The latest compelling reason to frequent Fulham Pier, London’s new hospitality destination, has opened – a luxury spa named Sael. 

For Stuart Forbes Associates (SFA), the opening concludes a six-year project to create a unique wellness experience rooted in a sense of place and the contrasts of its location: the ever-changing reflections of the Thames, sunlight and shadows, the soft tones of the English countryside beyond and the earthiness at its feet.

In Old English, Sael means calm, happy or blessed and this philosophy is woven through every design detail as much as the progressive treatments and unhurried rituals. 

Tom Penny, Associate Director at SFA, says: “Sael was conceived as a world-class wellness destination. It blends natural luxury, crafted detail and riverside identity into a seamless journey combining vitality and relaxation. We have created an environment where ambience, design and function come together in harmony, flowing as naturally as the river it overlooks.” 

Located across four floors of the new Riverside Stand with its fully glazed façade looking over the river, the 1,100 sqm spa allows members to move upwards through a carefully choreographed sequence of spaces that become progressively more connected to the landscape, as if the design 

itself is participating in the rituals of invigoration and restoration rather than simply housing them. 

The sequence is carefully paced: more active spaces sit at one end of the journey, quieter treatment areas at another, while the social heart of the spa is centred around the wet zone and Pantri café & lounge. 

In total, spaces include treatment rooms, saunas, contrast therapy room, plunge pool, relaxation area, restaurant and lounge, medical clinic, and a gym, spin, yoga & Pilates studio; many of these spaces have their own outdoor terrace overlooking the river.

On the top floor, a private penthouse-style wellness suite offers an especially exclusive space with its own sauna, treatment rooms and dining room as well as direct access to the rooftop pool deck. 

This rooftop level is one of the project’s defining features. A heated infinity lap pool and surrounding sun loungers are positioned above the Thames, transforming the roof into an outdoor wellness landscape with uninterrupted views across the river towards the greenery of the opposite bank.

The terraces are also heated, extending the usability of these spaces throughout the year and allowing the relationship between wellness and the outdoors to remain central to the experience.  

The interior materials palette combines natural clay, a reference to the pottery making traditions of the neighbourhood, stone, terracotta, charred wood and ceramic tiles; recurring motifs of rectangular tiles and delicately woven insets to doors link the spaces. Some elements, such as the captivating plaster walls, were hand crafted on site; others are bespoke to the project.

Layered textures, including reflective crystal glass and specialist metal cladding to several ceilings, are 

combined with matt finishes, adding a sensory quality. Contrasting with these elements, woven grass cloth wall coverings, handmade macramé screens, preserved moss, live planting and glass bricks soften the palette and introduce texture, reflection and light. 

Lighting was approached as another expression of contrast. Moving between bright river-facing spaces and more intimate treatment environments, members experience a continual shift in atmosphere. In the treatment rooms, where guests spend much of their time looking upwards, the ceiling becomes an important focal point. Each room was designed around an individual lighting composition, creating distinct atmospheres that range from calm and diffuse to warm and expressive, helping the spaces feel intimate rather than clinical. 

Planting and artwork are also about the experiential aspects of the spa, inspired by the natural world. Some of the artwork, using local medicinal flora, was created in a collaboration between SFA and luxury skincare company, Wildsmith.

“At Fulham Pier, we have translated spa rituals into an architectural language,” says SFA Associate Director, Jitka Pucandlova. “We have created a wellness destination with an identity shaped not only by its setting but by a carefully orchestrated sequence of sensory contrasts that restore, invigorate and reconnect guests with their surroundings.” 

Accessibility is embedded throughout the project. Step-free access, generous circulation routes, accessible WCs and integrated access to the pool ensure that inclusivity is part of the core design concept rather than an afterthought. The result is a wellness environment designed to be welcoming, intuitive and comfortable for the widest possible range of users. 

For a spa that is just a short jog away from the urban heartlands of Fulham and Hammersmith, Sael is a world apart. Appropriate then that the design eschews the typical plan of city spas – below ground, inward looking and a retreat from the world outside – in favour of one that is umbilically connected with its location and the restorative power of the natural world. 

Stuart Forbes concludes: “Sael is not about shutting out the world but it is about slowing it down. The result is an interior with a clear point of view: one shaped by daylight, the rhythm of nature and the rare experience of being suspended above the Thames.” 

Suppliers and consultants included: Hiijinks – branding; Nulty – Architectural lighting design; Mattia Pozzoni – art curation; J Carey Design – joinery; Tom Hertz – specialist plaster walls; Portview – main contractor. Furniture: Contract Chair Company, Lemi, Porada, &Tradition, Kettal, Tribu, Gloster, The Terracotta Pot Company and Seraz; Fabric: Dedar, Casal, Maria Floral, Kvadrat and Perrenials; Lighting: Mooi, Tom Raffield, Eiccotiz, Ginger & Jagger, Marset, Pinch Design and Articolo; Finishes: Domus, Solus, Clayworks, Claybrooks, Phillip Jeffries, Florim, New Terracotta and Living Concrete; Equipment & amenities: Klafs, Aquaform, Sunlighten, Brass Monkey, Bon Charge, PEMF, CryoCube and Wildsmith Skin. 

In addition to spa members, guests of the adjacent Fulham Pier Hotel have access to Sael for the duration of their hotel stay.