From Third Space to triplebond: The Journey of TONIK’s Wellness Design

CGI visualisation of TripleBond at The BoTree, Marylebone | 2026

TONIK’s journey into the wellness sector wasn’t simply a strategic decision; it was a natural next step.

After delivering successful hospitality-led projects such as Middle Eight and The Guardsman, TONIK was ready for its next challenge. Gary, Founder of TONIK Associates, sits down to tell us how their expertise in hospitality led them towards becoming specialists in wellness design.

Following the success of Middle Eight, Third Space approached TONIK to bring its hospitality experience into its next fitness space, Third Space Wimbledon. This became a defining moment in TONIK’s journey into wellness. As Third Space expanded into more residential areas, the brand was looking to bring the branding into a different fitness market, catering to a broader demographic beyond its traditional city audience. With TONIK’s experience across hospitality and residential design, the two disciplines came together to create a new approach to fitness one that would help shape TONIK’s future in wellness.

With this new idea of wellness in mind, TONIK brought a different way of thinking to the project. Gary explains: “It meant that, instead of turning up, doing your gym session, and leaving, there was an opportunity to stay a bit longer or arrive a bit earlier.” The team wanted to create a space that wasn’t simply designed for exercise, but instead became a lifestyle destination underpinned by fitness. Working closely with Third Space, Gary describes the approach as an

“evolution rather than a brand revolution”

, allowing the influence of both designer and client to preserve the success of the Third Space brand while introducing a softer, more social and hospitality-led experience.

The success of the project, including its award win, gave TONIK international exposure and marked the beginning of its journey into overseas wellness projects. Working internationally brought a new level of expertise, requiring the team to combine its London design perspective with an understanding of local cultures and expectations. This led to opportunities in Dubai, Lahore and Bahrain, with each project presenting a different challenge.

In Dubai, TONIK developed a concept for a leading fitness that challenged the traditional model, moving towards a more inclusive, wellness-led experience that merged fitness, wellness and hospitality. 5th Dimension required TONIK to adapt its approach to local culture, materials and sourcing while retaining its international design perspective. In Bahrain, the team are developing a luxury, women-only wellness offer, allowing TONIK to explore a more feminine design approach while responding to the cultural and gender-specific requirements of the market. While these projects are still in development, each has brought a new challenge and expanded TONIK’s understanding of wellness design.

Despite these differences, the core philosophy of wellness design remained consistent. Each space needed to consider universal elements such as social wellness, hospitality, quality, experience, evolving fitness formats and increasingly integrated approaches to physical, medical and longevity wellness. What changed was how these ideas needed to respond to cultural and religious requirements, gender sensitivity, materials, local ways of working and the expectations of each market. For TONIK, this has reinforced the importance of strong client relationships, communication and the willingness to challenge how wellness spaces can evolve.

With these new skills and a commitment to continuous learning, TONIK has been able to take a more considered role in shaping the wellness sector creating not only beautiful spaces, but environments that deliver value and meaningful experiences for both the client and the end user. Even when faced with challenging spaces, Gary says:

“One thing that I think we’re really good at is creating quality environments out of secondary spaces.”

It is a statement that reflects just how adaptable the TONIK team has become.

TONIK’s wellness journey hasn’t been limited to international projects. Back in London, the team has continued to explore the growing relationship between fitness, wellness, hospitality and social experience. Working alongside Shiva, a longstanding client, TONIK helped develop The BoTree into a luxury hotel with wellness at its heart, with TripleBond at the centre of the offering. Launched in August 2026, the project represents a culmination of what TONIK has learnt across both its previous and current work. The members’ club brings together fitness, social spaces, hospitality and more advanced wellness facilities to create a more holistic wellness experience. For Gary, the project reflects how far the industry has moved from the traditional gym: “It’s not enough anymore to fill a room full of kit.” TripleBond needed to challenge the present and anticipate where wellness is heading next.

With this new direction in fitness and wellness gathering momentum, Gary is clear that TONIK doesn’t simply want to be part of the movement it wants to help shape it, with hospitality remaining at the heart of its approach.

Wellness is moving home. As our understanding of health and longevity evolves, the home is becoming an increasingly important part of the wellness ecosystem not simply a place to rest, but a space designed to actively support how we live, recover and perform. From dedicated movement and recovery spaces to better lighting, air quality, acoustics and flexible areas that adapt throughout the day, the next generation of residential design will consider wellbeing as an inherent part of the architecture. The same shift we are seeing across fitness, hospitality and social wellness is now entering the home: designing environments that encourage healthier habits, create opportunities to connect and ultimately support a longer, better quality of life.

“Our expertise in hospitality means we’re well placed to bring in and include in the schemes that we’re working on the social element of wellness and fitness.”

As TONIK’s wellness work continues to evolve, the studio is also expanding its expertise through its partnership with Amber Leisure Partners, a group of consultants bringing together expertise across fitness, wellness, development and technology. TONIK contributes its experience in hospitality, brand and environmental design, working alongside this wider network of specialists to take a more holistic approach to creating the next generation of wellness spaces. Together, the partnership allows TONIK to bring the social experience of wellness further into its projects, an area Gary sees as increasingly important to the future of fitness and wellbeing.

For TONIK, this is only the beginning. As wellness moves beyond the traditional gym and towards richer, more social and hospitality-led experiences, the studio sees an opportunity to keep evolving with it  and to play a part in shaping what comes next.