Klae Wellness

Completed 2025

Wathaurong Country, Newtown, Geelong

Klae marks a new chapter for Cooper & Blake, as our first venture into the commercial space, and one that stays close to our values. At its core, Klae is about balance: movement and stillness, light and shadow, strength and softness. Klae strives to be more than just a wellness studio, but as a space designed to support physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.

Created by a visionary client with a deep understanding of integrated health, Klae brings movement, recovery, and community into one unified environment. As the founders put it: “Klae was born to unify it all. Because when movement and recovery talk to each other, your body responds better. You progress smarter, and you feel more supported.”

Our architectural response was shaped by this philosophy. The building’s stepped form is a nod to traditional bathhouses and communal wells found across cultures, places where wellness was seamlessly woven into the rhythms of daily life. These structured, brutalist elements provide a strong architectural framework, softened by a palette of warm, grounding materials.

Limewash walls, travertine floors, dark walnut joinery and brushed brass and copper accents bring a tactile richness to the space. These timeless, natural finishes create a calm yet elevated atmosphere, supporting both energising activity and deep rest.

The result is a space that feels intuitive and intentional. As architect Jessica Murray reflects: “We believe architecture can support wellbeing, physically, emotionally, socially. Klae is a space that invites you in and makes you want to stay. It’s restorative, but never clinical. Elevated, yet grounded.”

Klae Wellness sets a precedent for how commercial spaces can be more than functional, they can be places that care for people, nurture connection, and inspire longevity in both body and design.