Nestled at the foot of Mount Taygetus beside the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mystras, the Euphoria Spa is the heart of the Euphoria Retreat — a four-level sanctuary carved into the rock, where architecture, nature, and human senses merge into a single immersive experience.

The lighting design was conceived as an emotional and sensorial journey, guiding guests through a sequence of spaces that balance light and shadow, calm and intensity. Each area was treated as a unique composition within an overall crescendo of relaxation, where artificial light harmonizes with natural light and architecture to enhance both physical and spiritual renewal.

Custom luminaires were meticulously crafted to replicate daylight conditions, softening transitions between the mountain-carved interiors and the open landscape. Within the catacomb-like entrance, tunable white “daylight tubes” ease the eye’s adaptation from exterior brightness into the golden-toned reception niches. The ascent through the light well staircase unfolds around a vertical shaft of natural light, subtly animated at night by concealed wall-to-wall luminaires and a moonlike reflection cast in the water below.

Deeper within the retreat, light becomes tactile and fluid — gliding across stone, water, and mist. In the Sphere Pool, a cylindrical lightbox and parabolic reflector generate ethereal columns of light that pierce the water’s surface, while in the Tepidarium and Byzantine Hammam, soft perimetric glows and fiber optic “light vases” evoke serenity and timelessness.

The overall palette of light draws inspiration from the Byzantine aesthetic — low levels, warm tones, and aged metallic reflections — reinterpreted through the precision of modern technology. Through its subtle interplay of contrast, tone, and rhythm, the lighting acts as a silent protagonist: revealing, concealing, and guiding, while immersing the visitor in a holistic choreography of body, mind, and light.