Outdoor saunas are the hottest innovation from Salone del Mobile 2022 – here’s why

Salone del Mobile – Europe's most esteemed furniture fair – is reaching its conclusion after a week of showcasing trendsetting style in Milan. 

The most notable of the innovations for your backyard? A stylish outdoor sauna that combines Italian design and Finnish functionality – creating the most exciting and good-looking wellbeing experience of the moment. 

This new backyard idea, designed and showcased at Salone by Italian manufacturer Effe, caught the eye of H&G's Editor in Chief Lucy Searle while she was scouting the up-and-coming decorating ideas at the fair – and it's easy to see why. 

We predict outdoor saunas will stand as a talking point for backyards globally, but what makes them so attractive to homeowners? Here's everything you need to know about the next big wellness trend to get ahead of the curve.  

What are outdoor saunas? 

According to the team at Effe, their outdoor saunas are a result of 'stylistic and qualitative research' that breaks away from traditional concepts. Instead of standing as a separate space in your home or gym, they are a piece of modern 'furniture' that will act as a statement piece in your garden. 

Their structures consist of an aluminum frame, and painted corrugated aluminum fascias, which come in a number of natural colors and a matte finish. So far, so contemporary. 

The interior of the sauna (below) is much more traditional-looking, and features a Scandi-inspired design that mimics the original saunas of Finland. 

The combination of a therapeutic-toned interior and a metallic exterior is a result of Effe's desire to design a sauna that breaks away from traditional concepts, transforming the sauna into 'furniture' of modern design that is focused first and foremost on wellbeing. 

'What I particularly liked is that the saunas come in a range of sizes, with or without front decks, so they can be installed in tiny urban spaces, on rooftop gardens or expansive backyards equally easily,' says Lucy Searle. 'The smallest is just over 6ft square, though if you have room, the additional front decks soften the appearance of the saunas and give them more of a garden room or pool house feel. They also provide shade and somewhere to unwind before or after your sauna.'

'The key elements for every Effe product are ease of installation of the products, Italian design, cutting-edge technology, rigorous respect for traditions, and more recently the development of new products connected to the benefits of water to complete the wellness offer,' the San Marino-based brand shares.

Why can we expect outdoor saunas to become popular now? 

It is no secret that our paint ideas are becoming increasingly focused on their psychological benefits, but the interest in wellbeing at home doesn't end there. 

'After spending more time at home amid the pandemic, many of us concentrated our energies on making our homes and gardens the spas and sanctuaries we craved. But even now the world is reopening, the demand for wellness at home continues to gain momentum. And, naturally, outdoor saunas are the perfect way to enhance that,' says Lucy Searle.