Finnish Sauna Essentials Workshop Brings Practical Design Training to Helsinki After World Sauna Forum
Saunologia’s June 13 side event gives sauna professionals a practical, case-study-based look at layout, heater placement, ventilation, bench geometry, materials, lighting, and construction details.
Saunologia’s Finnish Sauna Essentials side-event workshop will take place in Helsinki on June 13, 2026. Image: Saunologia.
Saunologia is organizing a Finnish sauna design and construction workshop in Helsinki on Saturday, June 13, 2026, immediately after World Sauna Forum 2026 in Jyväskylä.
The half-day side event, titled Finnish Sauna Essentials, is built for professionals who need to understand how a Finnish sauna works as a complete system, not just a room with a heater. The workshop is aimed at designers, builders, consultants, operators, and sauna entrepreneurs who want to plan safer, more functional, and more enjoyable sauna environments for clients.
The session will be led by Lassi Liikkanen, PhD, sauna designer, author, educator, and founder of Saunologia. Liikkanen will guide participants through key Finnish sauna design decisions, including layout, heater choice, ventilation strategy, bench geometry, material selection, lighting, and the details that often determine whether a sauna performs well in practice.
What the Workshop Covers
The training centers on a case study of an integrated indoor sauna design and construction project. From there, the workshop moves through major design choices that shape the bathing experience:
- The “four leaf clover” model of Finnish sauna design
- Capacity planning and rough layout
- Heater choice, heater placement, and height considerations
- Ventilation options
- Bench layouts and cross-sections
- Materials, lighting, and finishing details
- Terminology and standards for communicating with clients and contractors
The format makes the side event especially relevant for international professionals attending World Sauna Forum who want a more applied, design-focused session before leaving Finland.
Why It Matters
World Sauna Forum brings global attention to Finnish sauna culture, manufacturing, wellness research, and business development. This Helsinki side event narrows the focus to one of the category’s persistent practical challenges: how to design and build a sauna that actually delivers the Finnish experience.
As sauna adoption expands globally, more builders and operators are entering the category without a deep technical understanding of löyly, ventilation, bench height, heater sizing, or the relationship between room geometry and bathing comfort. A short, practical workshop like this gives professionals a direct way to connect Finnish design principles with real construction decisions.
Event Details
- Event: Finnish Sauna Essentials: Finnish Sauna Design & Construction Workshop
- Organizer: Saunologia
- Instructor: Lassi Liikkanen, PhD
- Date: Saturday, June 13, 2026
- Location: Downtown Helsinki, Finland
- Time: TBA
- Format: Approximately three-hour workshop, followed by optional sauna time
- Price: €250 per person, including Finnish VAT
- Registration: Advance online purchase required; pre-registration is open via the official event page
The organizer notes the event will be held if there is sufficient interest. If the organizer cancels the workshop, paid registrations will receive a full refund.
Official details and registration are available on Saunologia’s side-event page: WSF2026 Side-Event: Finnish Sauna Design & Construction Workshop.
Arlene Scott
Senior Wellness Correspondent & Hospitality Consultant
Arlene Scott brings over fifteen years of reporting and consulting experience across energy infrastructure, sustainable design, and thermotherapy-focused hospitality.
Full byline
Arlene Scott is a Senior Wellness Correspondent for SaunaNews.com, bringing over fifteen years of experience at the intersection of energy infrastructure, sustainable design, and thermotherapy. Her work focuses on the physiological benefits of passive heat therapies and the sustainable integration of sauna culture into modern wellness routines.
Arlene's background is rooted in the clean energy transition. She was a founding writer at MicrogridMedia.com, where she covered the technical and economic viability of desalination projects, microgrid deployments, and distributed renewable energy systems. During the mid-2010s, she was a regular contributor to Greentech Media (GTM) during its independent era — prior to the Wood Mackenzie acquisition in 2016 — reporting on the early integration of thermal energy storage and sustainable infrastructure.
Transitioning her focus from macro-energy systems to human-scale wellness, Arlene now applies her technical background to the hospitality sector. She operates as an independent consultant, advising boutique hotels and eco-resorts on the design, energy efficiency, and historical authenticity of commercial sauna and thermal spa installations. Her consulting work ensures that high-end wellness facilities balance traditional Nordic bathing principles with modern sustainable engineering.
Arlene holds a specialized certification in Applied Thermic Wellness from the Nordic Institute of Passive Heat Studies (NIPHS) and is a recognized associate member of the International Sauna Association (ISA). When she isn't reviewing the latest innovations in infrared technology or consulting on a new resort project, Arlene can be found tending to her own traditional wood-fired sauna in the Pacific Northwest. You can read her complete archive of essays on energy, wellness, and sustainable living at www.arlenescott.com.
