Lexington MA

A backyard sauna outside Boston, set into a landscape-architect-designed yard alongside a plunge pool and cold plunge. Heat, cold, and open air within a few steps of each other.

An Iki Pillar 9 rises through the lower bench rather than standing beside it, so the stone column becomes part of the seating instead of an obstacle in the room. Tall, even heat with the löyly landing from above, and a floor plan that stays open. The upper bench runs 82 inches each way — long enough on both legs to lie down fully, and enough for a group when there is one.

Thermally modified wood outside, thermo-aspen throughout the interior, and a 42-inch covered porch that makes the doorway usable in weather. Ventilation is gravity-fed — a passive convection loop drawing fresh air past the stones and exhausting low on the far wall.