Seven-storey wellness attraction in Marina South breaks ground, will open in 2030 with slides, saunas

SINGAPORE - Work on Singapore’s first large-scale wellness attraction in Marina South - a seven-storey facility slated to open in 2030 featuring thermal pools, water slides and saunas - will start in the third quarter of 2026.

Therme Singapore, which will sit next to Gardens by the Bay and Marina Barrage, will have more than 20 pools and water features and over 70 wellness treatment rooms.

Ticket prices were not announced at its groundbreaking ceremony on June 19, but developer Therme Group Singapore said it aims to make the facility “accessible to all”.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu who spoke at the ceremony held at the IMBA Theatre within Gardens by the Bay, noted that Therme Singapore will strengthen the country’s position as a hub for tourism, wellness and urban innovation in Asia.

The region is projected to lead the world in travel and tourism growth over the next decade, driven by rising affluence among travellers globally and growing demand from within the region, she said.

“By developing distinctive, high-quality attractions and continually refreshing our tourism experiences, we can strengthen our appeal to the growing pool of travellers,” said Fu, who is also Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations.

Also present were Mah Bow Tan, former Minister for National Development who is now chairman of Therme Group Asia and Therme Singapore, and former JTC Corporation chief executive Tan Boon Khai, who was appointed as chief executive of Therme Singapore in February.

Therme Singapore said in a press release that it is “designed to serve visitors from all walks of life”. It expects about two million visitors annually, with tourists and locals each making up half of the demographic.

The $1 billion project spans over 720,000 sq ft of gross floor area, equivalent to over nine football fields, and is designed by DP Architects and Therme Group’s in-house architects.

Guests can visit three zones: the Play zone with family-oriented attractions such as children’s pools and 18 water slides; the Relax zone with thermal pools and therapeutic mineral baths, and the Restore zone which has saunas, cold plunge pools and massage rooms.

Pool temperatures will be about 32 deg C, while indoor temperatures will be kept at about 30 deg C to maintain a “stable tropical indoor environment”, said the developer.

More than 200,000 plants, including orchids and palms, will fill the space. A new coastal park spanning almost 4ha around the facility, connecting it with Marina Barrage, will be free for public access.

Food and drink options will be available within the facility, as well as gathering spaces with sea views.

Each visitor will be given waterproof RFID wristbands that double up as locker keys and cashless payment tools. They will also use a new space-saving locker system, where a robotic arm brings visitors a portable locker in their changing rooms to place their belongings, before whisking it away for storage.

Therme Group’s large-scale well-being infrastructure draws inspiration from communal bathing and wellness traditions across cultures, including Roman baths and Japanese onsen.

It is known in Europe for its facility in the Romanian capital of Bucharest and is expanding into cities across North America and Asia.

Mah said Therme Singapore must be “distinctively Singaporean”, instead of an imported overseas concept.

Examples include treatments unique to the region, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments and Javanese massages, Mah told ST in an interview ahead of the ceremony.

Customised packages and programs for different groups, from heartlanders to families, including those with special needs, are also being considered, he said.

Therme Group’s founder and chief executive Robert Hanea noted that there is a growing focus in Singapore on not only lifespan, but on helping people live well for longer.

In this light, Therme wants to create everyday environments that make healthier living more natural, enjoyable and social, said Hanea.

On June 19, Therme Singapore also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Technical Education and Republic Polytechnic to develop skills and provide employment opportunities for their graduates in the wellness sector.

Fu said wellness tourism is a key growth area in Singapore’s Tourism 2040 strategy, as it moves towards “high-value, experience-led tourism”.

She added that she had initial reservations about the project, but later felt Therme Group was a “serious player” when she saw how it handled energy and hygiene processes during a visit to its Bucharest facility.

Fu added that as someone in her 60s with joint pains, she understood the value of having a wellness facility in a convenient location.

“Maybe between Parliament and my ministry, I can squeeze in an hour of soaking to just relieve my back pain,” quipped Fu.

All-in-one complex

To understand what Therme Singapore may look like, one can look to its counterpart in Bucharest.

The sprawling complex defies simple definition, as it is simultaneously a water park, wellness space, and spa facility, as The Straits Times found on a trip in May hosted by the company.

Full day access to the three zones within the 44,000 sqm facility starts at 38 euro (S$56) per ticket for adults, with other price packages differentiated by specific zones or time duration.

Other features, such as massages and treatments, are available at an additional cost, while food and drinks can be purchased at eateries around the facility.

Therme Group’s wellness director Cosmin Cîrîc said visitors to its Bucharest facility typically spend 40 to 50 euros beyond the ticket price. This means a trip may cost over S$100 in total.

The complex was bustling with activity - from silver-haired seniors following aqua exercises, a bridal party taking photos for the ‘gram, and couples waltzing in the water with cocktails in hand from the pool bars.

The first sight greeting visitors is its aquamarine main pool, within a climate-controlled glass dome surrounded by palms. Swimsuit-clad guests soaked in the 33 deg C geothermal pool or waded their way outdoors via a revolving door to enjoy a warm contrast with the cool spring breeze.

Its water is naturally extracted from a geothermal spring underneath the facility, cooled from its original 80 deg C. In Singapore, the “thermal pools” will be created by technology. Pool water within the facilities is later purified through an oxidation process.

Smaller pools provided cosier spaces, such as a selenium and zinc mineral pool which is said to slow down aging, and a Dead Sea salt pool with grip bars to maintain stability in the highly buoyant liquid.

At another zone, children and adults alike played in the indoor wave pool, and queued for its 17 water slides - ranging from gentle chutes to high-speed thrill rides with sharp drops.

There are also spaces for those whose idea of a good time is peace and quiet, such as its three tranquil 45 deg C steam rooms, or its beds lit by infrared lamps and hydrotherapy beds with water jet massages.

At a wellness zone for those aged 14 and above, visitors sweated it out in saunas themed after various cultures, including a Himalayan sauna with walls of pink salt said to benefit the respiratory system.

The hosted visit took place during Therme Bucharest’s annual Herbarium Festival, which runs for two weeks in May and features various therapeutic treatments, as well as international sauna masters, or Aufgussmeisters, conducting traditional sauna rituals.

Visitors flocked to sauna rooms to join these rituals, where the Aufgussmeisters whirled around the heated space in display of their craft.

Mocked at the start

The wellness attraction’s current popularity is a far cry from when it first started in 2016.

Tropical environments were a foreign concept for the Eastern European country, who were more familiar with forests, while spas were considered a luxury for the rich.

Some Romanian locals mocked them openly, likening Aufgussmeisters twirling towels in their rituals with pizza tossers and car washers, telling them to “get a real job”, said Cîrîc.

It took some time to introduce their activities to the public “step by step”, such as by using a familiar Romanian scent like chamomile in sauna rituals to set them at ease.

Word of mouth gradually spread over the past decade about the attraction, which is about seven minutes’ drive from Bucharest’s airport.

Of its 1.7 million visitors a year, 70 per cent are locals, while the others are foreigners from countries like the United Kingdom and Italy.

Romanian couple Omar and Alina Shamim visit the facility once every few months for a relaxing getaway. Sometimes, they bring their five-year-old son along.

Omar, a 38-year-old doctor, said mostly middle-income individuals patronise the place, as the prices are still considered steep for lower-income locals. But it is still within what he can afford.

The family tried going to the seaside and indoor swimming pools, but Alina, a 39-year-old graphic designer, said they ultimately preferred the “exotic” environment in Therme.

On why they make the hour-long drive from home to Therme Bucharest, Alina said: “We wanted to get away from the noise, and just stay here and relax.”