ThermaSol Solaris Named One of TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2025
Harvia's US steam brand ThermaSol landed on TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2025 list for the Solaris, the first fully off-grid, solar-powered outdoor sauna available in the United States.
ThermaSol, now a Harvia Group brand, launched the fully off-grid, solar-powered Solaris sauna in 2025. TIME Magazine named it one of the Best Inventions of 2025.
ThermaSol, the US steam and wellness brand Harvia acquired in July 2024, landed on TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2025 list for the Solaris, a fully off-grid, solar-powered outdoor sauna. Harvia announced the TIME recognition as part of its Q3 2025 investor presentation on 6 November 2025. It is the first time a sauna product has made the annual TIME Best Inventions list. (See every Harvia product launch, earnings release, and M&A event in our Harvia News hub.)
What Solaris Is
ThermaSol Solaris is billed as "the first fully off-grid, solar-powered sauna available in the U.S." The sauna operates entirely without a power connection, drawing all operational energy from integrated solar collection. That makes it the first commercially available sauna in the North American market that can be placed in locations without utility-connected electrical service: remote cabins, off-grid homesteads, mobile wellness installations, glamping resorts, rural properties where trenching power is impractical, and any outdoor wellness setting where utility hookup is not an option.
Harvia's framing emphasizes "eco-conscious retreat in virtually any setting" and "freedom and flexibility" of placement. The product is marketed as a sustainability play (zero-emission operation, no grid electricity) and a practical deployment play (anywhere the sun shines). Complete US pricing, standard cabin sizes, solar array specifications, and session-per-day energy output numbers were not disclosed in the Q3 earnings materials. ThermaSol is expected to publish full specs on its website as Solaris becomes broadly available.
Why It Matters: TIME Best Inventions Is a Marketing Hit
TIME Magazine's Best Inventions list is widely syndicated and read well beyond the wellness press. A mention in TIME translates directly into organic search visibility, press replays across mainstream consumer publications, and retail interest from hotel groups, resort operators, and direct-to-consumer lifestyle buyers. For Harvia, Solaris hitting the TIME list is the single biggest North American marketing moment for the ThermaSol brand since the acquisition closed. It validates the deal thesis of combining ThermaSol's American product and distribution platform with Harvia Group's R&D depth on energy systems and sauna engineering.
The Solaris announcement is part of a broader ThermaSol product refresh under Harvia ownership. The Q3 2025 presentation also introduced the ThermaSol Astra, ThermaSol Fortis, and ThermaSol Ombra as part of a premium North American sauna collection. ThermaSol's brand identity was refreshed in 2025 to carry both the expanded premium sauna portfolio and the continuing steam generator and smart shower business the company has built since 1958.
The Energy-Technology Pivot
Solaris fits into a broader Harvia theme flagged in its Q3 2025 materials: "pioneering future energy technologies, including hydrogen and solar powered saunas." The company signaled in investor communications that it is exploring alternative energy sources for sauna operation beyond grid electricity and wood, with solar and hydrogen as the two identified frontiers. Solaris is the first commercial product to come out of that program. Hydrogen-powered sauna prototypes have been mentioned but not yet commercialized.
The strategic logic is straightforward. Sauna is fundamentally an energy-intensive product (heating a room to 175-plus degrees Fahrenheit requires substantial wattage), and the long-term trend in consumer expectations is toward lower-carbon operation. Being first with a credible zero-carbon outdoor sauna establishes Harvia's engineering reputation and locks up intellectual property before competitors respond.
Solaris is the best press Harvia's ThermaSol integration could have asked for. One TIME Best Inventions mention puts the brand in front of mainstream American consumers who have never heard of ThermaSol, never heard of Harvia, and never considered buying a sauna. The product itself answers a real market need (off-grid outdoor installation with zero operational emissions), and the recognition gives Harvia cover to price aggressively and expand distribution. Expect Solaris and the broader ThermaSol premium collection to show up in Q4 2025 and 2026 dealer channels, resort installs, and lifestyle editorial coverage well beyond the sauna trade press.
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.
