Sky Club House by DOMANI is the Fanciest Gym Ever

Gyms, fitness clubs, and yoga studios were once architectural wastelands. You know—sweaty carpet, garish fluorescents, mirrors in terrifying places. Now though, so many are being created with design as a defining element. In Sydney and Melbourne are the Humming Puppy holistic yoga studios by Karen Abernathy, in Paris there is Lets Ride by DAS Studio, and in the States, the historic Los Angeles Athletic Club (side note, squash is cool again, everyone). There are plenty that fit the bill: fitness culture is booming, and so is the lifestyle and look that surrounds it.

A fresh example of the luxury, supremely stylish health centre is Sky Club House by Chinese firm DOMANI. Located in China’s Guangdong Province, the centre is more than just a few rows of treadmills and Stairmasters in a blanched room, it’s pitched as a luxury private club and looks like more of a minimalist temple than a place to burn calories after work.

Clad in white-grey textured artificial concrete tiles, and encircled by pristine midnight black reflecting pools, it has a sort of soothing presence. Wide windows are cut into the façade, and inside, walls are panelled in warm timber, which prevents the minimalism becoming a bit too austere and inhuman. A glass ceiling above exercise machines lets natural light flood in, and views of the swimming pool feature in almost every room.

The receptions space is—like a luxury hotel—a little dramatic, and quietly breathtaking. An enormous marble staircase made of precisely cut slabs leads on to the second floor, and a glass bar hovers in the centre of the room. Throughout the space, black light fixtures create sleek lines against the pale grey tile, gracefully framing the architecture.

Words by Sammy Preston.