Secluded Wellness Retreat Nestled in the Woods
A designer creates a backyard with a hot tub, sauna and fire pit seating area atop a granite ledge in New England
A few years after buying their home in Cohasset, Massachusetts, this outdoor-loving family of five was ready to transform their backyard into a wellness retreat where they could gather and warm up after one of their favorite activities: cold plunges in the nearby Atlantic Ocean. They hired landscape designer Tish Campbell to create a patio featuring a cedar hot tub, a gravel fire pit area, a sauna pavilion and an outdoor shower.
The area’s extensive granite bedrock ledges posed a unique design challenge. Campbell proposed using a mostly flat area near the property’s edge and working with the natural land formations. While she says people typically want amenities like hot tubs and saunas close to the house, her clients agreed that the secluded spot near the woods was ideal. “It’s nestled up in the ledge, and it feels like you’re at a retreat away from home,” she says. “They embraced that.”
The area’s extensive granite bedrock ledges posed a unique design challenge. Campbell proposed using a mostly flat area near the property’s edge and working with the natural land formations. While she says people typically want amenities like hot tubs and saunas close to the house, her clients agreed that the secluded spot near the woods was ideal. “It’s nestled up in the ledge, and it feels like you’re at a retreat away from home,” she says. “They embraced that.”
The plantings provide year-round interest while supporting wildlife. “My clients were really interested in taking care of pollinators and birds,” Campbell says. She also chose site-appropriate varieties that would require minimal watering. They installed an irrigation system, and the designer noted that drought-tolerant plants need regular water while they become established.
The planting bed features a lush mix of shrubs, perennials and grasses, with this photo showcasing redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea, zones 2 to 8); ‘Kobold’ blazing star (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’, zones 3 to 9); ‘Little Adder’ anise hyssop (Agastache rugosa ‘Little Adder’, zones 5 to 9); ‘Heavy Metal’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’, zones 4 to 9); and ‘Northwind’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’, zones 4 to 9).
Other plants not shown include ‘Red Sprite’ winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’, zones 3 to 9), chosen for its bright red berries in fall and winter; ‘Purple Dome’ New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’, zones 3 to 8); and blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium, zones 3 to 8), which bloom in fall.
The planting bed features a lush mix of shrubs, perennials and grasses, with this photo showcasing redosier dogwood (Cornus sericea, zones 2 to 8); ‘Kobold’ blazing star (Liatris spicata ‘Kobold’, zones 3 to 9); ‘Little Adder’ anise hyssop (Agastache rugosa ‘Little Adder’, zones 5 to 9); ‘Heavy Metal’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Heavy Metal’, zones 4 to 9); and ‘Northwind’ switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’, zones 4 to 9).
Other plants not shown include ‘Red Sprite’ winterberry holly (Ilex verticillata ‘Red Sprite’, zones 3 to 9), chosen for its bright red berries in fall and winter; ‘Purple Dome’ New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae ‘Purple Dome’, zones 3 to 8); and blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium, zones 3 to 8), which bloom in fall.
The stone wall beyond the fire pit marks the property’s edge. Campbell determined the easiest spot to create a level surface, adding fill atop the granite ledge where needed. With a smokeless Solo Stove fire pit at its center, the 16-foot-diameter pea gravel patio doesn’t take up more space than necessary. “With a smaller fire pit like this, you can design a smaller patio around it,” Campbell says.
The family loves cold plunges, but rather than installing one here, they prefer to go down the road and jump in the Atlantic Ocean. They can hurry home to warm up in the sauna and hot tub afterward.
The family loves cold plunges, but rather than installing one here, they prefer to go down the road and jump in the Atlantic Ocean. They can hurry home to warm up in the sauna and hot tub afterward.
Rugged fieldstone pavers make this space feel like a natural extension of the exposed granite ledge. “The ledge serves as a kind of retaining wall here,” Campbell says. SunSparkler ‘Wildfire’ sedums (Sedum rupestre ‘Wildfire’, zones 4 to 9) on the right soften the stone and enhance the natural look.
Campbell began by establishing the location of the round gravel patio, then designed the other elements around it. The surrounding fieldstone terrace connects it to the sauna and outdoor shower.
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Campbell began by establishing the location of the round gravel patio, then designed the other elements around it. The surrounding fieldstone terrace connects it to the sauna and outdoor shower.
See why you should hire a professional who uses Houzz Pro software
The prefabricated sauna features a cedar interior and black metal siding that blends into the surrounding woods. Campbell designed the adjacent outdoor shower to play off its look, and New England Woodworkers built it.
An opening at the back frames a view of the woods. “We had to coordinate precisely so that the husband could see out because he’s very tall,” Campbell says.
Sauna: Pure Cube Neptune, LeisureCraft
An opening at the back frames a view of the woods. “We had to coordinate precisely so that the husband could see out because he’s very tall,” Campbell says.
Sauna: Pure Cube Neptune, LeisureCraft
On the opposite side of the fire pit, fieldstone pavers form a second circular patio around a hot tub with a curved Kebony deck. Kebony is a sustainable wood product.
To create the curved edge band, landscape contractor Alex Toomey steamed the wood to make it pliable, then wrapped it around the deck. Its dark finish complements the sauna and outdoor shower.
Enjoy Outdoor Soaking With a Classic Wood Hot Tub
To create the curved edge band, landscape contractor Alex Toomey steamed the wood to make it pliable, then wrapped it around the deck. Its dark finish complements the sauna and outdoor shower.
Enjoy Outdoor Soaking With a Classic Wood Hot Tub
The homeowners chose a cedar hot tub to maintain the retreat’s naturalistic look. Instead of surrounding it with decking, as is common with fiberglass hot tubs, they wanted to showcase the beauty of the cedar. To the left, dense evergreen ‘Green Giant’ arborvitae (Thuja ‘Green Giant’, zones 5 to 8) create a deer-resistant privacy screen near the property line with neighbors.
To preserve their spectacular views of the stars, the family kept landscape lighting to a minimum. Low, modern black path lights flank the fieldstone steps and continue along the walkway for added safety at night.
Hot tub: Maine Cedar Hot Tubs
14 Pools and Hot Tubs That Blend Beautifully Into the Landscape
To preserve their spectacular views of the stars, the family kept landscape lighting to a minimum. Low, modern black path lights flank the fieldstone steps and continue along the walkway for added safety at night.
Hot tub: Maine Cedar Hot Tubs
14 Pools and Hot Tubs That Blend Beautifully Into the Landscape
This aerial photo shows the yard one season after planting, before the plants had time to fill in. The black structure at the lower left is the sauna and outdoor shower, the fire pit sits in the center and the hot tub patio and deck are on the right.
Campbell embraced the site’s natural ledge and scattered boulders, incorporating them into the design by placing the latter along the patio-facing edge of the planting bed (upper left). This forged a visual connection between the garden and the stonework.
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Campbell embraced the site’s natural ledge and scattered boulders, incorporating them into the design by placing the latter along the patio-facing edge of the planting bed (upper left). This forged a visual connection between the garden and the stonework.
More on Houzz
Read more landscape stories
Browse outdoor photos for ideas
Find a landscape contractor
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Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A family of five
Location: Cohasset, Massachusetts
Size: About one-half acre (0.2 hectares)
Landscape designer: Tish Landscape Design
Landscape contractor: Toomey Landscape
This is the view from the back of the house toward the wellness retreat. The homeowners wanted the landscape to shift from the manicured look near the home to a more naturalistic feel at the edge of the property. This large planting bed helps create that transition.
Campbell recommended New England fieldstone for the path, beginning with rectangular stone off the back patio, then rugged steppers winding through the planting bed before giving way to irregularly shaped pavers leading to the retreat.
What is now a lush garden was once a scrubby, overgrown area. Campbell cleared and replanted it while preserving the existing pine trees. She also added white-flowering eastern redbuds (Cercis canadensis f. alba, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone) and a Heritage river birch (Betula nigra ‘Cully’, zones 4 to 9) to the yard.
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