will push the boundaries between comfort, fear and disgust, submerging guests into a new interpretation of beauty and relaxation by playing with the predictable norms of spa treatments," said the studio.
Upon entering, the first experience for guests is a mud mask, which Bompas & Parr claims is made from "melting metal". Called Veil of Terror, this mud is applied to the skin using a mirror created by food designers Edible Stories, before entering a steam room.
After 15 minutes, the mud is to be washed off using a "dirt soap" developed by creative studio Lyon & Lyon.
The blue-painted eggs form part of a healing ceremony hosted by a shamen, while the volcanic stones are used to create an unusual soundtrack to a massage experience.
In the Chromatic Nail Bar, visitors are given a manicure in a colour chosen to suit their mood. They are also given a cocktail and canapé that matches their colour-scape, with examples including an acid-green daiquiri accompanied by beetroot-dyed eggs.
Finally, the Shadow Wrap is a scalp treatment that takes place in complete darkness, with the use of a strange textured object created by designer Lucy Hardcastle.
Tom Dixon's Design Research Studio used a 1920s cruise liner as a visual reference for the interiors of the Mondrian, which opened in 2014. The spa was intended to feel like a submarine, with a sculptural water feature in one of its spaces.
The hotel is also hosting another event during the London Design Festival – a talk with designer Jason Bruges about his latest light installation.