“in the midst of a multi-existential crisis, bathhouses can be a critical part of the answer; connecting people to people and people to nature, providing the basis for community level action needed to address sustainability challenges”

-Caitlin Voss

sustainability.

  • sustainable design.

    Interior component recommendations via user experiences:

    Process (layout of the space)—”3 stages of rituals”³⁴ and their characteristics based on ethnographic activity/target audience

    • Separation³⁴ (remove distractions—clothes and phones)

    • Transition³⁴ (let go of ego/identity—introduce “new cultural expressions”³⁴ that experiment with connection to nature and to each other)

    • Incorporation³⁴ (introduce “new forms, behaviors, attitudes, ideas, and activities”³⁴ — reflect and share with society)

    Elements/features (the characteristics/components of the facility)

    • Accessibility (garments required/offered, mixed genders)

    • Immersive art (offer multiple cultural experiences/services; inclusion of art to create opportunities for expansive debate and thinking)

    • Elements of contrast (designated space for reflection/introduction to the practice of mindfulness)

    • Biophilic elements³¹ (light, natural patterns, environmental features, water, place-based relationships, plants, views, and more)

    • Co-exist (cohabitate with services/companies/organizations founded on the basis of inclusivity to improve affordability and accessibility)

    • Modular design³¹ (areas that can be independently created and used in different areas to create customizable spaces for solo and collective activities to improve individual reflection and socialization)

  • example layouts.

    The uses and characteristics/components of the different spaces — before and after

    Before (layout/image on the top)

    • Only one way to enter/exit → reduces accessibility and doesn’t allow for individuals to attend an event or socialize without needing to navigate through the entire space and participate in the bathing experience

    • Unused and or limited use of specific areas

    • Designated days for women and men (women’s days are Mondays and Thursdays; men’s days Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturday, and Sundays) → reduces inclusivity; multi-gender days or undesignated days have the capacity to increase inclusivity

    • Nudity is required → initial barrier to visitor-ship; locker area feels like the center of the space (adding more influence to this aspect than needed)

    • Present space doesn’t allow for a fluid/intuitive flow that follows the “three stages of rituals”³⁴

    • Multi-cultural rituals are not included and introduced to customers

    • Space is enclosed → natural/biophilic elements are not present

    • No area to be outdoors

    • Limited to no natural light

    After (layout/image on the bottom)

    Recommended solutions:

    • Separation³⁴

      • Mixed gender changing room (curtains used for private/public use)

      • “Shift from the mundane and every day”⁴⁰ (inscribe on wall what you want to let go of)

      • Open up all five senses to nature (shift beyond self)

    • Transition³⁴

      • “Fantastical”⁴⁰ (introduce immersive art, rituals that introduce “new cultural expressions”³⁴)

      • Bathing rituals and multiple cultural experiences/services (the seven steps: sauna, mist room, alternative cultural rituals, steam room, shower, cold plunge, soak in pool)

      • Pool that can shift into a stage/platform for events

    • Incorporation³⁴

      • Celebratory space (café/area to re-nourish, socialize, connect, and reflect on experience)

  • resources.

    Environmental wellbeing.