creates
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completed

september 2021

responsibilities

interior design & identity

programme

massage boutique, 190 sqm

location

zwolle, nl

Oikoa, the Finnish word for ‘smooth correction’, provides an introverted realm of the calm. A place that invites you to leave the outer world behind, and recharge in a natural and harmonious environment.
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01 concrete oikoa woutervandersar

a place that invites you to leave the outer world behind

Oikoa, the Finnish word for ‘smooth correction’, provides an introverted realm of the calm. A place that invites you to leave the outer world behind, and recharge in a natural and harmonious environment.

The massage boutique is designed as a serene space where guests can focus on themselves. This was achieved by turning the existing extroverted glass cube inside out and placing the organic shaped central space at the heart of the building, with the treatment rooms situated on the perimeter.

Guests enter directly into the core of the boutique; a warm introspective space lined with multiple curved walls, finished in warm oak laths. The curved walls create intimate seating areas, with soft curved benches upholstered in moss green velvet. These are the perfect spots to wait in full comfort and prepare for treatment.

The welcome counter placed in the middle of the central space is an offset of the curved walls, clad in speckled off-white rectangular tiles with a solid oak counter top. Behind it, a brass clad backlit nichewith green glass shelves is filled with transparent bottles containing massage oils in all shades of green that create a gentle glow.

04a concrete oikoa woutervandersar
10 concrete oikoa woutervandersar
07 concrete oikoa woutervandersar
16 concrete oikoa woutervandersar
06 concrete oikoa woutervandersar

time to untangle

After having settled, guests continue their journey into the private treatment rooms which are all accessible from the central space. The rooms stretch from the entrance doors in the organic shaped walls of the central space towards the glass facade of the building. Floor-to-ceiling, pivoting oak lamellas gently block the views from passers-by when they are closed for treatment. When the treatment rooms are unoccupied, the lamellas can be opened up to allow daylight into the rooms, and tickle the curiosity of passers-by.

Like the central space, all treatment rooms are finished in natural materials: the natural oak of thecurved walls and pivoting lamellas match with the green, rectangular tiles and soft green glass shelves in the brass clad niche of each treatment room. The floor is covered with a recycled linoleum in shades of warm grey with brown speckling.

05 concrete oikoa woutervandersar
05a concrete oikoa woutervandersar
11 concrete oikoa woutervandersar
05 concrete oikoa woutervandersar
05a concrete oikoa woutervandersar
11 concrete oikoa woutervandersar
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''Concrete came up with the name oikoa, the finnish word for ‘smooth correction’, based on the feeling of calm one gets after a treatment, when the body is untangled and almost feels ‘liquid’.'' 

concrete

the graphic identity

In addition to the interior, concrete is responsible for the identity of Oikoa, including the name, logo, website and all print materials

Inspired by the sense of calm after a treatment, when the body feels untangled and almost fluid, Concrete coined the name Oikoa, the Finnish word for “smooth correction.”

01 oikoa website
05 oikoa stationary woutervandersar
01 oikoa website
05 oikoa stationary woutervandersar
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This feeling is reflected in the logo: a liquid oil drop combined with a minimalistic but elegant font. Bright white backdrops and pine green emphasise the natural and harmonious environment of the massage salon, which is further enhanced by a secondary colour family of oil drops. Both the oils and colours are derived from Finnish natural elements such as ferns, aspen trees, cloudberries and bellflowers.

04 oikoa menu woutervdsar
08 oikoa website
08 oikoa secundary logo
03 oikoa menu
09 oikoa website 2026 04 10 135136 zvjw
09 concrete oikoa woutervandersar
07 oikoa colorfamily 2026 03 18 133501 voet

facts & figures

total area massage boutique 190 sqm
massage rooms 5
 

concrete

responsibilities interior design & identity
team rob wagemans, lisa hassanzadeh, eva stekelenburg, stevie wesdorp, sofie ruytenberg, jorien wiltenburg

partners & collaborators

client oikoa, nl
contractor van wijnen, nl
furniture maker roord binnenbouw, nl 
photography wouter van der sar, nl

press

''oikoa massage boutique'' - architectenweb

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