Taichi is the son of celebrated architect Kengo Kuma / photo: Koki
Taichi Kuma, son of the celebrated Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, has designed a striking new sauna for the Sana Mane glamping destination in southern Japan.
Nestled between a forest and a beach, the 150-layer wooden sauna is built from 5,000 pieces of stacked plywood and curves upwards into a spiral shape inspired by the geometry of seashells and fishtails. In a nod to this, the structure – called Sazae – is named after the Japanese word for the horned turban sea snail’s shell.
Inside the sauna, the pleats of wood are gently shaped to provide a comfortable seating space. The interior is illuminated by natural light from an oculus in the ceiling as well as specialist durable LED lighting.
The temperature and humidity are kept at an optimum level, despite the high ceiling, thanks to environmental simulations and a design which forces ventilation.
Taichi became a partner at Kengo Kuma and Associates (KKAA) in 2020. His father Kengo founded the practice and has worked with leading hospitality brands around the world such as Six Senses, Capella and St Regis.
Kengo’s wellness projects range from one of the largest spas in the Caribbean at Mandarin Oriental Dellis Cay and the pixelated stone design of the Yunfeng Spa Resort in China to skincare packaging for Aman and a meditation house at Das Kranzbach spa hotel in Bavaria.
Taichi collaborated with Japan-based sauna brand TTNE to realise the design of Sazae. According to KKAA, Sazae’s linear pleats were pieced together like a puzzle and draw on biomimicry.
The eye-catching sauna has been brought to life on Naoshima island, a creative hotspot known as ‘Japan’s art island’ thanks to its abundance of art museums, sculptures and architecture.
Taichi describes the sauna as a “cave-like space with many twists and turns, cut off from the outside world by a thin wall”. For him, its most important advantage is its ability to help people experience Naoshima’s nature more deeply and profoundly once they exit the sauna.
“Personally, I like saunas where you can detox yourself from digital gadgets, internalise and confront yourself. Saunas have the effect of attracting such natural charm. When you bathe in plenty of moisture and heat, the air you feel afterwards is something else.”
He encourages bathers to use the sauna as part of a contrast thermotherapy cycle and cool off by swimming in the nearby sea.
Reserved for hotel guests only, Sazae must be booked in advance. Guests are allowed to eat and drink inside and are offered bath towels, sauna hats, sauna mats and sandals for free. They can also upgrade their experience by selecting either a herbal or citrus aromatherapy oil to scent the sauna and opt to take in a traditional Finnish vihta – a bunch of young birch leaves used for light slapping on the body to help with circulation.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2023 issue 2
Editor's letter: Feeling optimistic
Revenue is at an all-time high and democratic wellness is bubbling under. It’s an exciting time for spas, says Katie Barnes
Spa People: Taichi Kuma
The son of celebrated architect Kengo Kuma designs a striking shell-like sauna in Japan
Spa People: Ana Ramirez
On her plans to roll out Ancestral Handmade, her regenerative wellness hotel concept, across South America – starting in Colombia
Spa People: Daniel Golby
On ESPA Life's debut in Doha and the markets he has his eyes set on for future expansion
News report: Milestone moment
US spa industry revenue exceeds the US$20bn mark according to ISPA's latest Big Five statistics
Sponsored: MyBlend: A new vision of beauty
Clarins has elevated its myBlend brand with new tech and formulations, as well as forging powerful alliances with global spa partners
Sponsored: Gharieni: Mind expansion
With the quest for better mental health growing ever stronger in the wake of the global pandemic, we ask Gharieni CEO Sammy Gharieni how the company’s wellness technologies are helping spas to meet this consumer demand
Top team: Hilton
Sleep, fitness and new spa concepts are top of the list as Hilton looks to deliver wellness across its 7,000 properties
Thermal spa: The heat is on
With 50 hot springs projects underway, the US is looking to establish itself as a thermal spa destination. Jane Kitchen takes a closer look
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
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Taichi is the son of celebrated architect Kengo Kuma / photo: Koki
Taichi Kuma, son of the celebrated Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, has designed a striking new sauna for the Sana Mane glamping destination in southern Japan.
Nestled between a forest and a beach, the 150-layer wooden sauna is built from 5,000 pieces of stacked plywood and curves upwards into a spiral shape inspired by the geometry of seashells and fishtails. In a nod to this, the structure – called Sazae – is named after the Japanese word for the horned turban sea snail’s shell.
Inside the sauna, the pleats of wood are gently shaped to provide a comfortable seating space. The interior is illuminated by natural light from an oculus in the ceiling as well as specialist durable LED lighting.
The temperature and humidity are kept at an optimum level, despite the high ceiling, thanks to environmental simulations and a design which forces ventilation.
Taichi became a partner at Kengo Kuma and Associates (KKAA) in 2020. His father Kengo founded the practice and has worked with leading hospitality brands around the world such as Six Senses, Capella and St Regis.
Kengo’s wellness projects range from one of the largest spas in the Caribbean at Mandarin Oriental Dellis Cay and the pixelated stone design of the Yunfeng Spa Resort in China to skincare packaging for Aman and a meditation house at Das Kranzbach spa hotel in Bavaria.
Taichi collaborated with Japan-based sauna brand TTNE to realise the design of Sazae. According to KKAA, Sazae’s linear pleats were pieced together like a puzzle and draw on biomimicry.
The eye-catching sauna has been brought to life on Naoshima island, a creative hotspot known as ‘Japan’s art island’ thanks to its abundance of art museums, sculptures and architecture.
Taichi describes the sauna as a “cave-like space with many twists and turns, cut off from the outside world by a thin wall”. For him, its most important advantage is its ability to help people experience Naoshima’s nature more deeply and profoundly once they exit the sauna.
“Personally, I like saunas where you can detox yourself from digital gadgets, internalise and confront yourself. Saunas have the effect of attracting such natural charm. When you bathe in plenty of moisture and heat, the air you feel afterwards is something else.”
He encourages bathers to use the sauna as part of a contrast thermotherapy cycle and cool off by swimming in the nearby sea.
Reserved for hotel guests only, Sazae must be booked in advance. Guests are allowed to eat and drink inside and are offered bath towels, sauna hats, sauna mats and sandals for free. They can also upgrade their experience by selecting either a herbal or citrus aromatherapy oil to scent the sauna and opt to take in a traditional Finnish vihta – a bunch of young birch leaves used for light slapping on the body to help with circulation.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2023 issue 2
Editor's letter: Feeling optimistic
Revenue is at an all-time high and democratic wellness is bubbling under. It’s an exciting time for spas, says Katie Barnes
Spa People: Taichi Kuma
The son of celebrated architect Kengo Kuma designs a striking shell-like sauna in Japan
Spa People: Ana Ramirez
On her plans to roll out Ancestral Handmade, her regenerative wellness hotel concept, across South America – starting in Colombia
Spa People: Daniel Golby
On ESPA Life's debut in Doha and the markets he has his eyes set on for future expansion
News report: Milestone moment
US spa industry revenue exceeds the US$20bn mark according to ISPA's latest Big Five statistics
Sponsored: MyBlend: A new vision of beauty
Clarins has elevated its myBlend brand with new tech and formulations, as well as forging powerful alliances with global spa partners
Sponsored: Gharieni: Mind expansion
With the quest for better mental health growing ever stronger in the wake of the global pandemic, we ask Gharieni CEO Sammy Gharieni how the company’s wellness technologies are helping spas to meet this consumer demand
Top team: Hilton
Sleep, fitness and new spa concepts are top of the list as Hilton looks to deliver wellness across its 7,000 properties
Thermal spa: The heat is on
With 50 hot springs projects underway, the US is looking to establish itself as a thermal spa destination. Jane Kitchen takes a closer look
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
The Spa Life UK Convention returns from 21–23 June 2026 at Whittlebury Park Hotel, Spa &
Golf Resort, bringing together spa managers, directors and owners for two days of focused
education, meaningful connection and commercial insight. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
We Work Well Inc In 2019 Monica Helmstetter and Lucy Hugo founded the American hosted buyer event company We Work Wel [more...]
