Charred wood panelling for an Aufguss sauna

Story

In Ikaalisten Spa’s sauna world, Aufguss brings a guided ritual to bathing. The sauna master builds the experience by pouring water laced with essential oils onto the stones and directing the steam with a towel or hand movements. Heat moves in waves and the moment is rhythmic, sometimes even narrative.

For this space, Hiil’s Korppi surface was chosen. It is a charred surface whose blue sheen shifts with the light. In certain light it reads almost black, but when the eye catches the right angle, the surface opens into a deep blue, like a raven’s wing. The tone does not demand attention; it rewards it when you stay and let your eyes adjust.

A public sauna asks a lot of the material. Moisture, heat and repeated use show no mercy, so the surfaces must hold up and feel good up close. Charred wood fits this setting naturally as a calm, natural material. It brings an aesthetic that feels genuine and grounded, even if the tone has a distinct glow of its own.

In Aufguss, wellbeing comes from many layers. Heat, scent and guided rhythm make the experience whole, and the materials of the space support it quietly. When a sauna is designed for year-round use and around a ritual, the surfaces should be part of the story too. Korppi brings this sauna the play between dark and light – the moment when black turns blue.