Yasmine Ammar's ALCHEMY 38 wellness retreat opens in Manhattan

Designer Yasmine Ammar has completed ALCHEMY 38, a wellness retreat on Manhattan's Upper East Side that spans 20,000 sqft across three levels. The project is organized as a sequence of spatial thresholds linking mind, body, and spirit, with eight primary rooms for therapeutic rituals and three social spaces. The design draws on neurogenesis, translating neural connectivity into architecture, and references Japanese and Scandinavian traditions. Materials include wood, stone, lime plaster, concrete, and mineral finishes, integrated with smart lighting and climate systems. The name '38' signifies the triad of mind, body, spirit (3) and cyclical renewal (8). The retreat guides visitors through phases of release, restoration, and re-engagement.