Sanāra Spa, Grosvenor House Dubai
At Sanāra Spa in Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai, LW Design Group uses handmade Japanese tiles from Mittsu to bring depth, colour and texture to the spa's wet areas and treatment-room showers. Kaji Border in Vintage Green and Sapphire, Nigi in Sora and Kogarana in Strong Cappuccino each give a different space its own character within the wider gemstone-inspired scheme.
Project Information
Project: Sanāra Spa
Location: Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Interior design: LW Design Group
Design team: Rachel Kidd, Brodie Kane and Casey Carillo
Supplier: Mittsu Japanese Tiles
Tile collections: Kaji Border, Nigi and Kogarana
Colours: Kaji Border Vintage Green and Sapphire, Nigi Sora, Kogarana Strong Cappuccino
Country of manufacture: Japan
Material: Glazed porcelain
Application: Spa feature walls, niches and treatment-room showers
A Spa Shaped by Gemstones
LW Design Group's refurbishment of the 207-square-metre spa draws on oriental healing and the symbolic energy of gemstones. Ruby, Citrine, Jade, Opal and other stones inform the palette, so each room develops its own mood while staying connected to the whole. Lava stone, carved timber, rippled glass and restored Asian antiques sit alongside handmade Japanese tiles, giving the interior a collected, layered feel.
Kaji Border Vintage Green
In the jacuzzi area, Kaji Border in Vintage Green forms the feature wall behind a stone console set with orchids and a carved Buddha head. Under warm downlights, the olive glaze deepens at the centre of each bar and brightens at the edges, so the wall reads as a soft field of vertical lines rather than a flat colour.
The same tile continues into a recessed niche around a water feature. Lit in blue, the glaze takes on a cooler, darker tone, showing how one colour can change with the light around it.
Kaji Border Sapphire
In the Jade treatment room, Kaji Border in Sapphire lines the shower from floor to ceiling. A concealed light strip runs along the top of the wall, drawing narrow highlights down the glaze and bringing out its speckling. Against the room's dark textured walls and navy accents, the deep blue gives the shower real presence while keeping the overall mood calm.
Nigi Sora
A second treatment-room shower uses Nigi in Sora. The fine 145 × 15 mm finger format sets a close vertical rhythm, and the soft blue-grey glaze sits quietly beside the room's charcoal walls, timber frame and teal accents. Where the light falls across the wall, small changes in glaze depth give the surface a gentle movement.
Kogarana Strong Cappuccino
In the Opal treatment room, Kogarana in Strong Cappuccino brings a warm amber tone to the shower. Its compact 95 × 20 mm format builds a dense pattern of glaze variation, from honey highlights to darker brown centres, and adds warmth against the room's dark walls and lacquered joinery.
About the Tiles
Kaji Border is a slender Japanese porcelain wall tile in a 144 × 19 mm format, supplied on 300 × 300 mm sheets. Its reduction-fired glazes develop deeper centres and luminous edges.
Nigi is a 145 × 15 mm porcelain finger tile from a small family-owned factory in Tajimi, Japan, supplied on 300 × 300 mm sheets.
Kogarana is a 95 × 20 mm glazed porcelain finger tile, also from Tajimi, supplied on 300 × 300 mm sheets.
Summary
At Sanāra Spa, four Japanese tiles give the spa's wet areas and treatment rooms their own identities. Vintage Green grounds the jacuzzi area, Sapphire adds depth to the Jade room, Sora keeps a second shower soft and quiet, and Strong Cappuccino warms the Opal room. All of them respond to the spa's low, atmospheric lighting.
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FAQ
What tiles are used at Sanāra Spa, Grosvenor House Dubai?
Kaji Border in Vintage Green and Sapphire, Nigi in Sora and Kogarana in Strong Cappuccino, all Japanese porcelain tiles supplied by Mittsu Japanese Tiles.
Who designed Sanāra Spa?
The refurbishment was designed by LW Design Group, led by Rachel Kidd, Brodie Kane and Casey Carillo.
Are these tiles suitable for spas and showers?
Yes. At Sanāra Spa, they are used on shower walls, feature walls and niches in the spa's wet areas.
Why does the colour look different from room to room?
Each glaze is formed in the kiln, so tone and depth vary naturally from tile to tile. In a softly lit spa, the colour also shifts with the light around it.
Related Projects
Gyu-Kaku Palm Jumeirah, Dubai — Yuki Border Speckled Black
Penthouse, Knokke-Heist — Kaji Border Burnt Russet and Vintage Green
Planning a project in Dubai? See Japanese tiles in Dubai for UAE stock, delivered across the UAE in 1–2 working days.
