Two redwood-clad shipping containers sit on a floating barge at the end of a dock in a Sausalito marina. This is Fjord, a facility built on a repurposed wave attenuator from the 2013 America’s Cup, and its position offers wide-open views of Richardson Bay, Tiburon, and Angel Island. A steam-bent redwood fence provides privacy, but the design is fundamentally about connecting with the surrounding water.
Inside each container is a traditional Finnish-style sauna – named ‘North’ and ‘South’ – that can hold up to six people. The rooms are minimalist and lined with Thermory Aspen wood, with two levels of benches facing a massive picture window that spans an entire wall. Electric heaters warm stones to around 190°F, ready for creating ‘löyly’, the burst of steam that fills the room when water is poured over them.
The whole experience is built around contrast therapy. You move from the intense heat of the sauna out onto a private deck, where an outdoor shower and a metal ladder lead directly into a demarcated plunge zone in the San Francisco Bay. Sessions must be booked in advance and are run in timed slots – 90 minutes for a shared experience or two hours for a private group. You’ll need a bathing suit and at least two towels, one specifically for sitting on inside the sauna. The freshwater showers are just for rinsing off the saltwater; soap is prohibited to protect the marine environment. It’s common to spot seals or otters from the heat of the sauna.
Fjord
