Wa Sauna / GO’C

Architects: GO’C
Year: 2015
Photography: Kevin Scott
Architecture Team: Gentry / O’Carroll, Nick Durig
Structural Engineer: Kevin Winner, SSF Engineers
Builders: GO’C, Greg Lewis
Manufacturers: GO’C, Blackline (Wood-burning Stove), Duravent (Flue Pipe), Finnleo (Sauna Interior Kit), Kota (Trolling Motor), Rolling Barge (Deck Frame)
City: Seattle, Washington
Country: USA

Wa Sauna wellness center, designed by GO’C in Seattle, has introduced a floating thermal refuge that integrates sauna culture with the city’s water-based geography. Completed in 2015, the project was fabricated in a donated brewery warehouse and realized through a combination of local crowdfunding and volunteer labor. The structure is powered by a Kota electric trolling motor and heated with a Blackline wood-burning stove, incorporating materials from Finnleo, Duravent, and Rolling Barge. Positioned as a public vessel, Wa Sauna expands seasonal access to wellness and redefines the relationship between architecture and the lakes of the Pacific Northwest.

Separating from what you know, and being exposed to a new place always leads to some form of inspiration for us. It seems to draw out that childlike wonder and curiosity that sometimes gets lost in the rush of everyday life. The more we open ourselves to the world around us, the more we can bring elements back to our projects, fueling our creativity and driving our ongoing development.
Interview with Jon Gentry and Aimée O’Carroll of GO’C

Wa Sauna was designed by GO’C as a response to the Pacific Northwest’s damp winters and a desire to reconnect Seattle’s population with its surrounding bodies of water. The structure was conceived as a floating sauna that integrates the elemental qualities of fire and water while offering a communal gathering space anchored in movement and exploration.

The design promotes a spatial experience where the journey to the sauna becomes as significant as the destination itself. Kayakers and boaters are encouraged to approach and moor alongside the floating deck, entering a space that shifts perspectives on both the lake and the city. As the architects noted, “wa_sauna engages the ideas of journey and discovery; creating a unique experience and refuge on the water that offers a different perspective on the landscape.”

The project was supported through a local crowdfunding initiative and built by GO’C with a group of volunteers, many from the architecture and construction fields. Fabrication took place inside a warehouse space donated by Hilliard’s Brewery, reinforcing the community-driven nature of the project.

The structure stands 14 feet tall and weighs approximately 4,500 pounds. Transporting it to the lake was handled manually using six steel casters and a 1980 VW Vanagon. For three hours, the team moved the sauna across eight city blocks to reach the public boat ramp. This transition from a static, land-based object to a floating vessel was considered one of the most critical moments of the process.

Wa Sauna is registered as a vessel and operates using a Kota electric trolling motor powered by three 12-volt batteries. A wood-burning stove from Blackline, coupled with a Duravent flue system, provides the internal heating. The sauna interior was prefabricated by Finnleo, while the structural deck frame was manufactured by Rolling Barge to accommodate flotation and user activity.

The project now moves quietly across Lake Union and Lake Washington, offering thermal comfort and isolation within a shifting urban backdrop. Users are immersed in the sound of the stove fire and the surrounding water while framed views open to the city beyond. Wa Sauna repositions wellness architecture in an urban context, proposing mobility, seasonal use, and public engagement as design priorities within the built environment.