First Republic Elegance Meets the Mini Sauna

With our client Bára, we traveled from Prague's Vinohrady to Posázaví. After a 45-minute drive through the picturesque Sázava valley, we arrived at an unassuming wooden fence. Behind it lay a First Republic villa with a breathtaking garden – the very spot where our Mini sauna was installed a few weeks later. The place is held in a village where the history of Prague's leisure was written in the 20th century, and three generations of the family continue this tradition. Join us for an interview about this place with an immense genius loci, now connected with our smallest sauna.

In the last century, this area was synonymous with Prague's hedonism. Do you still feel that nostalgic atmosphere in the garden and its surroundings today?

I feel that what once was has faded. Our garden is still exceptional, but unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer similar places in the vicinity. I have a feeling that this village suffers a bit from most people commuting to Prague for work. But down by the Sázava river, near the local mill, I still sense that nostalgia. I love going there to watch the river.

You chose our smallest sauna. Originally, you had several placement options in mind. How satisfied are you with the final location choice?

It was crucial for me that the sauna blended naturally into the old garden. I wanted it to complement the space rather than disrupt it, which we believe it did perfectly. I was also thrilled by its glass front from the very beginning – that's the most important part for me. Thanks to it and the sauna's suitable placement, we can observe the lower part of the garden and the forest opposite directly from the warmth inside.

‍And what about the color scheme? Your family was divided into two camps when choosing it.

In the end, we are all extremely satisfied with both the location and the color combination. We feel we hit the nail on the head – as if the sauna had always been there. And that's despite the family discussion being quite passionate initially. :-)

You've created your own private spa in the garden. Has it changed your relaxation routine?

Yes, and much more than we could have imagined during planning. Every single time – but truly every time – we come to the garden now, we fire up the sauna. We even regularly have breakfast in front of it. It's become our quiet, hidden sanctuary.

If you had the chance to invite one of the Prague guests who once stayed in this area to the sauna, whom would you choose?

I would love to meet my husband's grandmother and grandfather. They loved this place, and I've heard so much about them. I'd just want to sit with them by the pool or in the sauna and chat about what their lives were like.

You go to villa with your children, and your grandparents stay there in the summer. Have you had a joint sauna session yet?

Yes. Grandma prefers lower temperatures for her sauna, so she goes first. After her, my husband and I go, and finally the children, who, on the other hand, prefer complete darkness and intense heat. The chosen wood-burning stove (Narvi Kaamos) handles this entire process perfectly. We are very happy with it; it works flawlessly and heats the entire sauna quickly. We simply have our established family system for saunas now.

How do you feel about our collaboration? How much did we make you "sweat" in the end?

The collaboration was excellent. My fondest memories are of our first trip to the garden together and then the actual installation of the sauna – it was an absolutely elegant performance.

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