At Waihi Beach, a new wellness destination reimagines the familiar language of contemporary recovery spaces. Opening this month, Baask weaves together sauna and ice bath rituals within interiors shaped by the memory of coastal motels and the intimacy of boutique hotels. Here, architecture and atmosphere are not a backdrop but the heart of the experience.
Founded by sisters Claudia and Samantha Holley, Baask is the first dedicated sauna and ice bath house on the Waihi Beach coastline. Instead of viewing wellness as performance, they have shaped a retreat that feels distinctly local, where warmth, sensory richness and considered design are valued alongside the restorative qualities of heat and cold.
The concept draws on Samantha’s decade living in Sydney, where wellness became embedded in everyday life, alongside Claudia’s background in marketing, retail and customer experience. Their combined perspectives shape every layer of the project, from the visual identity to the flow of each guest’s visit.
The concept draws on Samantha’s decade living in Sydney, where wellness became embedded in everyday life, alongside Claudia’s background in marketing, retail and customer experience. Their combined perspectives shape every layer of the project, from the visual identity to the flow of each guest’s visit.
“We wanted to create a space with its own distinct personality, rather than following a particular wellness aesthetic,” the sisters explain. “The goal was for it to feel elevated, sensory and memorable.”
This ambition finds form by Waihi-based Whitewash Interiors, where oceanic hues meet the depth of mid-century tones. Each room is defined by its own palette, feature tiles and lighting, creating a progression of spaces that invite immersion.
Inside, custom cedar ice baths by Cedar Hot Tubs are paired with Clearlight infrared and Finnish-style saunas. Curved mirrors, flowing shelving and handmade ceramic lighting by Memento Mori echo the movement of water. Brass, dark timber and soft drapery are chosen to patina with time, lending the interiors a sense of belonging. Local artworks anchor the project within its coastal setting.
Baask is shaped by the elemental cycle of heat and cold. Guests move between sauna and ice bath, each transition designed to encourage circulation, recovery and calm. The ritual is framed as an accessible act of self-care.
As wellness architecture moves beyond minimalism, Baask proposes an alternative: a place where atmosphere, memory and material richness are woven into the restorative experience, bringing a design-led retreat to the Bay of Plenty coast.
