A Different Kind of Urban Landmark Is Taking Shape in Singapore
It was a humid afternoon when news broke that Singapore had appointed Therme Group to lead the development of a next-generation wellness attraction at Marina South Coastal. Walking past the southern waterfront, surrounded by a skyline that balances glass, steel, and nature, the idea of a sprawling, accessible wellness complex seemed less like an imported trend and more like a natural progression.
The site spans approximately 4 hectares (about 430,556 square feet), with a maximum allowable gross floor area of 80,000 square metres—equivalent to around 861,113 square feet. It is intended to be an all-weather, full-day space where people can engage with wellness not just as a luxury but as part of daily life. The Singapore Tourism Board’s decision to partner with Therme Group—the Austria-based developer known for its expansive, multifunctional wellness resorts in Europe—adds both weight and clarity to this direction.
What the Development Will Look Like
Therme Group’s model goes beyond traditional spas or family waterparks. Their properties in Bucharest, Erding, and Euskirchen have demonstrated a format that blends hydrotherapy, botanical design, art, and digital engagement. With Singapore’s Marina South project, that same formula is being translated into a dense, urban, tropical context.
Visitors can expect indoor and outdoor thermal pools, water play zones for children, saunas and steam baths, botanical landscapes, cultural exhibitions, and health-focused immersive technologies. These elements have been confirmed by official announcements.
This isn’t just about personal wellness. It’s about public engagement. Designed for families, solo travellers, and everyday residents, the site will be built for wide demographic access, not niche exclusivity.
Why Singapore? Why Now?
The Marina South district is a clean slate. Positioned just beyond Gardens by the Bay and close to Marina Bay Sands, it’s one of the last major parcels of state land earmarked for transformation. The government is looking at this site as a sustainable and well-connected residential and commercial node within the city. The attraction for wellness fits nicely into this storyline.
Site selection was done through a concept and price tender, issued by the Singapore Tourism Board on the 5th of July 2024. Many proposals had come in. According to The Business Times, Therme Group Singapore, chaired by former Minister Mah Bow Tan, was selected over competing bids—including one by Platinum Heights, linked to hotelier Allen Law.
What the Numbers Say
Being an area of dazzling development would put the Marina South project among the finest wellness attractions across Asia-Pacific. While the land area is about 430,556 square feet, the development’s permitted gross floor area extends to over 860,000 square feet, enabling a multi-level layout that maximises functionality.
The scale of the project, technology integration, and public access goals on behalf of the attraction alone translate to an investment being around S$1 billion. Forecasts from the Singapore Tourism Board and independent outlets say that the attraction would be catering to over 1 million visitors per year post-operation.
Therme’s Bucharest location reportedly saw 4 million visitors in its first four years of operation, averaging roughly 1 million visitors annually. Newer estimates suggest it may now receive over 1.2 million visitors per year.
Singapore welcomed 13.6 million international visitors in 2023, according to official data from the Singapore Tourism Board. The tourism sector generated S$20.1 billion in receipts from January to September 2023. STB’s projected full-year receipts for 2023 ranged between S$24.5 billion and S$26.0 billion.
A Regional First in Wellness Urbanism
Therme Group’s Marina South development marks its first foray into Southeast Asia. While cities like Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have seen growth in wellness services—especially in spa tourism and medical recovery—the region has not yet hosted large-scale, integrated wellness resorts of this typology within dense urban cores.
This project changes that. It blends the expected (hydrotherapy, spa, relaxation) with the contemporary (immersive experiences, public art, cultural curation), positioning it as both a functional retreat and a cultural destination.
How Travellers Might Experience It
By 2030, the development will open. Built year-round, the indoor-outdoor setting will accommodate Singapore’s climate and appeal to residents and tourists alike. Seamless access from transport should be facilitated with the future infrastructure.
This experience demands arrangements for both stationary visits and impromptu access, depending on a user’s desire for recovery maintenance of half an hour after travelling or a whole-day withdrawal trip. Unlike other spas or resorts set on a deserted island or in the mountains, this setting fronts wellness right in the middle of normal city life.
Travellers visiting Singapore can likely incorporate the destination into regular itineraries. This type of proximity is rare in the wellness category, where destinations often require extra travel time, bookings, and exclusivity.
What We Can Confirm and What Remains Open
The development agreement between STB and Therme Group Singapore has been signed. The concept has been selected. What remains are the detailed planning, regulatory approvals, and construction processes.
So far, however, the visuals and renderings have not been officially released for public consumption, leaving only the official project description to confirm the core experiences to be contained. Given that existing locations of Therme Group in Europe are used as directional references for design and facilities expected of the visitor, it is easy to conclude.
A Signal for the Wellness Economy in Asia
This isn’t just a tourism initiative. It’s also a move to institutionalise wellness as part of public infrastructure. The Singapore model introduces wellness not as an elective luxury, but as an embedded experience within urban space.
Other countries in the region have taken similar steps. Thailand’s push into medical wellness and Japan’s forest-based retreats show how the wellness economy is reshaping travel and land use. But this project, with its scale and centrality, stands apart.
Its success could influence future developments in cities like Seoul, Taipei, or Jakarta. It also adds a new layer to Singapore’s national branding—not just as a stopover or financial centre, but as a destination for everyday recovery, relaxation, and renewal.
Singapore’s southern coast is quietly preparing to welcome something new—not loud, not flashy, but calibrated to how people want to feel, not just where they want to go.