On the one hand, there’s the home spa: a traditional bathroom transformed to include all the luxe amenities of a professional spa, from soaker tub to steam shower. On the other hand, there’s this spa home: in essence, a 1,400-square-foot residence that is the spa. Think soaker tub in the living room, healthy spa cuisine in the kitchen, foot-massaging floors in the halls.
Desiring a restful counterpoint to a hectic work-
travel schedule, this homeowner’s penthouse loft in downtown Victoria was transformed by designer JC Scott to become part home, part sanctuary—with spa facilities to compete with any five-star resort. “I wanted my home to be a comfortable place to relax,” she says, “without needing to go away—anywhere.”

By Shelora Sheldan| Photos by Robert Lemermeyer | Styling by Pam Dolsen

You're Soaking In It
The homeowner likens her Kohler Sok tub—with its overflowing sides and room for two—to the much-loved cast iron tub in her old place.
Placing it in the living room allowed for unobstructed views of the night sky, fireplace and TV, while allowing for the downstairs bathroom to become a laundry room. Already in an impressive location, the tub gets bonus marks for its faucet: it’s positioned in the ceiling, so water streams into the tub from overhead. Coloured lights positioned within the tub’s inner walls provide light therapy: cool colours like indigo for calming effects, warm colours like red to stimulate energy.

Room with a View
To improve the viewscape from
the bath, the living room fl oor was raised 14 inches. Radiant heating was added for extra comfort under the concrete tile fl oor—sourced from Vancouver’s Solus Decor.

Tripping the Light Fantastic
Dichroic Bruck pendant lighting mirrors the iridescent qualities of the Bisazza tilework lining the kitchen and soaker tub walls. The tiles, painstakingly laid in gradation from light to dark, provide a shimmering effect that changes with the light in the room. When the lights are lowered, the black marble tub surround and adjacent kitchen cabinets seemingly disappear.

Food for Thought
The homeowner stays true to
spa lifestyle in her kitchen, where a Gaggenau steam oven cooks food without oils. In similar theme to the bath in the living room, an adjustable water tap fi lls pots right on the Miele stovetop.

Treasured Island
Before the reno, the kitchen’s
island faced away from the view and was rarely used. Now, with a custom maple breakfast table inset into the island, the view is reversed, providing a dining respite for the homeowner to gaze upon the fi replace and the cityscape beyond.

Stairway to the Spa
The curving staircase of blond
maple foregoes traditional risers in favour of a custom metal-spine support. It leads to the second fl oor’s infrared sauna, a system that produces a radiant heat, warming the body and not the air around it. The hallway fl oor, inset with beach pebbles, provides a natural West Coast aesthetic as well as a massaging effect on the feet. It leads to the grand fi nale: the Kohler body spa, a deluxe multi-jet shower that designer JC Scott jokingly refers to as “the car wash.”