Be Well

Be Well surveys the architecture, culture, leading figures and core ideas behind wellbeing as it is practiced in the twenty-first century. The book tours the world's most notable venues for restoration, examining the methods each one uses and how readers can adapt them to daily routines.

Self-care is far older than the current trend. People have long relied on sweat lodges in the American Southwest, Roman bathhouses, Ottoman hammams, Japanese onsen and Finnish saunas to recover. Today, renewed interest in looking after oneself has reshaped how people pursue wellness, and the range of options has grown enormously.

As daily life grows ever more connected, a thriving industry has emerged to offer carefully staged experiences that help people disconnect. Be Well is aimed at readers curious about these spaces and the thinking behind them, with attention to how their practices can become part of everyday life.