Sole Arena Thermal Spa Taps Into the Natural Healing Powers of Salted Air

Nestled in a tree-lined park in Bad Essen, <a href="http://inhabitat.com/radioactive-control-luzinterruptus-haunts-dockville-festival-with-ghostly-nuclear-figures/" target="_blank">Germany</a>, a series of health spas entice visitors with the promise of relaxation and renewal. The Sole Arena, designed by design firm <a href="http://www.luetzow7.de/" target="_blank">Lützow 7</a>, is the central attraction in the health spa resort park. Utilizing a <a href="http://inhabitat.com/dip-into-geothermal-baths-eco-luxury-at-canadas-la-source-spa/" target="_blank">thermal spring</a>, the cylindrical structure offers visitors a luxurious respite to enjoy the benefits of the natural salt waters.

Visitors can enter the structure through one of three tunnel- like entrances, made from light colored <a href="http://inhabitat.com/peaceful-german-kindergarten-has-a-green-roof-with-a-hole-for-a-tree-to-grow-through/" target="_blank">timber</a> which contrasts with the exteriors rich brown wood.

The openings resemble natural cuts into wood, as if the exterior skin was bark with fresh wood inside. Inside, the structure opens right up to the natural sky. The interior <a href="http://inhabitat.com/athens-placebo-pharmacy-is-wrapped-with-light-infusing-braille-perforations/" target="_blank">rotunda</a> is flanked with a central fountain, which is surrounded by benches.

The <a href="http://inhabitat.com/inviting-glass-town-library-wins-breeam-rating-of-excellence-in-enfield/" target="_blank">fountain</a> pumps the natural salt brine, creating a fine salty fog.

Visitors can sit and relax, breathing and absorbing the salted air, which is also intermixed with pine. The respiratory benefits of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/enzyme-discovered-in-the-great-salt-lake-could-unlock-non-food-derived-biofuels/" target="_blank">salted mist</a> was discovered in the area over 100 years ago, as a side effect of the local salt production, an industry indigenous to the area for 500 years.

The Sole Arena is constructed in historical tradition, but with modern aesthetics. The outer skin is a latticework of <a href="http://inhabitat.com/origami-shaped-beached-house-saves-energy-in-australias-bucolic-landscape/" target="_blank">timber</a>, which is then filled with black thorn brush wood.

Together, they serve as an optimal vaporization surface, absorbing the salty mist slowly, letting it linger inside the inner chamber. Using this insulation method, the air in the interior has the same saltiness as <a href="http://inhabitat.com/perplexing-yucca-crater-will-be-a-deep-desert-pool-using-repurposed-materials/" target="_blank">oceanic air</a>. The Sole Arena is a tranquil place for visitors to breathe easy, day or night.