The New Drop Sauna

Sirena Kiviranta, who is well known in Marbella as the owner of the forward-moving real estate company, Strand Properties, together with her husband Anssi, is the designer of the new Drop Sauna. Expect to see one soon on the expansive decking fronting their office at Playas del Duque in Puerto Banús, as well as on the terrace of the Maribel Hotel in Sierra Nevada. The Drop Sauna, together with the Drop Lodge, are the latest products in the line which began with the award-winning Drop Jacuzzi, designed by Nikolai Ruola.

You may ask why there would be a demand for saunas in a warm climate. Well, our Nordic cousins have the drop on us and many of them who have relocated here are not content to exist without their personal sauna. “Finnish people love to go to the sauna every day, then we are happy… the happiest people in the world. If we can’t go the sauna every week, we suffer. The sauna experience is very purifying and lends itself to meditation,“ states Sirena

Health Benefits

Aside from the intense detoxification as a result of sweating from open pores, the health benefits are numerous. As Sirena explains: “Blood circulation increases and flows to the surface of the skin, increasing perspiration and causing the cardiovascular system to work more intensely. This gently alleviates stress, lowers blood pressure, relaxes the muscles, and increases one’s mental well-being. Regularly bathing in heat increases metabolism, promotes weight loss, and has a rejuvenating effect on the skin.” Sounds like just the tonic we could all do with!

Smart Minimalist Design

The stylishly designed new range of Drop Saunas come in black, white or natural wood colours, although another colour can be requested. They are perfectly square with an eye catching large glass frontage signature styled in the shape of the Drop logo. The wood employed is spruce-based cross-laminated timber (CLT) which is an environmentally friendly, renewable, and highly durable construction material. Each sauna is supplied completely pre-fabricated permitting easy assembly and only requiring a suitable stable foundation capable of bearing a load of 2000kg. They also come with quality wooden benches and warm LED lighting. All you need is an electrician to check the circuit’s capacity.

Every Drop Sauna is fitted with a Juup livari Finnish wood-burning stove or an electric stove. The artesanal wooden stove comes with a chimney and the more wood you burn, the higher the intensity of the heat. It’s very nice with birch wood if available. With the electric stove, the heat comes from pouring water on the stones, creating waves of searing steam. The set up is designed to provide a top sauna experience, with an optimal heater placement to give the best heat distribution. “We know how to have the best ‘löyly!’” says Sirena smiling, explaining that ‘löyly’ is the Finnish name given to the evaporating hot steam that rises from their stoves after water has been carefully thrown on them. It is precisely this ‘löyly’ that turns the sauna space into a hot and humid paradise, capable of relaxing even the most tense muscles and worried minds.

Versatile Interior

With exterior dimensions of 230 x 230 x 230cm, they can comfortably accommodate five adults sitting or two lying fully prone, so they are perfectly adequate for a quiet contemplative session, for a couple to enjoy, or for a more sociable group experience. According to Sirena, “In Finland, the typical sauna experience is one undertaken in silence even with others present, or it is a place for deep conversation. Many politicians discuss the most important issues of the day with colleagues in a sauna and, if only men, they are usually naked.”

Safety & Protection

CLT performs better than most wood products due to its unique composition. It possesses a high degree of fire resistance as a result of its cross sectional thickness and air tight construction which restricts the capacity of fires to spread. Of course, if operating the wood burning stove you must be very careful and know how to use it. In the manual there are clear instructions. Beneath the Drop wooden sauna heater there is a fire safety base between the stove and the floor. It is recommended to check if there are any regulations governing the placement of wooden heated saunas in your community.

The exterior of the sauna is protected against the elements and can be recoated with the correct preservative every year or so which is available on order from Drop. The wooden structure carries a 10 year guarantee and both models of stove have five year guarantees.