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SWEAT Pop-Up Sauna: Bringing Sauna Wellness to Campus

The SWEAT Pop-Up Sauna project at Delft University of Technology was driven by a simple but powerful vision: to bring sauna wellness to campus. Sauna offers numerous health benefits, from muscle recovery to stress relief, and the SWEAT team wanted to make these health benefits accessible for students, for whom local spa saunas were too expensive. With support from Harvia, a key partner in selecting the right heater and ensuring a top-quality sauna experience, the team created a unique, temporary sauna on the sports campus – with great success. Read on to find out more about this inspiring passion project.

A passion-led project

Jakob, Markus, Maximilian, Luna, and Tom are five architecture students who met during their master’s studies at Delft University of Technology. Eager to gain hands-on experience beyond their coursework, they quickly discovered a shared passion for heat therapy and saunas.

Especially in stressful times, a sauna is the perfect way to relax. It feels like a warm hug for your body and mind. The soothing heat melts away stress, helps you feel happier, and even improves your sleep. That sense of comfort and relaxation is the true benefit of a sauna session

Inspired by the physical and mental health benefits of sauna, the team decided to create the SWEAT Pop-Up Sauna. While wellness spas offered sauna experiences, they were often too expensive for most students. Wanting to make sauna therapy more accessible, the team designed a solution that offered 30-minute sessions for just 2,50€ - much more affordable than a typical spa visit.

In Spring 2025, the SWEAT Pop-Up Sauna opened as a temporary structure on the university campus for three weeks, providing a warm and welcoming escape for students and staff in need of relaxation and natural wellness.

Smart and sustainable design

Since the sauna was intended as a temporary installation, it needed to be easy to assemble, disassemble, and transport. Sustainability was also a key priority for the environmentally conscious SWEAT team.

The team focused on lightweight, durable materials that could withstand repeated use, meet safety codes, and offer good insulation. Among other materials, the team sourced plywood offcuts from a local warehouse for the sauna benches and used heat-retaining polycarbonate panels for the walls. Once the three-week event ended, the sauna’s materials were recycled and redistributed across various university departments.

Harvia’s role in creating a healing sauna experience

When it came time to choose a sauna heater, the SWEAT team knew they wanted to collaborate with Harvia.

Harvia is internationally renowned as a leading expert in sauna and for their high-quality, easy-to-use sauna heaters, so we knew we wanted Harvia on board with our project

Harvia supported the passionate team in selecting the ideal heater for their sauna’s size and the experience they wanted to create.

They ultimately chose the Harvia Legend Xenio, a powerful electric pillar heater with WiFi control, known for its high performance and ease of use.

The large stone amount in the Harvia Legend ensures a gentle steam and soothing, relaxing sauna experience. Its compact size and smart features, including remote pre-heating and easy monitoring via WiFi, made it the perfect choice for the pop-up event’s booking system model.

A successful event

The response to the sauna was overwhelmingly positive, with over 100 people using it and many expressing interest in making it a permanent feature on campus.

"We hope to have shown the need for a permanent sauna at the university," said the SWEAT team.

It’s clear that the success of this project is due largely to the SWEAT team’s love for sauna. By partnering with Harvia, they ensured a high-quality experience with the reliable and efficient Harvia Legend Xenio electric heater. Harvia is proud to have supported this innovative initiative, helping to bring wellness and relaxation to campus. We look forward to seeing the continued impact of the SWEAT team’s efforts in the future!