Dezeen Magazine

Swiss manufacturer Küng brings the sauna tradition to the living room

London Design Festival 2016: Swiss company Küng has designed a series of saunas that can be installed in the living room – so that those without basements or outdoor space can still enjoy the experience at home.

Created as smaller versions of the company's existing saunas, the collection features three different designs, including one that fits into two square metres of space.

They are designed to be inserted into living spaces or bedrooms, rather than in the basement or outside.

The Infraflex Trias is the most compact of the three. It tucks into a corner space, and features interiors made from wooden panelling.

Küng's Vista sauna is the most transparent option, with floor to ceiling glass walls and a striped interior, while the Evivo sauna has a wooden shell, natural stone interior and minimal benches.

Video showing Küng's collection of saunas


"The onward march of urbanisation and increasing building density associated with this means that the number of people living in flats and apartments is growing," company founder Tony Küng told Dezeen.

"Even generously apportioned apartments offer little extra space for zones that do not serve a primary function, such as a sauna or spa."

The spas offer varying levels of temperatures and humidity – including one that mimics the classic Finnish sauna experience – and there's an option to include infrared light therapy, using embedded panels.

Owners can customise the saunas to their own preferences, using a touchscreen panel, and also use the space for aroma or inhalation therapy.

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Although saunas are generally considered a luxury in the UK, there are an estimated three million in Finland. Around 99 per cent of Finns visit the spa once a week, as a chance to socialise as well as relax.

But Küng claims the sauna market is growing significantly in countries that don't have a longstanding spa tradition.

"The growth is driven by the sauna moving from being a wooden box in the cellar to a focal point in the living room," he said.

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This kind of communal bathing was the subject of a London Design Festival exhibition curated by Jane Withers, which brought together sauna and spa designs from architects around the world.

"In the latter part of the 20th century bathing went behind closed doors and turned away from the community," she told Dezeen. "But now people are beginning to rediscover old bathing traditions."

Architects including Raumlabor, Kengo Kuma and H3T have all designed saunas in recent years.

Küng's new line of saunas launched at 100% Design, during the London Design Festival 2016 last week.