A cinematic sanctuary
Spa House lets nature take the lead, allowing the light to flood through the villa that rests upon the hills of Hout Bay, yielding inimitable views of Cape Town’s suburban landscape.
What came first, the house or the hills? It’s as if this hideaway was in communication with the land it occupies, long before it was built. As if the mountain and her vegetation, the ocean and her tides, the trees and the birds, and all of nature’s disciples briefed the man who built Spa House. Perhaps that’s what happened. John Jacob was appointed noble architect to her majesty the mountain, and let the glory of Hout Bay’s landscape be embossed in glass.
Tucked away from hub of the village, at the very end of a quiet residential road in Hout Bay, Spa House looks out across the valley, anchoring itself into the soil. A secluded mountainous retreat, this villa lends itself as an exceptional backdrop, for film and photography shoot locations, in South Africa. Where the surrounding nature doesn’t just frame the scene, it becomes the essence of the story.
This extraordinary property emerges from a garden of indigenous landscape, that’s been meticulously cleared of invasive species and allowed to breathe and flourish in its natural state. From every angle, the house delivers spectacular cinematic concepts, curious lines and reflections, and evocative shapes and shadows. Voluminous entertaining, living, dining and reclining areas, that merge with the magic of what’s going on outside. The over 3 metre-deep, crystal-clear swimming pool, glowing like liquid glass. Meandering its defined edges.
The architecture of this shoot hideaway conveys an elegant dialogue between minimalism and mood. Brazilian Afrormosia hardwood floats through the interiors and exteriors, like scattered clouds. Catching light and shadows, like a well-placed lens flare. Two of the bedrooms are perched above, together with a massage room. Delivering views of either the bay or the mountain, with one bedroom resting below the surface. The pièce de résistance to the property, this suite is submerged so that you can capture the light as it ripples across the surface of the pool above. An underwater marvel, whatever the brief.
The layout unfolds like any storyboard should. An open-plan main living area gives way to sliding doors, a sculptural kitchen shaped like a boat’s helm, and a descent into a wellness realm, where the sauna, steam room, and salt bath rest. For filmmakers and photographers seeking a completely unique and versatile setting, every corner of Spa House offers a new frame, a new feeling, and a beautiful new play with light. Most poetically, perhaps, is that it’s a place where you can mould your narrative around the inspiration that lands once you’re there. Letting the outdoors be in, the swimming pool be sky, and the space be the vision of its audience.
This shoot location works for:
Any brief requiring an elegant mountain house, with an exceptional swimming pool. Its private location is perfect for both film productions and photo shoots – seamlessly balancing raw natural beauty with refined design. Italian furnishings, marble feature walls, indigenous flora, and thoughtful, minimalist dĂ©cor ensure nothing detracts from the visual you’re ambitious about capturing.
Specific briefs – effortlessly catering to both contemporary and laidback villa style requirements.
The pool and the garden are ideal spots for any swim or resort wear shoots.
What you need to know…
- The property is only a thirty-minute drive from Cape Town and about 45 minutes from Cape Town International Airport.
- Spa House is suitable for shoots all year round.
- One moment you’re filming a floating landing, the next you’re wandering through a Silvermine-like trail. Without having to leave the property.
- If Spa House is not available on your dates, browse our full collection of exclusive-use shoot locations.
Written by Colleen Ogilvie