Cara Laser Skin Care

Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines, 2023

Luxury is often equated with excess. But the new CARA Laser Skin Care clinic offers a gentler alternative—one centered on ease, authenticity, and emotional wellbeing. Designed by Barchan + Architecture, it reimagines luxury not as exclusivity but as the freedom to feel comfortable in your own skin. Soft curves, warm textures, and calming tones ease the clinical experience, creating a space where wellness feels personal, grounded, and quietly transformative.

Client \ CARA Laser Skin Care

Location \ Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines

Area \ 200 sq.m.

Program \ Laser Skin Care Clinic

Status \ Completed

Background

The lounge sets the tone with a curved off-white sectional, warm peach-beige walls, soft Kenneth Cobonpue lighting, a marble table, and terrazzo flooring—creating a serene space for patients to unwind.

Since their first branch, CARA Laser has championed accessible luxury. For the Shangri-La expansion, the founder Irene Cara sought a refined, welcoming space. We translated the brand’s personality into cocoon-like interiors that balance protection, comfort, and introspection.

“Luxury is the freedom to be yourself in a space without judgment,” Buensalido explains. Through close collaboration with Cara, the team shaped an emotionally resonant clinic that nurtures self-assurance and wellbeing.

Artful Wayfinding

Luxury as Comfort

Each treatment room is crafted as a private sanctuary where clients can comfortably spend hours. Soft pink loungers, stone countertops, and warm neutrals carry the lounge’s calming palette into more intimate spaces. The clinic uses brass for mirrors and fixtures—“a nod to timelessness and honest architecture,” Bautista explains.

Adjustable task lighting shifts from bright to soothing, while Yana Ofrasio’s nature-inspired artworks and touches of greenery add quiet warmth.

“Clients may stay for two to three hours,” notes Espiritu. “We wanted them to feel at home.”

Intentional Gestures

Barchan + Architecture’s holistic approach shows in every detail. From the outset, the team immersed themselves in CARA’s brand to create a space that feels authentic, intentional, and emotionally attuned.

Materiality, form, light, and art come together in a seamless journey. Soft, cocoon-like curves replace harsh edges, shaping protective spaces where clients can reflect, relax, and transform—quietly elevating wellness into a form of attainable luxury.

From lounge to exit, the clinic embodies founder Irene Cara’s vision: to help busy individuals feel secure, relaxed, and cared for. In this sanctuary of stone, brass, and art, luxury is redefined—not as excess, but as the freedom to feel wholly and confidently yourself.