The Finnish Sauna

The Finnish Sauna

There are nearly 3 million saunas in Finland for a population of 5.5 million. Now one of them can be found travelling on a trailer across the British Isles. Finnish architect Sami Rintala and architectural students from the University of Westminster, in association with the Finnish Institute, joined forces to create a one-of-a-kind sauna. Its shape was inspired by the London tube, and it is built with Finnish pine wood – traditional methods mixed with new forms.

I wanted the visual identity to reflect the calming elements of the sauna: wood, water, fire and stones. Natural mindfulness. For a Finn, the sauna is a spiritual place. Before accessible hospitals, it was the sterile place where we were born. Sauna is where a stereotypically quiet nation opens up about their worries, where generations feel rooted and where we stop for a moment of calm.