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GOOD VIBRATIONS
sauna experience engages all the senses – including the ears, thanks to a recent wellness trend that provide acoustic massages with gongs, cymbals, and singing bowls. Singing bowls are an ancient tool used for healing and meditation. Combined with the cleansing effects of steam, the therapeutic vibration of singing bowls helps to induce a state of deep relaxation. In Finland, the trend is pioneered by SevenSounds™, a group of sound healing professionals who bring the bowls into selected spas and swimming halls around southern Finland. “The sound waves resonate in our bodies and improve the circulation,” says Tanja Pyy of SevenSounds. A SOOTHI NG
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LOCK, STOCK, AND BARREL
Heikki Karjalainen saw a newspaper ad selling a 2,500-litre wine barrel, he was hit by an off-the-wall upcycling idea. After copious measuring, planning, and woodwork, the vintage oak barrel now serves as a sauna. “The serial number on the barrel helped me ascertain its age. This sauna is 140 years old,” says Karjalainen.
WHEN
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LED lights meet with age-old sauna essentials – tar and steam.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
experiences are another up-and-coming sauna trend, as witnessed by the growing popularity of panoramic saunas featuring glass walls, atmospheric LED lights, and extensive use of natural stone. “As an alternative to traditional built-in wooden benches, in the future we will be seeing new fixtures such as ergonomic, adaptable, and movable sauna chairs,” predicts sauna expert Harri Kuusjärvi of Saunasella, a Finnish company specialised in sauna, spa, and interior design products. > F R ES H V I S UA L
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