Tag Archives: sauna

This Off-Grid Sauna on Wheels Is Touring the UK’s Wildest Landscapes

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Rupert McKelvie’s latest creation sits somewhere between architectural statement and wellness refuge. The Aquila, a mobile sauna from his Devon-based studio Out of the Valley, transforms the traditional Finnish ritual into something you can tow behind a truck. It’s taking heat therapy to lakesides, coastal cliffs, and forest clearings across the United Kingdom, proving that proper bathing culture doesn’t need permanent foundations.

Built on a double-axle trailer measuring just 3.8 meters in length, this compact structure seats six people and runs entirely off-grid. Black larch cladding covers the exterior, treated using yakisugi, the Japanese charring technique that both protects the wood and creates that striking carbonized finish. The roof folds down using a mechanical system that took multiple prototypes to get right. McKelvie admits it was the hardest part of the build, requiring constant testing to ensure the mechanism could handle repeated setup and breakdown without fail.

Designer: Out of the Valley

McKelvie started Out of the Valley six years ago after building his first timber cabin as a personal escape near Dartmoor National Park. That project sparked something bigger, evolving into a full design-build practice focused on handcrafted structures that work with natural materials rather than against them. The Aquila marks the studio’s most ambitious output so far, earning recognition this year with a longlisting at the Dezeen Awards 2025 in the Product Design category for Health, Wellbeing and Wearables. It competed against over 4,300 entries from 89 countries.

Inside, thermally modified alder lines the walls, chosen specifically because it can handle extreme temperature shifts without warping or splitting. A 16-kilowatt Narvi wood-burning stove anchors the space, delivering the kind of authentic heat that electric alternatives struggle to replicate. Solar panels power subtle LED lighting throughout, keeping the unit functional wherever it gets parked. At the rear, a panel drops down to form an entrance deck, while an integrated cold shower completes the traditional contrast bathing experience that sauna purists swear by.

The design packs in clever details without feeling overworked. Perforated storage at the hitch end holds firewood for multiple sessions. The folding roof protects everything during transport and creates visual drama when deployed. The compact footprint gets into remote locations while maintaining comfortable capacity inside, which isn’t an easy balance to strike when you’re working with trailer dimensions.

Over recent months, Out of the Valley has partnered with lifestyle brands Passenger Clothing and Canopy & Stars to tour the Lake District National Park. Another unit spent a season with Unique Homestays, giving vacation rental guests an unexpected amenity. McKelvie and his team handcraft each unit in their workshops, with a current lead time sitting at four months. Pricing is available on request, reflecting the bespoke nature of every build and options for customizations, including door orientation and heating preferences.

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Peak Saunas Pack Medical-Grade Wellness Tech Into Your Home

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Remember when saunas were those wooden boxes at the gym that smelled faintly of eucalyptus and other people’s sweat? Yeah, those days are over. Peak Saunas is changing the game with infrared saunas that look like they belong in a luxury wellness retreat, not your basement.

Here’s the thing about Peak Saunas: they’ve managed to pack every feature you’d expect to pay thousands extra for into sleek, minimalist designs that actually fit in modern homes. We’re talking medical-grade red light therapy, WiFi app control, oxygen ionizers, and upgraded Bluetooth speakers, all included as standard. Most premium brands would nickel and dime you for these add-ons, but Peak just builds them in from the start.

Designer: Peak Sauna

The lineup ranges from solo sanctuaries to couple-friendly spaces. The Rainier and Shasta are perfect one-person pods, while the Fuji and Everest offer two-person capacity for those who prefer company during their sweat sessions. If you’ve got the space and want to go all in, the Denali and Matterhorn models comfortably fit three people. And for the bold? There’s even the Patagonia, an outdoor model designed to handle whatever weather you throw at it.

What makes these saunas genuinely interesting from a design perspective is how they’ve solved the assembly problem. Anyone who’s ever tried to build flat-pack furniture knows the special kind of frustration that comes with cryptic instructions and missing hardware. Peak uses a modular, snap-together system with tongue-and-groove panels that apparently goes together so smoothly even non-DIY types can handle it. No special tools, no construction expertise required. Just you, the instructions, and maybe a friend to help hold things steady.

The tech integration is where Peak really shines. Each sauna connects to WiFi and comes with its own app, so you can preheat your sauna from your phone while you’re wrapping up work or finishing dinner. There’s something oddly satisfying about walking into a perfectly heated sauna instead of sitting there waiting for it to warm up. The full-spectrum infrared heating covers 360 degrees, from halogen and quartz heaters delivering near, mid, and far infrared wavelengths (700 to 25,000 nanometers, for the spec nerds out there) plus advanced carbon panels for consistent heat distribution.

Then there’s the red light therapy component, which has become increasingly popular in wellness circles. Peak includes XL medical-grade panels as standard equipment, not as an expensive upgrade. Red light therapy advocates swear by its benefits for skin health, muscle recovery, and overall wellness. Whether you’re a believer or skeptical, having the option built in gives you room to experiment without dropping extra cash.

The construction quality deserves attention too. Peak uses ethically sourced Canadian wood (either Hemlock or Red Cedar depending on the model) with no volatile organic compounds, which means cleaner air inside your sauna and better long-term durability. The wood naturally resists moisture and bacteria, making maintenance refreshingly simple. All electrical components come with EMF shielding, addressing concerns about electromagnetic field exposure during those long, relaxing sessions.

Peak hasn’t forgotten about ambiance either. Built-in chromotherapy lighting lets you bathe in whatever color suits your mood, from calming blues to energizing reds. Bluetooth speakers let you soundtrack your sessions with music, podcasts, or meditative sounds. There’s even an oxygen ionizer working quietly in the background to keep the air fresh. The company backs everything with a lifetime warranty, which speaks to their confidence in build quality and longevity. They claim these saunas are designed to last over a decade with daily home use, which is exactly what you want to hear when making this kind of investment.

What Peak Saunas really represents is the democratization of luxury wellness. The same features you’d find at high-end spas or exclusive fitness clubs are now available for your home, without the recurring membership fees or awkward small talk in the steam room. It’s wellness technology meeting thoughtful design, packaged in a way that actually makes sense for real homes and real people. Whether you’re an athlete looking for better recovery, a stressed professional seeking a daily escape, or someone who just really loves the idea of sweating in a beautiful wooden box while scrolling through your phone (no judgment), Peak has created something worth paying attention to. The sauna experience has officially gone mainstream, and it looks pretty good doing it.

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Floating sauna beside museum is accessible and sustainable

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When visiting a museum that’s located next to a body of water, probably the next thing you think of after you’ve completed your tour is: “Hmmm, it would be nice to have a relaxing time at a sauna”. Well, that’s if you’re tired after going around the museum. If you visit the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, you will get the chance to do just that.

Designer: Estudio Herreros

Trosten is a floating sauna that you can find in the fjord next to the museum as both are designed by Estudio Herreros. The idea is to bring saunas closer to the people and make it sustainable and accessible as well. They were inspired by architectural follies but aside from it being aesthetic, the structure is still also highly functional but with a “distinct volume and silhouette with a strong, colorful component”.

The sauna’s main structure is actually constructed offsite and then placed on the prefabricated floating concrete platform. It’s made with aluminum cladding with a green tone to give off a calm and relaxing vibe, combining it with the usual wooden decking you see on saunas with large terrazzo tiled surfaces plus steel balustrades and netting. Outside there’s stepped seating so users can also sunbathe before or after using the sauna. Inside there are lockers and seating spaces and inside the sauna itself you get stepped wooden seating.

At the back, there’s also a sheltered seating space and you can access the fjord from here if you want to cool off. Since this is a sustainable structure, you get an energy system and a steam recirculation system and use of natural and recycled materials. It would be nice to heat up and cool off at something like this after a long day of exploring the museum and nearby places.

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This Little Wooden Sauna Is Elevated On Stilts On The Rocky Coast Of Norway

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Oslo Works designed and perched a little wooden sauna over the rocky shore of Nesodden peninsula, Norway. The sauna is elevated over the shore, and finished with wooden shingles, creating a rustic yet charming persona. It is designed for the local community and named the Hotspot. It is only a short ferry ride from Oslo and is intended to be an adaptable, easy-to-maintain, and eco-friendly structure. Lately, communal saunas have been increasing in the area, as local communities are joining forces to fund and build them, and the Hotspot is another new addition!

Designer: Oslo Works

“A sauna is best enjoyed together,” said the studio. “This may be the reason why sauna community culture has been rising in Scandinavia over the last few years. People are putting their forces together in order to finance, build, and share hothouse all along the shore.”
The Hotspot sauna has been segregated into two sections through a narrow open passage, which will lead visitors to the water and the bathing ladder. The main hot room is located on the left-hand side, while the storage and changing facilities are located on the right. The hot room is heated by a little woodburning stove, and visitors can take a dip in the ice-cold water, before meeting up in this room. The room has access to stunning views of Oslo’s skyline. Oslo Works picked a material palette that camouflages the home with its surroundings when viewed from the mainland.

The main room has a rounded back wall that is covered in burnt and oiled pine shingles, which allows the cabin to merge with “pine trees and grey granite shore rocks”, as said by the studio. The building is also built using wood, with massive timber modules forming the frame. This helps to reduce the embodied carbon of the site.

Since the Hotspot features a modular form, it was quite easy to transport and construct on the site, which is difficult to reach. On the site, the sauna is elevated on metal stilts. The sauna’s modularity also supports future flexibility and leaves scope for adaptations such as the inclusion of a roof terrace, and additional shower rooms.

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The Saltsaun NW Trailer Lets You Have A Sauna Anywhere And Everywhere You Go

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Meet the all-new Saltsaun NW trailer, a sauna that you can hitch up and tow anywhere with you. You can use the sauna in your backyard, or wherever you like. The NW trailer is influenced by the covered wagons that used to roam Oregon, and it is designed to be a versatile on-/off road trailer, allowing a Himalayan salt-lined cedar wood sauna to be attached behind any vehicle. There is an option of an electric or wood stove, for when you’re traveling on or off-grid.

Designer: Bend Teardrop

The Saltsaun NW trailer isn’t the first of its kind, but it does have a very appealing and unique design with impressive amenities and capabilities that truly set it apart. The trailer consists of a highway-speed-capable and off-road-ready square-tube chassis that measures 6×8 feet. The trailer measures 13 inches and rides on 15-inch wheels. The roof of the Saltsaun NW features the design and construction skills we saw in the teardrop trailer by Bend, which creates a rounded-roof body, quite similar to a solid-roofed covered wagon.

The trailer is made from cedar wood locally sourced in the Pacific Northwest. It features a large checker plate panel up front, with aluminum paneling below, and a corrugated metal roof scaffolding that provides protection to the wood from the hazards of road and weather. The roof also shelters a small porch with two integrated seats which are designed for cooling off.

The Saltsaun NW trailer can house four to five adults on its benches. The focal point of the design is the electric or wood stove that can set the temperature between 100 and 200 °F (38 to 93 °C).  The trailer’s electric model features a 3-kW steam-ready heater that can be plugged into a 110-V outlet with a recommended 20-A+ output., whereas the wooden stove model is intended to be an off-grid solution, and it is equipped with a rock basket for steaming, as well as a deep-cycle battery, and 100-W solar panel for the interior/exterior lighting.

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Floating architecture designs to light up Copenhagen, Maldives

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Water-based architecture is not about boats, yachts, or ships, or at least not just about them. We’re seeing some designers experiment with bringing all kinds of floating structures that residents and tourists can enjoy while basking in breathtaking views. A Copenhagen-based studio is teaming up with the local municipality to bring these unique concepts to life and show different possibilities for this kind of architecture.

Designer: MAST

The first of three projects is a floating sauna and harbor bath where up to fifteen people will be able to have a relaxing time while looking at an aquatic view. They can even plunge directly into the harbor bath after sweating it up in the sauna. It uses eco-friendly materials like cross-laminated timber and wood fiber insulation. This floating sauna is also “portable” in a sense that it can be moved to different locations through a towboat. There is also a small changing room as well as storage facilities and a wooden deck with access to the harbor bath.

The Harbour Cliff is the first free-floating open bouldering gym in the world where visitors can swim to it and then try the different climbing routes within the structure. There are three slightly inverted ledges to do the different challenges, including a 14.8 foot climb where you need to do a particularly hard jump to be able to reach the final spot. It looks like something straight out of an alien invasion movie and I keep expecting a monster to emerge from the structure.

Lastly, if you don’t want to sweat it out in the sauna or do bouldering, you can head over to the Maldives to visit a floating villa. These villas are anchored in protected lagoon areas and have two bedrooms, bathrooms, a loving room, and even a courtyard garden and a roof terrace. As part of their eco-friendly design, they use solar cells, battery packs, on-board sewage treatment and watermakers.

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