Sauna has always been more than heat. This book takes it seriously as history, as ritual, and as architecture — where the löyly comes from, what the old beliefs held about the sauna as a sacred space, and why the pairing of deep heat with cold water works the way it does.

It also covers the current moment: saunas going up in unexpected places, built as tech-free rooms where people gather and talk. Emma O'Kelly, an editor at Wallpaper for 24 years, has spent decades traveling Finland and the Nordics writing about design. The photography is by Maija Astikainen, a Finnish photographer whose work runs in the Financial Times, the Telegraph, and Mondo.

256-page hardcover, color photography throughout. For anyone who has a sauna, wants one, or just wants to understand why it matters.

• Authors: Emma O'Kelly / Maija Astikainen / Mikkel Aaland
• Language: English
• Hardcover (256 Pages) (Color photos throughout)
• Measurement: 9.7" Height x 7.4" Width