A Swim Pond with Spa Benefits

Published on October 31, 2024

Our client asked for a place to relax and rejuvenate, and then gave us free rein on the design.

When polled, 10 out of 10 mermaids will tell you that this natural swimming pool in Barrington, Illinois is a breath of fresh air — and that’s because it literally is.

This Reflections Water Gardens swim pond project features the latest filtration technology, using microbubble aeration in conjunction with ozone to keep water quality at its highest. Water is super-saturated with pure oxygen.

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Pristine Waters

The swim pond is surrounded by plants such as waterlilies, pickerel weed, sweet flag, iris and, of course, lotus, which is my signature on every one of our natural swimming pools. The 1,600-square-foot water feature defines the back yard of the homeowner’s 8,200-square-foot lot.

At its deepest, the pool is 6 feet. A shallow, 2-foot ledge along the patio side provides a transition point into deeper waters. This is space for relaxing and dangling your feet, or “fins” in the case of our mermaid friend.

Water is fed by two half-horse, 260-gallon-per-minute pumps and one three-horse, 100-gallon-per-minute pump. A 30,000-gallon bead filter helps keep pool water pristine.

Spa at Home

Our client wanted a place to relax and rejuvenate and then gave us free rein on the design. He wanted the pool to be easily accessible for family members and asked for a sun deck, which we incorporated adjacent to the steps for the pool. I asked if we could encompass the whole backyard, and we did.

An existing 12-year-old waterfall was originally located off to the side of the project, near a garage access door. It was incorporated into the design, which includes a new, 3-foot waterfall. The two seamlessly appear as one.

One of the best parts of the experience is that the client’s wife didn’t want anything to do with the project and thought her husband and I were nuts. But this is true: As the project progressed, she would repeatedly come out and tell us how awesome everything was.

She took photos, shared them with co-workers and praised what was being built. I think we convinced her the project was going to provide lifestyle benefits she wasn’t expecting.

Challenge Accepted

But from the get-go, the project was definitely full of challenge. First, it began during COVID-19, which fueled delays in permitting and engineering. Once those were finally secured months later, site coordination then required a well-thought-out plan.

Access to the backyard was very tight. Being respectful of their landscape, we had to use the neighbor’s property for staging our boulders and materials. We hauled everything from the front to the backyard from there.

That brought up different challenges. A 10-foot-wide side entrance partially blocked by the home’s air conditioner was the only entry point. Coordinating movement of supplies became a slow, step-by-step process.

Once we finally got all our materials and supplies back to the construction site, we had to create a way for our machines to work the materials into the area of the pond. So, we built accessways in the middle of the project with pallets and plywood and drove our machines on top. Months later, construction finally began.

Dream Weaver

While the Barrington project is unique for its many characteristics, the challenges it presented in on-site design and structural engineering are not. Challenging the mettle of pond design-build pros is part of the job. Creativity and problem-solving are often required to deliver on homeowners’ dreams. It’s all in a day’s work. You get creative, and you find solutions.

In so doing, small spaces seem to visually expand as creativity and ingenuity marry into water features that define the client’s lifestyle. And as environmental, economic and cultural influences continue to change the way we live outdoors, pond lifestyle trends are evolving to meet the needs of discriminating homeowners.

While there will always be room for fountains, water gardens and koi ponds, the market is evolving. The pools we built just a few years back were called recreation ponds. Today they have evolved into bigger and ever-more unique styles of natural swimming pools.

Our pools work in harmony with the topography of the landscape and our client’s needs. Homeowners are increasingly asking us to both customize experiences that are unique to their lifestyle and provide experiences they can’t get anywhere else.

Beneficial Microbubbles

An existing waterfall (left) was integrated into the new design Even at night (right), water is crystal clear thanks to mica from the beach-sand bottom and tiny bubbles from micro-aeration.

Therapeutic benefits that meet the needs for stress reduction, anxiety relief, healthy lifestyles and calm peacefulness away from social media and mobile devices are as close as your own backyard. In Barrington, the homeowner’s natural swimming pool is heated, highly filtered and super-saturated with oxygen from fast-moving, negatively-charged microbubbles. These tiny bubbles attract, trap and help eliminate positively-charged contaminants and anaerobic pathogens that can cause a range of infections.

Beneficial microbubbles penetrate skin pores, hair follicles and sebaceous glands, resulting in higher levels of detoxification than from non-oxygenated water. Scientists say swimming in oxygenated water can trigger the release of hormones that help you feel more alert and focused. Imagine having an early-morning swim in your natural swimming pool before leading a day of stressful business meetings.

Oxygenated water has cleansing, antibacterial and anti-drying properties that may reduce inflammation. It supports hydration that maintains skin vitality, reduces irritation and smooths the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Skin is gently exfoliated, cleansed and detoxed, causing it to look firmer, revitalized and plumper. You appear healthier, as though you spent a day at the beach when in fact you did — mermaid-style in your own backyard.

Natural Filtration

Backyard benefits go even further. While this mermaid-approved pool employs super-oxygenation, it additionally uses Reflections Water Garden’s proprietary water filtration system — technology that stares down bacteria and wipes it from residential natural swimming pools and ponds.

Small rocks and pebbles naturally filter water, complementing the work of Wisconsin Lannon stone and Missouri-weathered limestone boulders. They provide places for bacteria to colonize as they filter out debris from fish, insects and plants. Water is healthier, cleaner and clearer.

Ambient Sound

Water flow and ambient sound emanate from two waterfalls that appear as one. Part of the original waterfall, an existing retaining wall supports large boulders and cobblestones that form the new 3-foot feature.

A wide stairway with handrail support provides access to the ankle-deep wading pool and to the 2-foot ledge for reflection and meditation. Nearby, a Zen-style garden features annual plants such as canna lily and nasturtium in hot colors of red and yellow. Fragrance comes from perennials including calamint, aromatic thyme and ‘Chocolate Chip’ ajuga.

From the ledge, the water is crystal clear to the pool’s beach-sand bottom. Not only does beach sand just feel better on bare feet, but it also provides aeration that reduces muck buildup and controls anaerobic bacteria.

Shimmering Sands

In a Reflections Water Garden, all Earth’s elements work together for good, and this one is no exception. One of those “good things” is air. More air — more oxygen — in the water means it has vitality to move, shine and shimmer in the sun.

And it literally does shimmer. When kissed by the sun, mica, a soft, flaky and shiny mineral in beach sand, glistens like mermaids’ scales.

And mermaids are not the only ones curious about this Barrington pool.

For almost half a year, all the clients’ neighbors watched us coming and going at work, but the project’s perimeter is surrounded by trees. No one could see the project site. Now that we’re done, people stop the homeowner and ask what was going on and if they can have a tour.

Nurture & Nature

Within the natural setting, boulder-built containers separate a serene, 200-square-foot lotus and waterlily bed from the swimming areas. An adjacent slab sundeck is built from inside the water and provides the perfect place for reflecting on the entirety of the water feature.

Off the sundeck, large slab stones beckon human feet to step along a custom walking path through lotus and waterlily beds. Japanese honeysuckle, blue flower pickerel and sweet flag add to the contemplative experience of the journey. Within this unique space, plants and hardscapes work together to add a sense of enclosure to the natural swimming pool. A feeling of oneness that cleanses the mind, feeds the spirit and nourishes the soul of mermaids and humans alike.

Click here to read more articles about swim ponds.

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