Pre-2015, your idea of a sauna was most likely a boxy wood cabin slotted into the sad corner of a city gym or spa. Or maybe tucked deep in the forest or on an icy lake. Back then, the typology certainly didn’t enjoy the imagination or playfulness it does today: from clusters of floating saunas to magnetic urban landmarks, they’re the site of festivals, performances and many things besides.
Here, we’re profiling Sami Rintala and Jasper Pääkkönen — two visionary Finns who’ve taken the tradition of sauna in totally new directions. Don’t miss the chance to experience saunas by both at Culture of Bathe-ing (at NYC’s Domino Park until Mar 1). BOOK HERE to try their twists on sauna tradition while getting the best löyly in town. Subscribers get 20% off with the code COBVIP20. Keep scrolling for a map of all the saunas in the Culture of Bathe-ing village.
Sami Rintala: sauna design mastermind
Saunas that float, stand on stilts, perch on remote rocky islands or nestle in snowy landscapes are all part of architect Sami Rintala’s experimental repertoire. The Norway-based Finn (and co-founder of Rintala Eggertsson) has cooked up something typically extraordinary for Culture of Bathe-ing in the form of a black winged super sauna. The unusual structure (named Attercop or venomous spider) seats 75+ people facing each other, to enjoy the roaring heat of a central stove and an iconic view over the Manhattan skyline to boot.
“The idea was to create a sauna with seating on both sides of the stove, with a flat ceiling that is good for spreading heat evenly,” he says. “The thing that is not very normal for a sauna, is the space under the wings for people to sit and hang their clothes. The other thing is the stove, which is handmade in Finland. Together with the stones it weighs 750kg so it’s a real monster. But you need it to heat a space 80-90 cubic meters. That’s three times the size of a normal sauna.”
“The stove is handmade in Finland, weighing 750kg. It’s a real monster.”
Sami Rintala
Sami is known for creating conceptual installations and buildings around the world that celebrate the senses, often in collaboration with other creatives. One of his best known projects is SALT arts and culture festival (2014) with entrepreneur Erlend Mogård-Larsen. The year-long event took place on a pristine beach in the Arctic Circle, for which the architect created a series of long timber triangular prisms inspired by vernacular fish drying racks. At the festival these housed art installations, along with one of the largest saunas in the world at the time, with space for 100 bathers.
SALT was intended to be nomadic but settled on the seafront in central Oslo where it has become a flourishing and influential model for bringing together sauna and culture, hosting music, debate, and performances year-round. The project formed the catalyst for the resurgence of Norwegian sauna culture which had all but died out in the 20th century.
Since the festival, Sami has continued to enjoy taking sauna architecture to the extreme and inventing new formats. The immersive Forest Spa at Panorama Hotel in Tahko, Finland is one of his designs on our must-visit list. As is Lowlu, a project recently launched with entrepreneur Tom Bacon, to bring easy-to-build, modular saunas to urban settings. The first two sites are already open in London.
Jasper Pääkkönen: making the sauna a cultural destination
When actor and entrepreneur Jasper Pääkkönen opened Löyly in 2016, it ushered in a new era for the public sauna. The vision was to create a destination combining bathing, restaurant, socialising and culture, defined by distinctive architecture. Covered in a deck of slatted timber, this hulking geometric structure on the Helsinki waterfront certainly does a good job getting noticed.
“We wanted to combine sauna as an ancient, and uniquely Finnish, health and wellness method and way of life, with striking architecture that hopefully will be known around the world,” says Jasper, who has starred in TV series Vikings (2015) and Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman (2018) over a two-decade career.
When he took on the project, with friend and co-founder Antero Vartia, their aim was not just to build the world’s most incredible sauna in terms of architecture, but sauna quality too. The saunas had to meet the exacting standards of Finnish tradition: correct seating heights, proper air circulation, oxygen-rich heat and wood-burning stoves with a massive heat output that reduces particle emissions. “People understand the health benefits of a sauna, but they don’t understand what makes a good one,” he says. “In Finland, building a sauna is meticulous.”
“People understand the health benefits of a sauna, but they don’t understand what makes a good one. In Finland, building a sauna is meticulous.”
Jasper Pääkkönen
The vision, created with architect Avanto, was what he calls “naively ambitious”. The geometric structure requires 6000 individually cut pieces of timber and a complex steel frame. Fifteen of Finland’s leading construction companies either refused to quote or said it was impossible to build. The team persevered. And when the New York Times got wind of what was happening to ask for an exclusive, the project seemed not so crazy after all.
Löyly is an unqualified success (named in 2018 by Time Magazine as one of the world’s 100 greatest places) but Jasper isn’t stopping there. He’s seen sauna culture spread internationally, but by Finnish measures, thinks most saunas are not very good. AITO is his entrepreneurial response: a plug-and-play authentic Finnish sauna that the company designs, builds and ships around the world. Make sure you try the AITO Boudoir sauna out at Culture of Bathe-ing.
All the saunas at our NYC fest
There’s something for everyone in the mix of bespoke, modular and mobile builds.
Die-hard heat seeker? Head to the cedar-walled Altaer mobile sauna (9) or Estonian-made Leil mirror sauna (6) for the hottest temperatures in the village (up to 200°F).
Love an offbeat steam? The Airstream sauna (2) sees an American icon transformed with black waxed cladding, warm basswood benches, and the clean heat of a IKI wood burning stove.
People person? The Tatanka barrel sauna (4) is a popular one for making new connections. The Humm wood-burning stove gives a mild, long-lasting steam.
All about the ‘gram? Find your best angle in the modular Soluna sauna (5). Its translucent sides let in some flattering light.
What’s coming up at Culture of Bathe-ing
Sunrise Sound Journey with Secular Sabbath***new time 9am-12pm! A later start to this can’t-miss sauna and sound experience from Secular Sabbath, feat. experimental music soundscapes by Alexey Seliverstov (Gray Skies Forever) and Tom C Bumpz. Feb 22, 9am-12pm. Book here.
Chinatown Basketball Club. A sound experience weaving Lunar New Year, basketball, and bathing—rhythmic, cultural, and joyfully unexpected. Feb 24, 5.30-5.45pm (Starlight Sauna). Book here.
Amber Martin as Bathhouse Bette. Drag, music, and storytelling that brings Bette Midler’s legendary performances at the Continental Baths back to life. Feb 26, 6.30-7pm (Event Tent). Book here.
One Last Thing
What is Aufguss? We asked Cosmin Cîrîc, Wellness Director of Therme Bucharest, to explain!
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