Jiří Žákovský Wins 2026 Modern Classic Cup at Farris Bad
By SaunaShare
Sauna culture and community
- Published
- Reading time
- 2 min
SaunaNews is published by SaunaShare, Inc., which also runs SaunaShare.com and SaunaMarketplace.com, where we sell many of the products we write about. Assume that experience shapes what we cover and what we don't. Who owns SaunaNews · The ownership announcement
The Czech sauna master tops a 21-person field. Bathhouse co-founder Travis Talmadge finishes 17th.
In this story2 sections
Jiří Žákovský of Czechia won the 2026 Modern Classic Cup at Farris Bad in Norway, finishing ahead of Emma Chládková and defending champion Massimo Gelli. Aufguss WM published the results on October 7 after the October 1–4 championship.
The second edition drew 21 competitors. Žákovský becomes the competition’s second champion, following Gelli’s inaugural victory at Aquagranda in Livigno, Italy, in 2025.
The podium
The official final standings give the top three scores as follows, shown here with decimal points in place of the source’s decimal commas:
| Place | Competitor | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jiří Žákovský | 407.000 |
| 2 | Emma Chládková | 395.333 |
| 3 | Massimo Gelli | 390.667 |
Bathhouse co-founder Travis Talmadge placed 17th with 334.667. Meg Hopkinson placed 21st with 312.667. Hopkinson is the 2026 UK Modern Classic champion from Soul Water Sauna.
Heat, fragrance and towel work
Modern Classic focuses on the guided sauna ritual itself. Water or ice carrying essential oils goes onto hot stones, and the sauna master moves heated air around the room with towel techniques coordinated to music.
The competition format calls for solo sessions lasting 12 to 15 minutes. Costumes and theatrical staging are excluded. The 2026 judging catalog assesses professionalism, heat increase and distribution, towel technique, essential-oil use and the guest experience.
That gives commercial sauna operators a practical view of the skills being judged: controlled heat, consistent air movement and appropriate fragrance dosing. SaunaNews’s aufguss operator playbook covers the staffing and programming side of guided sessions.
Farris Bad also won a regional hotel-spa award at this year’s World Spa & Wellness Awards, announced during the same weekend as the competition.
