Heat and craft combine

Cornish firm Kernow Springs delivers custom saunas, blending style and performance.

Cornish company Kernow Springs has become central to a movement that has transformed how people view sauna bathing. What was once considered an occasional luxury is now, for many, part of a daily routine. Across the South West, public saunas have appeared on beaches, in hotel grounds, and even in car parks, while homeowners are increasingly choosing to install them in their gardens.

Director Martin Dean has witnessed this change first-hand. “We’ve been building bespoke saunas for over ten years,” he says. “Since the pandemic, interest has surged. People are investing in their wellbeing and rethinking how they spend time with others. Going to the sauna is the new pub!”

Kernow Springs builds every sauna to order, a process Martin describes as balancing form and function. “Good design has to be both beautiful and functional in equal measure,” he explains. Their structures come in a variety of shapes – Barrel, Box, Arch, Oval and Roundhouse – with the choice of wood-fired or electric heating. Curved lines are favoured over sharp corners, a design decision that, as Martin notes, “honours the Loyly, the steam that defines the sauna experience, while helping the building blend into its surroundings.”

The company’s portfolio spans compact two-person barrels, ideal for private gardens, to large-scale commissions such as a 35-person Roundhouse events sauna created for The Park resort in Mawgan Porth. Each build is tailored to its location and the client’s requirements, with options to personalise finishes and features.

For those curious about the experience, Kernow Springs operates an interactive showroom at The Saltbox in Wadebridge. Here, visitors can book a session in the Nordic spa, gaining a sense of how the heat, design and materials combine.

For Martin and his team, the rise in sauna culture is about creating spaces where people can reconnect with others and realign themselves with the natural world. Whether it is a small garden build or a structure designed to host dozens, each project is crafted to meet these expectations.

KERNOW SPRINGS
Nordic Spa, Saltbox,
Goldsworthy Way,
Wadebridge PL27 7AR
07779 374017
info@kernowsprings.co.uk
www.kernowsprings.co.uk