My latest project came about because of the enthusiastic insistence of the client, who, with typical Finnish ingenuity, decided that her tiny “garden shed” needed to become a sweet little sauna. Typically, for the electric saunas I build, I carve out space in the recesses of a dark basement or some other unused corner of the house; this one had its own bright little shell for me to work with, perfectly placed a few paces from the kitchen door. The exterior had its own charm, so I left that alone except for the new galvanized metal roof, which mirrors its surroundings. It is clandestinely tucked into the yard so that, unbeknownst to the neighbors, there is a whole world of warmth inside.
It immediately reminded me of a Tardis—which, for those of you not up on Dr. Who, of the popular British TV series, is a time machine in the form of a phone booth; when the door is opened, an enormous interior is revealed (Tardis is an acronym for time and relative dimensions in space). My challenge was to make this 64 square foot shed completely functional as a sauna and feel larger than it is. So far it has surpassed my expectations: it feels roomy, airy and comfortable for 2 or 3 people with a heat that burns deep and a löyly that lingers just long enough. I even fit in a foyer/disrobing area. Stepping out of it in a cloud of steam it is hard to reconcile the size of the outside with the comfort of the interior.
Like the Tardis, the sauna is a time machine; once inside, the heat takes you to another dimension as minutes turn to hours and worries melt away like the face on a Dali watch. Sometimes I want to thank my clients more than they thank me—for the inspiration to create something so perfect and for taking me out of my world and into theirs.
