Looking part hobbit hole, part concrete bunker on the outside, this grassy knoll disguises a surprising secret. You might approach the little square window in the door expecting to see one of J.R.R. Tolkien?s signature darkened interiors lined with deep-toned hand-carved wood and colorful carpets, but what greets you instead is a modern sauna, with curving built-in benches facing a fire. Spherical contemporary lamps hang from the textured concrete ceiling, and a floor-to-ceiling window on the back wall overlooks an apple orchard. It?s no less idyllic than anything that appeared in The Lord of the Rings, as if a wellness center sprouted up in 21st-century Hobbiton.

This sauna is the latest addition to the Apfelhotel Torggelerhof, a dreamy holiday destination tucked into the Italian Alps. Design studio noa* envisioned a building that acts as an extension to the garden, becoming a part of the picturesque landscape. The firm was commissioned to create the Applesauna, 9 new rooms and renovations to the existing structures adjacent to the orchard. A look at the floor plan reveals that in addition to the semi-circular sauna, the earth-sheltered structure contains a relaxation area, and a lower subterranean level appears to house shower facilities.
?For noa* network of architecture the starting point and key element of the design was the circle of the apple throughout the year: bloom, harvest, refinement and repose period. The new sauna and wellness area forms the period of rep...