Inipi Sauna

red dot: best of the best
red dot award: product design 2009

The seven rites – design and tradition
It is known through historical transmission that for the North American Indians the Inipi – the sweat lodge – was a spiritual place for cleansing and healing that followed a set of strictly defined rules. The Inipi ceremony is one of the Seven Sacred Rites of the Lakota people and continues to be performed today according to the rules of the ancient tradition. Inspired by this ceremony, the design of this sauna signifies a highly interesting interpretation of this principle – it traces the tradition back to its roots and lends it a new and contemporary form. The design aims to take the sauna “out of the cellar” and place it in the bathroom and living area, transforming it into a bright place for relaxation and well-being. Following a purist form language and designed to impart a strong sense of “warmth”, this sauna turns into an inviting space within a space, and thus clearly follows the demands of clarity, harmony and structure. Similar to the Indian tradition, this sauna too becomes an integrative part of everyday life. The design concept is sophisticated to the last detail – there is nothing that disturbs the intended image of spiritual harmony. Free from directly visible technology, the sauna is positioned in the middle of a room; all units are hidden and mounted on a pull-out carrier. The control system, heater with ventilation unit and the evaporator are always accessible but never in view. The control concept too follows its Indian model of inspiration: in the same way as the age-old ceremony started by heating a stone in a fire and carrying it with a stag’s antler into a tent, the sauna session also starts with a “stone” – in the form of a hand-held remote control with a clearly laid-out display.