Atop a hill in some of Europe’s last remaining untouched expanse of wilderness resides a golden egg with a warm heart hiding inside...

All photos by Jean-Baptiste Béranger.

 The bespoke sauna sits 90 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Swedish Lapland. Artistic pair Mats Bigert and Lars Bergström erected the solar egg, a golden egg sauna installation standing 5 metres tall, in the middle of the snow laden landscape. The outside, coated in gold plated mirror, reflects the surrounding natural environment while the inside is comprised of an impressive pine wood interior.

 Architects Bigert & Bergstrom recently unveiled this unique and unusual sauna design. Able to seat up to 8 persons, the project aimed to support a local urban redevelopment project in Kiruna, Sweden.

"In the arctic climate of Lapland the sauna occupies a key position, as a room for warmth and reflection. We have taken up this tradition and developed a sculptural symbol that prompts thoughts of rebirth and an incubator that nurtures conversation and exchanges of ideas. The project is a continuation of the artist’s strategy to incorporate the climate into the experience of the artwork which was initiated with the Climate Chambers in 1994."

The heart of a sauna is its sauna heater. Taken literally by the designers of this iconic sauna, the anatomically correct heart-shaped wood fired sauna stove sits at its centre, helping inside the golden egg reach temperatures around 75 to 85 degrees Celsius. The egg itself is made up of 69 individual parts, allowing the construction to be taken down and set up wherever required, making it just about the most unusual mobile/portable sauna on the planet!

In the arctic climate of Lapland the sauna is renowned as a room for warmth and reflection and this duo took that and created a bespoke sauna 'cabin' that is a true work of art. Lest is a sauna just your average hot box!

 We give this sauna cabin 10 out of 10 for artistic merit, however, the benches are very low compared to the roof height and thus, whilst beautiful, is unlikely a very practical sauna to use - and probably doesn't get that hot at bench height. That said, it doesn't exactly look like it was designed for practicality!

What do you think? Would you want a Golden Egg Sauna cabin?