In the past two years, “YIKEJIAN”, a new brand specializes in massage and instant relaxation, has opened up 4 stores in a row in Shenzhen, China. Undoubtedly, YIKEJIAN stands out in its’ unique position by differentiating from the traditional herbal shops, high-end SPAs and beauty salons. Meanwhile, YIKEJIAN Kexing, the fifth store, is now upgrading the space experiences on top of its focus on the “intelligent” services.

“JIAN”, a Chinese word which can stand for both “space” and “time”, was chosen by YUDesigns as the keyword of this project. What attracted and challenged the most for YUDesigns this time, is the creation of both space and time so as to grant the guests with a full recovery and relaxation within a 30-minutes stay. This project called for the balances between efficiency vs. classics, as well as technologism vs. humanism.

Most guests of YIKEJIAN pursuit high quality of life and aesthetic, engage in high-end jobs, see massage and relaxation as a rigid demand yet at the meantime, own limited personal time. Thanks to the bionic massage chair certified by the Japanese Ministry of Health & Medical Devices, YIKEJIAN successfully shortens the service hour from 60 mins to 30 mins. The particularity of time pushed YIKEJIAN to differentiate itself from hotels, teahouses, and restaurants.

At the beginning of this project, YUDesigns firstly approached the target customers, focused on the creation of a pleasant and durable space by the application of different materials, and eventually, enabled YIKEJIAN to be the rest harbor for its clients. Through space design, process reengineering and technology integration, YIKEJIAN grants the customers with “the space of their own moment”.

Being surrounded by the color of sand and stones with walls made from stones and plants of cactus, the guest will get rid of the boring office environment and enter into his own dreamland by simply entering into the hall of YIKEJIAN. The sitting-round-style information desk brings about social vibe and completely breaks the communication barriers. YIKEJIAN insists on the elimination of traditional front-desk which not only set free the receptionists from redundant operations, but also enables them to establish friendships with the guests by offering customized services.

“Light” is an effective approach of visual construction. The intensity of light is weakened by the hall, the aisle, and each massage room, like a ritual of light, bringing people into relaxation. Take the aisle for instance, instead of the direct dome light, YUDesigns lay low the winding light belts alongside the aisle, leading the customers as if they are following a paths in the forest. The setting of room number is also worth mentioning. Through the light source both upwards and downwards, room number 1 to 12 are projected onto the wall, pending to be unlocked by the guests.

The sensor and intelligent interaction system function together per the instant status and demand of guest inside the room. The guest will fall into full rest with shimmering light and music whispering around. When the light brighten up and background sound volume up gradually, the guest wakes up in his most comfortable way, fully charged. The “tactile” of YIKEJIAN follows common sense: wooden doorknob transits public area to private spaces; the ceiling wrapped by fabrics contributes to the sense of softness when one lies down; the shoe changing area at the porch eases up the guest’s tension.

“De-decoration”, being adhered by YUDesigns, holds the true intention to let people feel the designs by heart. Not a single piece of decoration painting can be found at YIKEJIAN. Try to feel the coarse texture of the diatom mud walls, and the gentle touch from the wooden ground. Inside the room, the straight line is turned into a circular arc dome, which brings the guests a sense of safety as if hiding in the cave and returning to mother’s womb.

The comfort from space and lights (vision), the tranquilization brought by the massage (touch), the joy of the fragrance (smell); the treatment of music (hearing), and the healthy food (taste), formed a five-sense experience at YIKEJIAN. At YIKEJIAN, the guest will have access to his most favorable solution to full relaxation. Without the interruption from service assistants, customized services can be easily accomplished through the intelligent voice butler in each room. During the relaxation, one can simply get “his own unique moment” with customized light, temperature and music by issuing command to the intelligent butler. This is what YUDesigns and YIKEJIAN has been pursuing, “to let technology serve people”.

Designed by YUDesigns
Design Team：Daqing YU, Li MA, Chengcheng FENG
Words Credit: Kan JIANG, Yao MA
Photography credit: Lv Lin