Entering a sauna after a long day feels like pure luxury. Now imagine having that experience alongside a traditional hammam and refreshing plunge bath, all within the same sleek system. That’s exactly what Italian wellness company Effe created with their new Petra SH, which made its debut at Milan Design Week 2025. Designer Marco Williams Fagioli became fascinated by the rituals surrounding thermal wellness while developing this system. He discovered that traditional hammams required bathers to bow when entering through deliberately low doorways as a sign of respect.

These cultural nuances shaped his approach, ensuring the Petra SH honors the authentic spirit of these ancient practices while fitting seamlessly into modern homes. The flexibility of this modular design is its USP. Whether you’re planning a compact home retreat or designing a hotel spa, the system adapts to your space. You can choose between clear glass panels for an open, airy feel or opt for opaque surfaces when privacy matters more. This versatility makes it work just as well in a city apartment as it does in a sprawling country estate.

Designer: Effe

The entire system uses eco-friendly, recyclable materials that align with today’s environmental consciousness. The sauna interior features Swiss pine cladding, chosen for its natural anti-bacterial properties and distinctive alpine fragrance. This hardy wood withstands temperature extremes and also creates that authentic forest-like atmosphere that makes sauna sessions so restorative. Having the plunge bath integrated directly into the system changes everything. Instead of needing a separate setup for cold therapy, you get the complete thermal contrast experience in one beautifully designed unit.

This proves useful in urban settings where space comes at a premium, yet people still crave comprehensive wellness experiences. Effe has spent nearly four decades perfecting wellness design, and that expertise shows in every detail of the Petra SH. The company understands that great wellness design goes beyond just functionality—it needs to create an experience that transports you from everyday stress into a state of genuine relaxation.

The timing is exceptional. Home wellness has exploded in popularity, with people investing in creating sanctuary spaces within their walls. The Petra SH addresses this desire while solving the common problem of needing multiple systems for different types of heat therapy. Instead of choosing between a sauna and a steam room, you get both, plus the cold plunge that completes the traditional Nordic wellness cycle.

I admire how this system brings together wellness traditions from different cultures—Finnish sauna culture, Turkish hammam rituals, and cold therapy practices—into one cohesive experience. It’s not just about having multiple options; it’s about creating a journey that honors the deep cultural significance of these practices while making them accessible for modern life.

FAQs

1. What is a modular spa system, and how does it work?

A modular spa system is all about flexibility and personalization. Instead of being locked into a single setup, you get a series of components—like a sauna, hammam, and cold plunge—that can be mixed and matched to fit your space and your needs. With something like Petra SH, you can create a wellness retreat that works just as well in a city apartment as it does in a larger home. The modules are designed to fit together seamlessly, so you can choose the features and finishes that suit your style, and even reconfigure or expand the setup later on if your needs change.

2. What are the health benefits of combining sauna, hammam, and cold plunge?

Bringing together sauna, hammam, and cold plunge therapies gives you the best of all worlds. The heat from the sauna and steam room helps relax your muscles, encourages deep sweating, and gets your blood flowing. When you follow that with a cold plunge, it wakes up your senses, reduces inflammation, and can even help your body recover after a workout. Switching between hot and cold is a time-tested way to boost circulation, ease stress, and support your immune system. Many people find this routine leaves them feeling both deeply relaxed and re-energized.

3. What makes Petra SH different from other home wellness systems?

Petra SH sets itself apart by blending authentic wellness traditions with modern design. It’s inspired by the rituals of Turkish hammams and Finnish saunas, so you get thoughtful details—like the low doorway and the use of Swiss pine—that honor those roots. But it’s also incredibly versatile: you can have a sauna, steam room, and cold plunge all in one system, tailored to fit your space. Sustainability is built in, with eco-friendly materials throughout. The result is a wellness experience that feels both timeless and perfectly suited to contemporary living.

The post Modular Sauna Brings Hammam and Sauna Rituals Home: Modern Design, No Extra Space Needed first appeared on Yanko Design.

The wellness revolution has officially arrived in your home, and Kohler is leading the charge with their innovative line of at-home saunas. As more people prioritize self-care and seek spa-like experiences without leaving their homes, Kohler’s newest wellness offering provides the perfect solution for creating a personal sanctuary that promotes both physical and mental well-being. Their entry into the home sauna market represents a significant shift in how we approach wellness design. The at-home sauna is a direct response to this demand, making spa-like experiences more accessible and seamlessly integrated into daily life for homeowners.

Kohler saunas seem to have thoughtful design and premium craftsmanship. Drawing inspiration from both 1970s iterations found in the brand’s archives and modern Kohler Waters Spas, these saunas feature high-quality Scandinavian spruce construction available in multiple finishes . The attention to detail extends to every aspect of the user experience, from the ergonomic Obeche wood headrest to state-of-the-art features that create a truly personalized wellness experience.

Designer: Kohler

The technology integrated into Kohler saunas is particularly impressive. Each unit includes ambient sunset lighting that creates a warm, inviting atmosphere, perfect for relaxation and stress relief. The intuitive touchscreen control system allows users to easily manage dual thermostats, ensuring optimal temperature control throughout their session. The innovative aerotherm ventilation system circulates air up to eight times per session, maintaining fresh air quality and enhancing the overall sauna experience.

Beyond the luxurious features, Kohler saunas offer substantial health benefits that make them a worthwhile investment in your well-being. Regular sauna use provides stress reduction, improved circulation, and detoxification, all within the privacy and hygiene of your own home . These benefits align perfectly with the growing cultural shift toward prioritizing health and self-care in our daily routines.

Kohler’s approach to wellness extends beyond individual products to create what Stevens describes as a “connected wellness ecosystem.” The brand envisions a future where your sauna can be integrated with other wellness products, such as ice baths and digital cold-mode showers, for seamless contrast therapy experiences . This comprehensive approach positions Kohler as a one-stop solution for homeowners looking to create a complete wellness routine at home. The versatility of Kohler saunas makes them suitable for various home configurations, with both indoor and outdoor models available. This flexibility allows homeowners to incorporate wellness into their existing spaces or design new areas specifically dedicated to health and relaxation.

For those considering this wellness investment, Kohler saunas represent more than just a luxury addition to the home. They offer a practical solution for busy individuals who want to prioritize their health but struggle to find time for regular spa visits. With the convenience of home access, users can easily incorporate sauna sessions into their daily routines, making self-care more accessible and sustainable than ever before.

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Cake Architecture, a London-based studio, has finished a communal wellness center in Canary Wharf, featuring a sauna that accommodates 65 people and a lounge with an amphitheater design, intended to capture the vibrant energy of a nightclub. Called Arc, this wellness center focuses on contrast therapy, which involves alternating between hot and cold environments to stimulate the body’s natural stress and relaxation mechanisms.

Cake Architecture created this space for White Rabbit Projects, a hospitality specialist seeking to position Arc as a unique alternative to traditional nightlife culture. The client’s brief specified certain functional needs, including various room types, equipment, and capacity requirements. The interior was also designed to offer a sense of rhythm as guests move through the different areas.

Designer: Cake Architecture

Cake Architecture crafted the space for hospitality expert White Rabbit Projects, aiming for a design that embodies Arc’s identity as a distinct alternative to traditional nightlife. The client’s brief specified particular functional needs, including room types, equipment, and capacity. The interior was also designed to offer a seamless flow, creating a rhythmic experience as guests move through the various areas.

“We aimed to create a space that facilitates communal transcendence – an environment that offers a step away from daily life,” said the creative director Hugh Scott Moncrieff. “The challenge was finding a design language that bridged the clean, health-focussed world of wellness and fitness while echoing the hedonistic energy found in dance floors and nightclubs.”

The project drew inspiration from both ancient and modern history, referencing the Roman Baths of Caracalla and the creations of architects and designers like Andrea Branzi, Archizoom, and Shiro Kuramata. The design seeks to explore contrasts such as hot versus cold, open versus closed, and natural versus artificial. Each area boasts its distinct character, while a cohesive material palette unifies the overall scheme.

“The materials contribute to a grounded, tactile experience, connecting guests to nature in a subconscious way,” said Scott Moncrieff. “Metal, wood, and clay work together to evoke a sense of ritual and timelessness, helping to define each space’s mood through their inherent properties – texture, finish, and color.”

The guest experience centers around four primary areas – a communal changing space, a circular lounge, a plunge room with eight semi-sunken two-person ice baths, and the largest sauna in the UK, accommodating 65 people. Across these spaces, materials such as red terracotta and deep-blue dreadnought quarry tiles are used on vanity units, tiered seating, sauna hearths, and ice baths to reinforce a sense of consistency throughout.

Wood was incorporated to provide a warm contrast to the tiles, utilizing various types of timber for fixtures like custom lighting, changing room vanities, sauna interiors, and a circular plunge bench. The lounge area was conceived as a communal space for guests to connect and rehydrate with water or herbal teas. It features circular tiered seating arranged around a monolithic table crafted from a cedar slab by sculptor Simon Gaiger.

The post Meet The UK’s Largest Sauna & Nightlife-Inspired Wellness Center In Canary Wharf first appeared on Yanko Design.

When visiting a museum that’s located next to a body of water, probably the next thing you think of after you’ve completed your tour is: “Hmmm, it would be nice to have a relaxing time at a sauna”. Well, that’s if you’re tired after going around the museum. If you visit the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway, you will get the chance to do just that.

Designer: Estudio Herreros

Trosten is a floating sauna that you can find in the fjord next to the museum as both are designed by Estudio Herreros. The idea is to bring saunas closer to the people and make it sustainable and accessible as well. They were inspired by architectural follies but aside from it being aesthetic, the structure is still also highly functional but with a “distinct volume and silhouette with a strong, colorful component”.

The sauna’s main structure is actually constructed offsite and then placed on the prefabricated floating concrete platform. It’s made with aluminum cladding with a green tone to give off a calm and relaxing vibe, combining it with the usual wooden decking you see on saunas with large terrazzo tiled surfaces plus steel balustrades and netting. Outside there’s stepped seating so users can also sunbathe before or after using the sauna. Inside there are lockers and seating spaces and inside the sauna itself you get stepped wooden seating.

At the back, there’s also a sheltered seating space and you can access the fjord from here if you want to cool off. Since this is a sustainable structure, you get an energy system and a steam recirculation system and use of natural and recycled materials. It would be nice to heat up and cool off at something like this after a long day of exploring the museum and nearby places.

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