Sweden’s Golden ‘Solar Egg’ Sauna Is Hitting The Road

Earlier this year, a luxe golden egg-shaped sauna hatched in Sweden’s northernmost town of Kiruna. Later this month, the egg will take up residency in Paris for three weeks.

The curiously shaped steam room, dubbed the Solar Egg, is the brainchild of internationally renowned artists Mats Bigert and Lars Bergström of Bigert & Bergström. It draws inspiration from Kiruna’s Arctic climate, where light conditions change with the seasons – from 24-hour darkness to round-the-clock midsummer sun.

The egg shape symbolises rebirth and opportunities at the start of the city’s urban transformation. It has space for up to eight people at a time, and boasts a heart-shaped wood stove manufactured from iron and stone at its centre.

The Solar Egg will be transported to the courtyard of the Swedish Institute at the centre of the French capital from November 15 to December 10 in a bid to draw attention to Swedish design, fashion and architecture. Swedish designer Diana Orving has even designed special kimonos for guests to use when they visit.

The egg’s interior is built and furnished with pine, all encased within a mirrored stainless steel shell. The temperature inside varies between 75 and 85 degrees Celsius.