‘Jään Alla’ - under the ice.
A Shoreline Sauna art project by Louise Roberts.
Images shot in collaboration with Saunawave whilst on their Nordic Reset retreat, Finland, March 2026. Model - Wendy Liu, Saunawave.
Location - The Serlachius Art Sauna, located at the Serlachius Museum Gösta in Mänttä-Vilppula.
In March this year I travelled to Finland for the annual Saunawave Nordic Reset retreat. A 9 day, deeply immersive journey of Finish sauna, culture and conversation.
It was mid March, spring had already started to show its face five weeks early and we had arrived to a landscape of green only mildly punctuated with snow and frozen lakes showing signs of melting ice. With winters thaw and the constantly changing landscapes, something beautiful was happening. Thinning ice starts to reveals all that has been held within it over the winter as well as what lies beneath it. As the spring light hits it you see a canvas of colour, texture, ice formations and reflections which can literally change from one moment to the next. It is a powerful trigger for the senses and one that you cannot help but be creatively inspired by.
Moments of nature caught in the ice captured by Louise Roberts in Finland.
Moments of nature caught in the ice captured by Louise Roberts in Finland.
These landscapes and images drove our conversations to consider the ever changing form of the Avanto which is an integral part of finish sauna (the hole in the ice you use to plunge in). As the seasons change they become larger and then disappear altogether as summer arrives. So then how does that change your relationship with your sauna experience, because your cold plunge is governed by nature. You are at the mercy of the elements, it's nature's gift. It's given you something different, and that can change from one day to the next and from one season to the next. Each sauna and Avanto offers something different depending on location and therefore creates it’s own unique imagery as well as experience.
Moments of nature caught in the ice captured by Louise Roberts in Finland.
Moments of nature caught in the ice captured by Louise Roberts in Finland.
These thoughts were supported when a few days into our journey we visited The Serlachius Art Sauna, located at the Serlachius Museum Gösta in Mänttä-Vilppula. The Art Sauna is seen as a ‘fresh architectural reinterpretation of the traditional Finnish sauna’ and invites visitors on a unique journey for all the senses. Sitting on the shoreline of Lake Melasjärvi, the sauna’s architecture is a fusion of stone and wood accompanied by artworks of leading artists and designers. The Avanto which was situated at the end of a long wooden walkway was already opening up and the thinning ice revealed all kinds of magic. Ice crystals, foliage, contours, graphic shapes and lines all accentuated by the way the light was hitting it. It was impossible for us all to not be creatively inspired and so we set about creating some images, aided by Wendy who as an experienced ‘Ice Swimmer’ was more than happy to get under the ice. Once under, it was amazing to see how so many more layers of colour and texture were revealed as they contrasted against the colour and contours of Wendy’s body. The results were breathtaking.
Wendy Liu under the ice captured by Louise Roberts in Finland.
Wendy Liu under the ice captured by Louise Roberts in Finland.
Wendy Liu under the ice captured by Louise Roberts in Finland.
Wendy Liu under the ice captured by Louise Roberts in Finland.
These images are the beginnings of an ongoing project exploring the melting ice as Finish spring arrives in the Avanto, and part of what I hope will be a lifelong project exploring art and sauna and their relationship to each other.
© 2026 Louise Roberts
