Fjord-ward Bound
Author:Anh-Minh LeIn the waters just off Sausalito, an ancient practice has been imagined anew. The recently launched Fjord, the brainchild of Alex Yenni and Gabriel Turner, offers an extraordinary outdoor thermotherapy experience. From its floating platform, patrons can heat up in a sauna, cool down in Richardson Bay and repeat as desired. “I’m a Marin native who grew up often visiting the Sausalito waterfront,” Yenni says. “It’s immensely special to me. And its calm waters make the perfect environment for a cold dip, not to mention the sheer natural beauty of the place. Once introduced to a marina owner here, that’s where we knew we wanted to be.”
According to Yenni, he and Turner “had the kernel of the idea, independently, for some time. Me from my experience plunging off the coast of Northern California, in nature, and him on his extensive travels through Japan and the Nordics.” Apropos of Fjord’s embrace of the environment, the project has some key upcycled aspects. For starters, the wave attenuator—the floating concrete platform that now holds two 8-by-10-foot saunas—was originally cast and purchased for the 34th America’s Cup, which was held in San Francisco in 2013. A couple of years ago, Yenni and Turner discovered it, not in use, in a marina in Richmond. They successfully tracked down the owner and acquired the structure.
Notably, secondhand shipping containers have been painstakingly reconfigured to house the sauna units. “Our architect, Nick Polansky, tied the whole vision together with unique, minimalist architectural design elements—from the pergola to the steam-bent redwood fence and custom raw timber seating,” Yenni adds. The redwood was sourced from Richmond’s Green Waste Recycle Yard.
Drop-in and private sessions as well as full buyouts are available. Each of Fjord’s Finnish-style saunas can accommodate up to six people. A pair of 12kw Apex sauna heaters keeps the temperature around 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Plunging into the bay is allowed, within the specified zone, while ladders facilitate returns to the platform. Guests can then rinse off at the brass outdoor shower before reentering the sauna. (Cleanings are done between every party and at the end of the day.)
Yenni acknowledges that, to bring the concept to fruition, “it was quite difficult to obtain the proper permits and involved over eight agencies from federal on down. But the City of Sausalito was amazing and worked with us to navigate the proper entitlements. And we think all of the agencies wanted to help see this vision come to life.” Beyond the therapeutic benefits of the hot/cold circuit, the founders of Fjord hope to foster an even greater appreciation for the local landscape. “We plan to bring over 10,000 people a year to experience the waterfront in a new, physical way that they otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do so,” Yenni says. “Nobody will be interested in preserving this gorgeous body of water, if they don’t feel real connection to it.”
For more information or to book your session, visit the official site.
