How About the Living Room as Spa?
A sauna in a neat cabinet, ensconced right into the living space can be an instant conversation piece.
The possibilities for placing the sanitation equipment for a private spa wherever one chooses are still limited – at most a bathtub is selected as a freestanding element. International sauna manufacturers now show how living rooms or even bedrooms can become the setting for wellness activities.
The components are predetermined: A sauna consists of a wooden cabinet with varying dimensions depending upon the number of users and an access door of glass; depending upon the size of the sauna, the user usually finds benches inside, on which one can sit or lie down while using the sauna; and the electric oven for heating the cabinet is as important for a sauna as the engine for an automobile.
It thus seems as if everything is already decided with regard to the design and the space requirements for a sauna. And here we come to the heart of the problem: Where does it fit in? The washroom is generally much too small, the basement too uncomfortable (or there isn’t one), and a large sauna is in the way everywhere else.
Enter the living area
It isn’t such a bad idea to find room for the traditional wellness box in the cosy living area. There are also no visual objections to positioning it in the living area, because the sauna cabinets have long since stopped looking like potato crates. The decades-long existence of the sauna in the basement was officially declared over years ago, because designers have discovered the sauna as a design object. There are not only design-oriented versions, but even modular systems that allow for completely individual customisation.
According to the sauna specialists, any room in the apartment or house should principally be suitable for the setting up of a sauna. A conventional socket is all that’s required as far as the pre-equipping is concerned. However, it should be ascertained that the kilowatts provided for the private power connection are adequate for the electric oven (power requirement depends upon the size of the sauna).
Designers will also recommend that the room with such a new sauna have a window or a skylight, because ventilation is advisable after using the sauna.
Because the ritual of the sauna is divided into various phases, it is also recommended that there be enough loungers or seats nearby so that blood pressure can reach normal values again during the rest phases. There should also be an opportunity available for taking a cold shower during the cool down phase. For this reason it would be practical to have a shower near the sauna and a little bit of space for resting after using it.
However, the following rule has always applied for even the most passionate sauna fans: those who want to achieve the dream of having a private sauna need the necessary amount of space. And this space can no longer be used for other purposes once the sauna has been installed.
This rule permanently anchored in the psyche quickly can turn into an insurmountable obstacle in times in which living space is growing scarcer. Sauna fans therefore often postpone their wish or abandon it entirely. However, there is no real need to let up on this previously unsolved challenge – the starting signal for an entirely new, radically different sauna concept.
The decisive highlight of a new sauna from Klafs is its minimal space requirement. In the completely retracted state, one of its models, the S1 has a depth of just 60 cm, just like a conventional cabinet. Nonetheless, it is a highly elegant sauna of high quality design extending down to the details, with space for quite a few people.
The highlight of such a sauna is that at the push of a button it unfolds in only 20 seconds to form a ready to operate sauna with nearly three times the depth. This is because it consists of three elements that can be completely retracted into one another. This nearly silently and synchronous operation comes due to a patented eMove technology. This technology also ensures that even the lounger unit of the model can be effortlessly pulled 10 cms forward, thereby offering an additional bonus in lying comfort.
Technical finesse
A certain amount of advanced technical fine honing is needed for such a concept if it is to actually come from within the confines of a limited washroom space to just about anywhere in the residence. That is quite made up for with technical measures.
The steam generator is fitted outside the cubicle and it needs a connection to the water supply and drains and to the electricity supply. The walls have to have a PVC sheath so that the temperature probe or interior control panel can be fitted inside the cubicle, both positioned at about 160 / 170cm from the floor.
The energy consumption of the sauna is proportionate to the volume of the cabin. The Energy Saver feature can ensure that in practice the maximum power of the stove is exploited to reach the set temperature. In operation, the absorption is reduced to half or even a third to ensure a constant temperature without maximum consumption peaks alternated with the resistors off. The result is a better management of energy consumption peaks and a constant temperature.
Versatility- There is also an option that can be customized for a folding lounger for two to lie on comfortably – the lying surface of which can be very quickly doubled by simply folding it out.
This means that the sauna can fit anywhere. And the room can remain what it previously was when the sauna is not in use. While for maximum convenience in use, having a shower or bathtub near at hand makes it convenient but nothing stands between innovativeness and adventure. The living room can be equally good!