The smoke sauna located in Asikkala, southern Finland has all the fundamental components of the traditional sauna experience: the outdoor entrance, the dressing space, the steam room. Everything is stripped down to bare bones: the pure, solid walls, the benches, even the door and its hinges and casings are of wood.

The smoke sauna was selected in the Finnish Architecture Biennial Review 2018. Extract from the jury report:

“Could there be a more archetypal project than a traditional smoke sauna that sits on steep granite rock on the shores of Lake Päijänne? This particular smoke sauna does not fall for gimmicks but relies on tried and tested functional design, minimalistic composition, effortless detailing and traditional craftsmanship. The archetypal history of the smoke sauna, its lengthy heating time and the connoisseurship required to burn the wood and to remove the smoke and soot before bathing give the smoke sauna very special status in Finnish sauna culture.”