North Lakes’ newest bathhouse, Dip, is a decadent design experience taking wellness to a whole new level of luxe.
Behind the groovy checkerboard tiles, cocooning curves and carefully considered finishes, Dip designer Ishoa Scozzafava from Rose Co By Design shares with Marx & Co all the dreamy details on how she took an empty commercial shell and created an immersive wellness destination - a brand new take on bathhouse culture that instantly invites you to sink in and slow down.
Dip designer Ishoa Scozzafava from Rose Co By Design
“The brief was earthy and grounded,” says Ishoa, who credits the success of the project to a strong shared vision between herself and Dip owner Duprice Forno.
With an extensive background in the beauty and wellness industry, Duprice approached Ishoa with a very clear concept of the space, and together, the pair have created what can only be described as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional bathhouse, where mid-century influences and modern wellness meet.
“Duprice wanted a Palm Springs, retro inspired retreat, and she absolutely loved checkers. What mattered most to her was that the space felt welcoming to every gender, not just women,” sights Ishoa.
Dip Bathhouse Design
The scheme comes together in true oasis style. Warm, diffused lighting washes across walls while deep brown and brass accents introduce contrast and definition against the warmth of natural timber and other creamy, earthy tones.
Possibly Dip's most recognisable design feature, the iconic sage and cream tiles, make a playful statement that’s repeated throughout, introducing rhythm, style and a distinctly palm springs sensibility to an otherwise forward-feeling interior.
The modern bathhouse reimagined
Minimalism plays a fundamental role too. This is evident in the floorplan which is very cleverly zoned into key wellness sections - from the showers, moving through to the sauna and steam rooms, on to the ice bath and then, the three temperature-controlled pools. Visually there is a circulation that helps you move throughout the zones, giving customers a sense of ease as they immerse themselves between treatments.
Duprice says it’s important to her that people feel they can create their own personal bathing ritual, taking cues from ancient bathhouses where there was a focus on keeping things simple and not overcomplicating wellness.
“I wanted a space that was communal. Something you can share with the people you love,” Duprice describes.
Which could well be the genius behind Dip itself - expanding beyond recovery into a broader practice of gathering, connection, wellbeing and longevity. To support this, massage therapy rooms were also incorporated into the design.
Dip North Lakes owner Duprice Forno
“It was never going to be only a recovery space. It is a bathhouse that flows into massage therapy, with the bigger picture being health and longevity rather than a quick reset,” says Ishoa.
Duprice and Ishoa both note that Dip has been designed to stay, linger and really drop in.
Every inch of the building feels effortless and complete. All made possible by hundreds, if not thousands, of big and small design decisions.
Colour, curves and just enough mood
So on a project where the design is so sensory and pivotal to the customer experience - where might one begin? Colour.
“The very first decision was the sage and cream checkers, and we worked backwards from there,” says Ishoa, adding that getting the wall colour right was equally as important.
“We landed on Buff It Quarter, warm but not too deep, because we knew the lighting would be low and calming and we did not want anything to feel heavy. From there I brought in a deep brown, which added a touch of masculinity and pulled the whole palette together. Every tone was chosen to sit softly against the others, so nothing competes. It all just settles.”
And for that relaxing quintessential spa-like aesthetic, curves play a defining role.
“The curves are there to soften everything and add a sense of calm. The roofline is very high and the space is long, so the curves give us little pops of softness to carry you gently through your journey. Hard lines can feel abrupt in a space like this. Curves let your eye and your body relax as you move.”
And then there’s lighting.
“Lighting is everything. We made sure every lighting temperature was warm, because that is what gives you that ahh moment, that first breath where your shoulders drop and you let yourself relax.”
The art and architecture of bathhouse design
Of course, commercial design is more than picking tiles and paint colours, and creating a bathhouse can come with an entirely different set of specialised demands, many of which remain completely invisible to bathers enjoying the finished space.
“Bathhouses are actually incredibly technical to design,” Ishoa recounts.
“It is honestly quite uncalm and unglamorous behind the scenes. There is so much structural work and waterproofing involved in housing pools and a deck of that size. You are designing for longevity in a space that is wet almost all of the time, so every finish has to be chosen to look beautiful and still perform. Getting a space that’s wet to stay looking that good is the detail most people will never notice, but it is the thing that holds it all together.”
Interior design meets wellness
For Dip, the experience is undoubtedly anchored by great design but also equally enhanced through Duprice’s extensive experience in the wellness and beauty industry. Her styling is perfectly minimalistic with only a few plants at varying levels placed throughout the low-lit space as a subtle connection to nature. Music also plays a role, with mindfulness tunes mellowing out the atmosphere and bringing yet another sensory dimension to the space. Then there’s scent, with subtle, velvety notes of fresh lily of the valley, jasmine, crisp apple, with undertones of bergamot and rose geranium wafting gently through the space. Together, these elements create a vibe that encourages people to disconnect from the outside world and become more present in the experience.
“I want people to feel like they can switch off. That they can relax, recharge and feel grounded. In this digital age where we’re consuming a lot - through our phones, our watches - there’s so much connectivity so I wanted to create a place where people can drop into a meditative state and get away from all of that and just be in the water,” Durprice says.
Dip is a reminder of the power of collaboration — when vision, creativity and a shared understanding of purpose come together to create something that is not only beautiful, but genuinely meaningful and of enduring value to those who experience it.
It’s also a testament that great design has the power shift mood, promotes wellbeing and brings you back to yourself.
To experience Dip, click here.
A special thank you to Alyne Media and Rose Co By Design for the photography featured in this article.
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