Therapeutic design approach to promote healing in wellness facilities

The increasing population in modern cities, which is a consequence of modern life, has brought with it increased density, concretization, distancing from nature and ecological problems in the city. These changes increase stress on individuals and negatively affect both the psychological and physiological health of individuals. In addition to these, many people have recently lost their health with the Covid-19 pandemic. People have realized the value of their health with the pandemic, and health expenditures have increased worldwide. Today, wellness facilities, which are among the more frequently visited health structures and offer individuals the opportunity to improve their health both psychologically and physiologically within a holistic approach, are in increasing demand. Wellness facilities are become prominent by gathering many different services such as medical, aesthetic, spa, healthy nutrition, sports under one roof and offering personalized treatment plans in an environment away from the chaos of the city and surrounded by nature. Spatial design becomes important in order to improve the healing experience in these buildings where individuals apply to protect and improve their health. 'Therapeutic Design', which aims to improve user health and the healing process and focuses on health spaces, includes approaches that stand out in this process and have an impact on design values for health spaces. The aim of the study is to identify therapeutic design-based spatial features to minimize the stress of individuals, and thus positively affect the healing process and to reveal spatial applications within the scope of wellness facility interiors. Sample facilities that stand out in the field and where the healing effect of space is used in facility design were evaluated in terms of therapeutic space features, spatial organization, and spatial functions that determined as a result of the literature review. Keywords: Therapeutic Design, Wellness Facilities, Wellness, Interior