Our sauna and steam room, in the Maldives.
The sauna and steam room at Sulha Spa, Kudadoo: an adults-only private island resort in the Maldives.
Some jobs make your heart beat a little faster. Kudadoo Private Island was named Best New Luxury Hotel of 2018 by Luxury Travel Intelligence, and FinnSauna was chosen from several leading contractors to design and build the sauna and steam room for its Sulha Spa. In 2019 the spa was named Best Luxury Wellness Spa in the Maldives at the World Luxury Spa Awards.
The process was the same as for any of our clients: brief, plans, 3D designs, then the FinnSauna magic. The only difference was the commute. Every board, tile and tool had to find its way to a tiny island in the Indian Ocean.
The result: a knot-free Finnish aspen sauna for ten to twelve, with ocean views through two windows, and a tiled steam room under a curved, star-lit ceiling. Not a bad place to go to work.
A sauna and steam room worthy of one of the world's best new luxury hotels.
No cutting corners, even 10,000 km from home.
The sauna
- Knot-free Finnish aspen panelling and benching, imported direct from Finland
- Two-tier U-shaped benches for 10 to 12 bathers
- Finnish-made Harvia electric heater with stones
- Two windows looking out over the Indian Ocean
The steam room
- Bench, wall and ceiling modules custom-made in Finland
- Curved ceiling with fibre-optic starlight
- Premium imported ceramic tiles on walls, benches and floor
- Glass doors and fronts for space and light
The build, photographed.
Same seven stages as every build.
Design and planning
Material selection
Frame and insulation
Wall and ceiling lining
Benching and detailing
Heater and tiling
Final fit-out and handover
More projects
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The sauna in the new wellness area at the South Waikato Aquatic Centre, reopened in October 2026.
Gym hybrid
A hybrid sauna for a Grafton gym: real Finnish löyly and infrared in the same room.
Metre-deep bench sauna
A sauna for a couple who really know their saunas: a top bench a full metre deep, and a 45-degree corner.
