Fiona and Jens live in Germany, and this December I had the pleasure of photographing them in Vals, Switzerland. When Fiona wrote me and invited to come to the Hotel 7132 to take pictures of her family, I was immediately very excited. 7132 Hotel is a fantastic place famous for its architecture and design, iconic thermal baths and spectacular panoramic view of the mountain valley. I loved every minute of this beautiful 3 hours session.
If you are interested to know more about the hotel, I found this interesting article written by Epic Europe, a bespoke adventure travel operator based in the Alps and beyond, catering to the luxury experiential traveler. https://www.epiceurope.com/stay-detail/?item=thermes-vals-hotel-7132
The 5-star 7132 Hotel and the adjacent 7132 House of Architects features a unique collection of rooms designed by renowned architects: Tadao Ando, Peter Zumthor, Kengo Kuma and Thom Mayne. Its architect, Peter Zumthor, was awarded the world's most prestigious prize for architecture for this masterpiece.
Layered stone upon stone, and presented magnificently with light effects, it was built in harmony with the mountain and the surrounding landscape: the green Therme Vals. The edifice is constructed of 60,000 quartz pieces from the local mountains. Together they form a mystical, sensual and surprisingly light vessel for the thermal waters. Pleasantly warm at 30-degree Celsius, the waters originate in the Valser Valley and are full of healing minerals.
Stone and water at various temperatures (indoor pool 32°C, outdoor pool 30°C to 36°C) and the effect of the light as it changes in the course of the day, turn Therme Vals into a mystical oasis of peace. Blossom bath, sound grotto, cold and fire bath, steam baths and drinking stones are to be found side by side in this building of rock, the first edifice in Switzerland to be designated a protected monument shortly after it opened.
Asked to describe his building, architect Peter Zumthor said: "Mountain, stone, water – building in stone, building with stone, building into the mountain, building out of the mountain, being in the mountain – how can all the associations and all the sensuousness which these words evoke be translated into a building, that is to say, interpreted in architectural terms? As we worked on the design of this building and saw it take shape, we gradually found answers to these questions."
