Scotland’s first loch-side wood-burning sauna experience will open this weekend on the shores of Loch Tay.
The Hot Box has been created by architects McKenzie Strickland Associates on Taymouth Marina in the village of Kenmore. Stretching 40ft (12.19m), the sauna is designed to offer panoramic views across the loch to the adjacent hills.
Guests of the sauna are encouraged to sit in the sauna, where there is a wood-burning stove, before leaping into the waters of the loch. Alternatively, they can pull on a cord to tip a water barrel suspended above the patio, releasing a splash of cold water.
“The Hot Box is a project that has been an absolute joy to plan and create and we are incredibly excited about its launch,” said studio partner Naomi Strickland. “The health benefits of saunas have been known for hundreds – perhaps thousands – of years, from detoxification to improved cardiovascular health.
“The really unique and exciting part about The Hot Box is the wonderfully reinvigorating dunk that can be had in that rather large pool in front of it, which you’ll know as the loch.”
The launch of the sauna will take place on 10 September, with adults and children allowed in for free. Local whiskies and ales will be served in a DJ area and bar created outside the sauna for evening entertainment. The site also features a community area and fire pit.
The architects built Taymouth Marina in September 2013, and have developed holiday cottage accommodation, water sports facilities, a restaurant and a 40-berth marina on the site.
