Curated by Lilli Tölp

If you were to ask an Estonian what is the best to do while visiting the country, sauna would probably be one of the first suggestions. Giving that Estonia is a country of vast areas of abundant nature contributing to a significant need of personal space, it actually takes people a while to warm up to a conversation. This is where the sauna comes in, as there is nothing more social than sitting together in a dark cabin and experiencing the heat. The phrase “panen sauna kütte” (I will heat up the sauna) therefore can be translated as an invitation for cleansing, relaxing and catching up. 

Body Heat Sauna built for Toortuumik Festival functions based on a mechanism different from traditional saunas. The tepee sauna is heated by human interaction: heating is activated if the space not bigger than the footprint of a tent is filled by 10 people. The physical closeness gives birth to unexpected forms of heat and togetherness. Not to mention the low ecological footprint.

Special thanks to Dorte Bjerre Jensen and Elena Redaelli