No matter how luxurious your country club or spa is, the saunas never really boast much of a view; it’s always the same dim wooden panel walls or, less appealingly, another sweating spa member. The architects at Canadian design studio Partisans must have related to such a problem, because its newly completed project is one of the most beautiful and isolated saunas you’ll ever see. The Grotto Sauna is located on the picturesque (and private) island of Bernyk in Ontario, and was built to allow views of Lake Huron, which National Geographic claims offers one of the best sunset views in the world.
The undulating curves of the cedar walls hug generously sized porthole windows and traditional stepped seating. A small, curved basin contains the coals to warm the space up, and it will stay heated, thanks to the glazed windows and aluminium foil behind the wooden panels that help keep droughts out. Cedar was chosen for its resistance to rot, aroma, colour and the fact that it could be sourced locally.
You’ll probably have to buy the entire island if you want to unwind here, but you can’t put a price on an experience that’s this indulgent, naturally beautiful and free of awkward nods to half-naked strangers.
