Candle windows

Jan 3, 2021

Candle windows hark back to my time at Podunk, where the light in the sauna came from a bare bulb in a porcelain fixture outside a little square window into the dressing room. A sauna is too hot for a standard light fixture, so this arrangement made sense. Later, after I started building saunas, I learned that this was a more modern incarnation of the original candle window, which was literally a window into the dressing room with a shelf for a candle to sit on. These windows are common in Finland in freestanding saunas away from the house. The candle window allows a special, spiritual, summoning light into grace the sauna. Especially on those dark winter nights.

In the sauna tradition, we slow down. The flickering candle-light, seen from the bench in the sauna, lures you to relaxation and reflection. Life and relativity. Could there be a more tranquil way to release the stresses of the day?

Although it is this quality of the light that is so important, the candle window is totally pragmatic in a very Finnish way. A candle in the sauna room would melt even if not lit, so this setup was an obvious solution to the problem of lighting the dark interior of the hot room. Despite its pragmatic origins, I find it is also a chance for a little expressive design: it can be round or square, arched or colored. It can have an organic flare to it. Now, with cheap, battery-operated, multi-colored LED lights and even fake candles that look real, the light can be more than a simple bulb on a pull-chain porcelain fixture and be safe. Even if the sauna has built-in electric lighting, the candle window can be a signature element, one that distinguishes a personalized custom sauna from a generic kit.

It’s in the details.

Finnish pragmatic design inspiration comes from using what is available at hand and letting that material influence your design. There are many places to incorporate little details and personal touches: stick hardware towel pegs, stone-faced walls with stones from your backyard, thresholds of locally cut locust, round windows, etc. Think of decorative elements you can hang above the mantle. In my sauna building plans (which can be purchased and download), there is more about windows: framing information and tips on using windows safely in mobile saunas.

Wood-burning sauna with candle window to dressing room.

Here is a collection of the candle window design and builds over the years in and around the Finger Lakes and New York State.

The Light in the Sauna

May 23, 2014

My family name, Licht, came from my German ancestors who made candles—the family crest features a candle—so it’s no wonder that I think about lighting a lot.

The most important thing about building a sauna is creating the right atmosphere. It’s not just about temperature, it’s about engaging all of the senses in a soothing way. The sauna is a sweat bath, light therapy, aroma therapy, and talk therapy session all rolled into one.

With that in mind, I think hard about the quality of the light in the sauna room.

Although all sorts of colored LED and optic fiber lights are available, I try to avoid any electric lighting. In fact, if it is a traditional woodburning unit, I avoid electricity entirely. Not only is it not needed to run a woodburning sauna, but if there is an electric line to the building then there will be a temptation to add outlets and harsh outdoor lighting. The next thing you know, someone is plugging in some beeping device or the light is blotting out the night sky and the whole experience is compromised. What you want is dim light that will let your eyes adjust to the darkness and that will make even the most modest bather feel comfortable, even if their towel happens to slip off. A few candles can be just enough to light the sauna room. The problem with candles is that they will melt in the sauna—even if you don’t light them! To solve this, I install a candle window above the mantle so the candle (or lantern) stays in the dressing room and lights both rooms.

I also consider daylighting and place windows to allow for natural light without compromising a sense of privacy. When rough framing the windows, I leave space so that the window placement can be adjusted to frame the perfect view when seated on the bench (but not the perfect view from outside).

In an electric sauna, I will often put a light under the bench, with a dimmer, so that there is no harsh light, only a soft glow that sweeps across the floor. No one wants to stare at a glowing light fixture (which is exactly the situation in most commercial units). Whatever the situation, I work with the light to create just the right ambiance.