This dark cube, Hot Cube, has traveled a long way to Iniö. Harri Markkula designed it in 1997 as a modular sauna, making it easy to assemble, disassemble, and store. It is a minimalist art installation that comments on Finnish sauna culture. It is a Finnish cottage sauna stripped of all non-essential elements, leaving only a simple, tarred black cube and long, gentle steam.
The sauna was originally built in 1998 for an environmental art exhibition on the Jämsä River, which flows through the city of Jämsä. The public was able to use the sauna. It earned the title of the best sauna in Turku in 2011 when it was located in the Aura River in Turku, where over 200 guests enjoyed the sauna.
Hot Cube has been featured in industry magazines and has toured sauna festivals and exhibitions, including in Suomenlinna and Saunasaari. Now, the sauna cube has found a home in Iniö, on the backyard of Villa Högbo. Saunas are taken on a rocky hill surrounded by pine trees.
Tarred Cube
This 3x3x3 meter cube is both an art installation and a sauna. It is adaptable and can be built on dry land, on the water, or at the water's edge. You can enter it either by descending through the roof hatch via a bridge or directly from the lower level through a door.
When in the water, Hot Cube is not placed on a raft like floating saunas, but its buoyant structure is hidden underwater. The rays of light reflecting from the water surface inside create a shimmering effect on the walls of the sauna. All effects are natural, without any artificial lighting.
Sauna rituals are important to Finns. In Hot Cube, you both bathe and sauna in the same space. The sauna ritual is similar to that in traditional saunas. The temperature is adjusted by throwing water on the stones and opening the doors. The ample amount of stones and the massive stove ensure adequate heat. Because the cube has no "floor," the air inside never runs out. The 100% humidity mimics the experience of a smoke sauna, but without the eye-stinging smoke and hours of heating. Hot Cube is ready in just 1.5 hours.
Pleasure for All Senses
The interior materials include pine plywood and ash wood. The exterior is tarred. The floor is a grating through which natural light filters into this windowless cube. The fire from the glass doors of the heating stove also provides illumination. The atmosphere is extremely relaxing.
In addition to the excellent steam, the clarity of the space, the lighting, and the natural materials engage all the senses and create a sense of peace. Some Japanese visitors have even compared the atmosphere of Hot Cube to their own water temples.
Harri Markkula has also turned Hot Cube into a product. Three saunas have been built so far, one of which is in storage, waiting for a buyer.
Could Iniö Become a Sauna Village?
Harri believes it could, provided there is enough tourism-oriented entrepreneurship in Iniö. Sauna villages have already been established in other parts of Finland, with one good example being the Sauna Tour in Kuusamo. It is a joint venture of several tourism entrepreneurs offering sauna services. Sauna tourists arrive there by planes from all over the world. Wellness tourism, which includes elements of relaxation and silence, is currently the fastest-growing trend in global tourism.
At some point, Hot Cube will likely receive certification from Sauna from Finland. If Iniö had two or three other saunas that could also apply for the Authentic Finnish Sauna Experience quality certificate, we would already have the ingredients for an "archipelago sauna village."
Villa Högbo offers the opportunity to sauna in Hot Cube.
Contact villa.högbo@saaristokodit.fi, or +358 44 055 2253.
Hot Cube is also available for reservation during the summer at www.visitinio.fi.
Sources: Arkkitehtilehti 1/1999, Interview with Harri Markkula, 16.3.2024