Sauna sensations
- TEXT SARA MOUSLY
Nowhere do we come closer to complete strangers than we do in the sauna, but regardless what country you’re in, it’s always rude to stare. All the more reason to relax and enjoy these incredible views and stunning designs from all over the world
1
Wa_Sauna
Seattle, USA
Freedom is the tiniest hut! There’s room for up to six people inside this floating sauna in Seattle, Washington – the brainchild of goCstudio. Relax and survey the skyline while you sweat, then dive from the roof to cool off.
2
Jordanbad
Biberbach an der Riß, Germany
Comfort cathedral: The Munich-based firm of architects Jeschke grouped this “sauna village” around a lake in southern Germany. The largest of the three cabins is an aroma sauna bathed in daylight.
3
Löyly Sauna
Helsinki, Finland
This pine-cloaked structure created by Avanto Architects stands firm as a rock on the edge of a former industrial district in Finland. Inside, it has public saunas and private rental cabins. A huge terrace runs all around the outside.
4
Sauna in Frihamnen
Gothenburg, Sweden
What looks like a stranded spaceship or a helpless robot is actually the most spectacular sauna in Gothenburg. For this project in Sweden, the designers Raumlabor Berlin used mostly recycled materials.
goteborg.com/bastun-i-frihamnen
5
Solar Egg
Kiruna, Sweden
Artist duo Bigert & Bergström’s jewel of a sauna – which also serves as a citizens’ forum – is currently on tour. You can visit it in Paris from late November until December 10. Then the Solar Egg will go back to its home base in Lappland.
6
Yäan Wellness Energy Spa
Tulum, Mexico
Sweat fests are not exclusive to the Far North, but take place close to the equator, too, like here in Mexico. Hard to imagine a more stylish place to perspire than Tulum, where architect Sebastian Sas has fulfilled a dream.
7
Refugio Lagazuoi
The Dolomites, Italy
Barrel with a view: This sauna bath on top of Lagazuoi Mountain in Italy is the most elevated of any in the Dolomites – at 2752 meters. Luckily, both the sauna and the cabin that goes with it are easily accessible via cable car.
8
Aro HĀ
Glenorchy, New Zealand
Minimalist design and natural materials define this retreat created by Tennent Brown in New Zealand. As your gaze wanders across Lake Wakatipu, you’ll know what it means to be in the glorious middle of nowhere.
1–2
Our body temperature rises to 1-2 degrees Celsius above normal in the sauna. It’s this artificial fever that strengthens our circulation and immune system.
20
It takes 20 minutes to cross the high Ylläs region of Finland north of the Arctic Circle in a sauna gondola.
166
The 166-square-meter koi sauna at Thermen & Badewelt Sinsheim in Germany is the largest sauna in the world.
2 000 000
Finland has at least 2 000 000 million saunas, which means that all 5.5 million Fins could take a sauna at the same time.
EXTRA-SPECIAL SAUNAS
1 WA_SAUNA, USA | 2 JORDANBAD, Germany | 3 LÖYLY SAUNA, Finland | 4 SAUNA IN FRIHAMNEN, Sweden | 5 SOLAR EGG, Sweden | 6 YÄAN WELLNESS, Mexico | 7 REFUGIO LAGAZUOI, ITALy | 8 ARO HĀ, New Zealand