Hukka Design Turns 40: Four Decades of Finnish Soapstone Sauna Products

Hukka Design, the Finnish company that has been turning North Karelian soapstone into sauna accessories since 1986, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Based in Tuupovaara in eastern Finland, the company works with a material that's nearly three billion years old, carving it into products that have found their way into saunas across the world.

The Product

Hukka's flagship is the Loylynhenki ("The Spirit of the Sauna"), a soapstone steam fountain designed by Jukka Tommila and launched in 1985. The device sits on the sauna heater stones and provides a steady, humid heat when water is poured over it. It's become one of the most recognized sauna accessories in the Finnish market and increasingly in Japan, where Hukka has found a particularly strong following.

To mark the anniversary, Hukka has released a limited commemorative edition of the Loylynhenki: 40 numbered pieces in exclusive packaging.

Hukka Design at a Glance: Founded 1986, Tuupovaara, North Karelia, Finland. Material: North Karelian soapstone (heat-retentive, food-safe, naturally soft texture). 70% of production exported. Strong presence in Japan. New leadership under Michel Mercier (2024). Member of Sauna from Finland.

Why It Matters

Hukka is a good example of the kind of company that makes the Finnish sauna supply chain distinctive: small, specialized, deeply rooted in local materials and craft traditions, but with genuine global reach. The fact that 70% of production is exported, with Japan as a leading market, speaks to the international appetite for authentic Finnish sauna products.

Under new leadership (Michel Mercier took over in 2024), the company is focused on international growth and sustainable innovation while maintaining the craft-based approach that's defined it for four decades.