White Mt. Bath House & Yoga Studio

Sugar Hill, NH.

Inspired by the bathhouses of rural Japan and China, and informed by the vernacular sugar shacks of New Hampshire, the bath house/ yoga studio is a retreat settled in the woods overlooking a pond and the distant mountains.

The bathhouse includes a sauna, hot and cold plunge pools, and hand showers. A cupola above maximizes natural light and connects soakers with the sky. The studio was designed to comfortably accommodate three with large, inward-swinging awning windows that allow in fresh air, natural light and views of the mountains.

A changing room connects the two structures, based in form on an octagonal yurt in the tradition of northern nomadic communities.

The building uses no fossil fuels and minimal energy from the grid. It is heated solely by wood – the sauna and water with wood burning Chofu heaters from Japan, and the rooms by Jotul stoves from Norway. The south facing exposure provides heat during the day. The only electricity is used to pump water from the well and low powered lighting.