Trosten

A sustainably built, universally accessible floating sauna opened in the heart of the Norwegian capital last May. Fashioned from Hydro recycled aluminum scrap and terrazzo tiles, Trosten sauna’s adaptive design accomodates wheelchair users and others with mobility impairments—something ironically not often considered in wellness spaces. Oslo Badstuforening (Oslo Sauna Association), the nonprofit behind it, strives to “bring sauna to the people” with Trosten and 17 other sweatboxes in the city’s floating waterfront sauna villages. Conceptualized by the architectural firm Estudio Herreros, Trosten sits in front of the 13th-story perforated aluminum Munch Museum, another architectural marvel from the same studio, dedicated to Norway's most celebrated artist, Edvard Munch. An innovative ventilation system guarantees consistent heat on all levels for up to 24 people—including two wheelchair users—and fits 50 people in its open-air amphitheater. Even when the fjord is covered in ice, sauna-goers cool off with year-round plunges in the Oslo harbor. The grassroots sauna movement started here in 2016 with Måken, a sauna built from driftwood found in the fjord, as a way to create spaces that allow residents and visitors to connect with nature and one another. “It’s a human place in the middle of big buildings—[a way] to get a break from daily life and all the screens,” says Ragna Marie Fjeld, secretary general of Oslo Badstuforening. “You don’t have to travel far to get the peace of nature.”