Living in a tiny urban apartment means you have to learn to live without certain amenities. Thanks to a German company called Klafs, a sauna doesn’t have to be one of them. Its new Sauna S1 folds away like a telescoping camera lens, so it’s no bigger than a bookshelf when not in use.
When fully retracted the Sauna S1 measures a mere 61cm deep, but expands away from the fall to over five feet in size in just 21 seconds to accommodate several users — whether sitting or laying down. It comes with everything needed to melt your stresses away with copious amounts of steam, including a heater, digital thermostat, and an air filtration system.
The sauna’s walls are made from carefully-engineered layers of sandwiched wood that make the sauna about 40 per cent lighter than a similarly-sized traditional model. The special wooden walls are also designed to resist warping, even when the humidity level inside the sauna is far more than the rest of the room. A retractable sauna is all but useless if after using it it ends up warped and unable to actually collapse.
Pricing details have yet to be revealed for Klaf’s Sauna S1, but it will be available in three different sizes. It’s safe to assume, though, that if all you can afford is a small apartment while living in a big city, you ironically won’t be able to afford an amenity that seems designed specifically for your demographic.