The world’s most beautiful saunas

This is an excerpt from Ridiculously Good-Looking Saunas, a 2026 book from Gestalten, written by Christopher Selman – sauna designer, maker and co-founder of bespoke sauna studio Out of the Valley

“My fascination with saunas began even before childhood. When my Finnish aunt Ulla moved to London after marrying my uncle James, she brought her quiet rituals with her. Their English home was always filled with the scent of dry heat. The sauna was ever-present. As I got older and travelled to Helsinki, Ulla gently steered me toward the most beautiful saunas. These moments wove a thread through my life, connecting me to spaces that invite us to slow down, be present, and share stillness. Later, life took me to Australia. I spent a decade in the fast-paced corporate world of Sydney, but I always yearned for something quieter. In 2020, I returned to the UK and set out on a year-long voyage to find the world’s most remarkable saunas.

From remote Japanese onsen to floating sanctuaries in Tasmania, I have visited over 100 spaces around the world dedicated to heat. Everywhere I went, the story was the same: in the rhythm of sweat and silence, community is formed without words. A particular visit, however, changed everything. One day, standing near a lake in Cornwall, England, I found one of the best saunas I’ve ever encountered. It was designed by Rupert McKelvie, the founder of Out of the Valley, a studio based on the edge of Dartmoor National Park in Devon. Rupert and I met soon after, and the connection was immediate. We shared a vision: to bring saunas back to their roots.

This book is a collection of saunas that embody this global movement toward slowness, simplicity, and shared warmth

Together, we’ve developed Out of the Valley into one of the world’s most respected sauna design studios. We build slowly and thoughtfully. Design-led. No mass production. No shortcuts. Every sauna we make is custom-built using natural, low-impact materials, traditional joinery, and respect for the environment. Whether nestled beside a Scottish loch, overlooking Italian mountains, or sitting quietly in a London garden, each one reconnects people to themselves, to nature, and to each other.

This book is a collection of those stories. From Finland to Japan, Canada to New Zealand, we’ve gathered saunas that embody this global movement toward slowness, simplicity, and shared warmth. Some are classic; some are quirky. But each of them offers something rare in today’s world: a space to stop, sweat, breathe, and belong. One sauna changed my life. I hope the pages that follow inspire you to seek out your own.”