Water, reimagined: inside the glamorous Grohe Spa Aqua Sanctuary Southeast Asia launch in Bangkok

The second sanctum turned to continuity and collaboration. A tiered display of Atrio Private Collection basin mixers in an array of finishes, accented with Caesarstone quartz handles, set the stage for the much-anticipated Grohe Spa x Buster + Punch collaboration. The partnership coordinates taps, hardware and lighting across four matching finishes, Brushed Warm Sunset, Brushed Cool Sunrise, Supersteel and Phantom Black, so that every element of a bathroom speaks the same language.

The third sanctum was given over to ritual, with three spaces dedicated to preparation, relaxation and rejuvenation. Each paired Allure Gravity in Phantom Black with Caesarstone Vanilla Noir, modular Rainshower Aqua Tiles overhead and Grohtherm smart controls concealed in the wall. Interchangeable glass and quartz cover plates and the full Grohe Colors range showed just how far each bathroom can be tailored to its owner.

As the preview drew to a close, guest designers arrived for a reception held within the sanctums themselves, where three custom-crafted cocktails, each inspired by one of the spaces, were served among the installations.

Guests then took their seats for dinner, opened by a string ensemble, harp included, and a ballet performance inspired by the flow of water. The four-course menu by École Ducasse executive culinary chef Antonio Cortes, with pairings by executive sommelier Anthony Caradec, took its cue from the evening’s themes.

Immersion, a bluefin tuna with white asparagus, pink pomelo and caviar, arrived with a Domaine Nicolas Gaudry Pouilly-Fumé 2022, followed by Harmony, a scallop gravlax with green apple and fennel cannelloni, paired with a Graf Johann IV Riesling Halbtrocken 2024 from the Rheingau.

Before the main course, attention turned to the stage for The Curated Sanctuary, a panel discussion with Besseyre des Horts; Peter Tay, founder and director of Peter Tay Studio; Paula O’Callaghan, partner at Hirsch Bedner Associates; Jan Henderson of Indesign Media Asia Pacific; and Duc Patrick Nguyen, senior vice president, design and technical services, luxury (ASPAC) at Accor.

A shared view emerged quickly: luxury is moving away from status and towards time and personal meaning. O’Callaghan described a shift from luxury as having to luxury as being, while Nguyen likened true hospitality to someone leaving a glass of water at your bedside before you sleep. Besseyre des Horts called the bathroom perhaps the only truly private space in the home, and Tay noted that clients now ask for twin showers, benches and Japanese-style soaking tubs built for two.

On technology, the panel agreed it should work quietly in the background, a view the audience shared when most voted for invisible technology and quiet luxury over their louder alternatives. Henderson and Besseyre des Horts made the case for sustainability as a given rather than a trend, with Henderson recalling a designer who once told her that luxury not only can afford to be sustainable but has an obligation to be. Asked to name the one theme that will shape luxury living by 2030, the panellists offered answers ranging from wellbeing and sustainability to inspiration and art made with water and light.

The Distinction main course of Wagyu tenderloin followed, poured with a Domaine Chapoutier Avarum Vacqueyras 2023, before Bespoke, a mango entremet built layer by layer and served with a Disznókő Késői Szüret late-harvest Tokaji, brought the evening to a sweet close.

For a brand built on the belief that water is the source of wellbeing, it was a fitting way to make its case: one sanctum, one course and one conversation at a time.

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