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TechnoAlpin’s magical Snowroom installation at the Alpenrose resort brings the Austrian landscape and feel-good nature factor to its wellbeing experience
The Snowroom is visually and thematically linked to the resort’s sauna area / photo: technoalpin
At the Alpenrose Familux Resort in Lermoos, Tirol, Austria, relaxation means creating space for simplicity and the freedom to just be. “Simplicity combined with extraordinary quality – for children as well as adults – that’s our understanding of luxury,” the hotel team explains.
This guiding principle runs through every part of the resort, and nowhere more so than in the newly-reimagined wellness area. Here, modern architecture meets unique experiences inspired by the alpine landscape. Nature becomes part of the journey – enhancing wellbeing and leading guests step by step through the mountains.
One great highlight of this internal landscape is the element of real snow, offering a glistening, refreshing, unexpected way to cool down after a heat experience.
Spheres of wellbeing With its ‘Feel Good Spa’ concept, developed in-house, Alpenrose set out to go beyond traditional treatments. The spa is built around four customisable ‘spheres of wellbeing’: relaxation and regeneration, movement and vitality, beauty and care, and family-focused experiences and guests can shape their own wellness journey based on their needs and moods.
Once this concept had proven successful with guests, the next step was translating it into architecture. As a family hotel, Alpenrose Familux ensures that both children and adults find their enjoyable place. The design reflects this with two distinct sauna zones: a family area for all ages and an adults-only retreat where parents can unwind while children are cared for in the popular Kids Club.
Architect Stefan Ghetta, from Archifaktur Hotel and Spa, describes the challenge: “The adults-only spa is located on the lower floor – in a darker part of the building. Instead of hiding that, we embraced it, creating a mystical atmosphere in contrast to the lively, child-friendly areas upstairs. Large saunas and the Snowroom feel like caves or grottos, inviting guests to step into another world.”
The Snowroom wellness concept, which offers a -10°C space filled with real, freshly fallen snow daily, was supplied by snow system experts TechnoAlpin Indoor. As part of a contrast therapy experience, it’s designed to transform the ‘cold part’ into something much more exciting and experiential.
From valley to glacier Alpenrose’s new spa unfolds as a journey through alpine elements. As Ghetta explains: “We start in the valley and move up the mountain. The first sauna reflects the meadow, the second the forest, the third leads up to the glacier – where the experience merges directly with the Snowroom, the natural cooling space after the heat of the sauna.” This storytelling design mirrors the surrounding landscape and even the view of the Zugspitze glacier outside the resort. “The glacier defines our panorama. It felt only natural to bring this alpine element into the spa,” the hotel team notes.
The Snowroom is visually and thematically connected to the saunas. Ghetta says: “We wanted the hot-and-cold contrast not only to be functional, but also visible. The transition from the sauna into the bright, glittering Snowroom was designed so transparently that the opposites become part of one continuous experience.”
From the Finnish sauna, guests can already glimpse the sparkling snow, building anticipation as they sweat. Unlike ice fountains, which only provide surface cooling, or plunge pools, which often feel too abrupt, the Snowroom allows each guest to cool down either gently or intensively, according to their comfort level.
“A simple ice fountain felt too plain, and a plunge pool not innovative enough,” the Alpenrose team explains. “With snow, we found the perfect balance.”
The feedback confirms this choice: guests see the Snowroom not as a gimmick, but as an enhancement that enriches the ritual of sauna and contrast therapy. Many describe it as a highlight of their stay.
Spa people: Tim Fu
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News report: Map of luxury
New research by WATG shows emerging wealth hubs in India, the Gulf, Southeast Asia and Africa are reshaping luxury travel demand
Interview: Chris Norton
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Ask an expert...: Recovery
From cryo to compression to contrast bathing, Julie Cramer investigates why and how spas and resorts are integrating recovery packages
Research: Behind the boom
What are the hidden messages in the latest US study by ISPA? Colin Mcilheney digs beneath the surface
Research: Bigger picture
Rising salaries and shifting consumer expectations – two new surveys by the UKSA and GSG reveal the trends impacting UK spa operators
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Sponsored: TechnoAlpin – Snow for all seasons
TechnoAlpin’s magical Snowroom installation at the Alpenrose resort brings the Austrian landscape and feel-good nature factor to its wellbeing experience
First person: Costa Blanca cure
Jane Kitchen visits Spain to compare and contrast two world-class medi-wellness clinics: well-established SHA and ambitious newcomer ZEM
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Sponsored: BC Softwear – Human touch
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dry, stressed-out skin and deliver a calm and nourishing client experience
Menu engineering: At your service
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TechnoAlpin’s magical Snowroom installation at the Alpenrose resort brings the Austrian landscape and feel-good nature factor to its wellbeing experience
The Snowroom is visually and thematically linked to the resort’s sauna area / photo: technoalpin
At the Alpenrose Familux Resort in Lermoos, Tirol, Austria, relaxation means creating space for simplicity and the freedom to just be. “Simplicity combined with extraordinary quality – for children as well as adults – that’s our understanding of luxury,” the hotel team explains.
This guiding principle runs through every part of the resort, and nowhere more so than in the newly-reimagined wellness area. Here, modern architecture meets unique experiences inspired by the alpine landscape. Nature becomes part of the journey – enhancing wellbeing and leading guests step by step through the mountains.
One great highlight of this internal landscape is the element of real snow, offering a glistening, refreshing, unexpected way to cool down after a heat experience.
Spheres of wellbeing With its ‘Feel Good Spa’ concept, developed in-house, Alpenrose set out to go beyond traditional treatments. The spa is built around four customisable ‘spheres of wellbeing’: relaxation and regeneration, movement and vitality, beauty and care, and family-focused experiences and guests can shape their own wellness journey based on their needs and moods.
Once this concept had proven successful with guests, the next step was translating it into architecture. As a family hotel, Alpenrose Familux ensures that both children and adults find their enjoyable place. The design reflects this with two distinct sauna zones: a family area for all ages and an adults-only retreat where parents can unwind while children are cared for in the popular Kids Club.
Architect Stefan Ghetta, from Archifaktur Hotel and Spa, describes the challenge: “The adults-only spa is located on the lower floor – in a darker part of the building. Instead of hiding that, we embraced it, creating a mystical atmosphere in contrast to the lively, child-friendly areas upstairs. Large saunas and the Snowroom feel like caves or grottos, inviting guests to step into another world.”
The Snowroom wellness concept, which offers a -10°C space filled with real, freshly fallen snow daily, was supplied by snow system experts TechnoAlpin Indoor. As part of a contrast therapy experience, it’s designed to transform the ‘cold part’ into something much more exciting and experiential.
From valley to glacier Alpenrose’s new spa unfolds as a journey through alpine elements. As Ghetta explains: “We start in the valley and move up the mountain. The first sauna reflects the meadow, the second the forest, the third leads up to the glacier – where the experience merges directly with the Snowroom, the natural cooling space after the heat of the sauna.” This storytelling design mirrors the surrounding landscape and even the view of the Zugspitze glacier outside the resort. “The glacier defines our panorama. It felt only natural to bring this alpine element into the spa,” the hotel team notes.
The Snowroom is visually and thematically connected to the saunas. Ghetta says: “We wanted the hot-and-cold contrast not only to be functional, but also visible. The transition from the sauna into the bright, glittering Snowroom was designed so transparently that the opposites become part of one continuous experience.”
From the Finnish sauna, guests can already glimpse the sparkling snow, building anticipation as they sweat. Unlike ice fountains, which only provide surface cooling, or plunge pools, which often feel too abrupt, the Snowroom allows each guest to cool down either gently or intensively, according to their comfort level.
“A simple ice fountain felt too plain, and a plunge pool not innovative enough,” the Alpenrose team explains. “With snow, we found the perfect balance.”
The feedback confirms this choice: guests see the Snowroom not as a gimmick, but as an enhancement that enriches the ritual of sauna and contrast therapy. Many describe it as a highlight of their stay.
Spa people: Tim Fu
Leading a wellness architecture project in Slovenia that’s one of the first in the world to use AI in all stages of design
Spa people: Kayley Thomas
Lush is famous for its bath bombs and retail empire, but the co-founder of its day spa concept reveals why its 19 global spa facilities are so essential
Spa people: Colin Mcilheney
We find out more about Colin Mcilheney, the man who created the ISPA US Spa Industry Study and has been analysing the sector’s performance ever since
News report: Map of luxury
New research by WATG shows emerging wealth hubs in India, the Gulf, Southeast Asia and Africa are reshaping luxury travel demand
Interview: Chris Norton
The CEO of Equinox Hotels tells Katie Barnes how the uber-cool brand is scaling its bold fusion of fitness, spa and luxury
Ask an expert...: Recovery
From cryo to compression to contrast bathing, Julie Cramer investigates why and how spas and resorts are integrating recovery packages
Research: Behind the boom
What are the hidden messages in the latest US study by ISPA? Colin Mcilheney digs beneath the surface
Research: Bigger picture
Rising salaries and shifting consumer expectations – two new surveys by the UKSA and GSG reveal the trends impacting UK spa operators
Sponsored: Lemi - Good sensations
Lemi’s Venice Head Spa combines the beauty of Italian design with fine-tuned technology to provide the ultimate top-to-toe treatment station for spas
Sponsored: G.M. COLLIN – Smooth operator
The new toner from G.M. Collin represents a ‘gold standard’ in leave-on liquid exfoliation for smooth and radiant results, without the irritation of a scrub
Sponsored: TechnoAlpin – Snow for all seasons
TechnoAlpin’s magical Snowroom installation at the Alpenrose resort brings the Austrian landscape and feel-good nature factor to its wellbeing experience
First person: Costa Blanca cure
Jane Kitchen visits Spain to compare and contrast two world-class medi-wellness clinics: well-established SHA and ambitious newcomer ZEM
Sponsored: Gharieni Group – Tech-powered recovery
The new brand in the Gharieni Group portfolio – Metawell – is delivering what today’s wellness clients are seeking most – deep recovery and mind-body renewal
Sponsored: BC Softwear – Human touch
While touchless therapies are a positive addition to spas, nothing can replace the healing power of human touch, says Barbara Cooke
Sponsored: Yon-ka – A potent blend
Yon-Ka’s new Serum Omega is a potent blend of Omega 3, 6 and 9 to target
dry, stressed-out skin and deliver a calm and nourishing client experience
Menu engineering: At your service
Self-playing gongs in Sweden, surfing therapy in Morocco and Ananda launches holistic diabetes management programme in India
Synergy – The Retreat Show, the global trade show for retreats, has launched a global research
initiative that will provide insights into the retreat sector from both consumer and industry
perspectives.
The Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) has published a non-regulatory global industry
framework designed to ensure the retreat market offers responsible experiences.
A new survey of UK and international spa practitioners shows that stress, burnout and
wellbeing concerns have caused one in three respondents to consider leaving the industry.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Anna Bjurstam has left her role as Wellness Pioneer at Six Senses Hotels and Resorts and
launched a new wellness, longevity and “consciousness consultancy” called Wahayla.
Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere, has opened today (10 July) in the Northwest of England
with a
1,715sq m Fairmont Spa that has been designed using a ‘Wellness without Walls’
concept.
Wellness hotels generating less than US$1 million (€932,700, £785,200) – or 10 per cent of
total revenue from wellness and leisure – recorded the strongest RevPAR and TRevPAR growth
in 2025 across categories when compared with 2024, according to the latest Wellness Real
Estate Report by RLA Global, produced in partnership with P and L benchmarking firm HotStats.
Lefay Resorts, the portfolio of two luxury wellness properties in Italy, has added emotional
dance classes and group cold plunge sessions in response to market demand for social
connection.
Contrast therapy, based on the alternation of hot and cold rituals, has become one of the
most valued practices in the fields of wellness and recovery. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
RKF Luxury Linen RKF Luxury Linen, established in the East of France for several decades, owns an artisanal know-how [more...]
