“What excited me most was how the wood slotted together on the benches. The tiny details of the finish were beautiful — things you wouldn't even think to consider. Hooks for robes, space for towels — all incorporated so it doesn't feel like an afterthought. It's all there.

It's real craftsmanship. That’s what you’re paying for — artisan craft. It's amazing down there. Hotel-like, but personal. It's really restful.”

In the autumn of last year, the final stages of a bespoke sauna complex were installed within a private home garden, designed as a year-round retreat for our client and their guests. The commission was designed as a one-off, complete wellness space inspired by features of our Aire model - one of the most iconic saunas from our Signature Collection.

The sauna itself, which features generous three-tiered benches, sits alongside a treatment room and a relaxed living space, all hand-built by our team in our workshop, in Mid Wales. Unique to this project is a separate, yet complementary structure that accommodates two guest suites. Externally, expansive decking connects the spaces and incorporates an ice bath for contrast therapy and a hot tub. The result is not simply a sauna, but a curated wellness sanctuary that sits effortlessly within its setting.

The vision came from garden designer Jon Uglow, whose direction shaped the land around the sauna and living spaces into an immersive, mystical environment. We spoke to Jon about the project, his philosophy, and how those principles informed a garden retreat intended for all-season enjoyment.

Designing a Landscape Around the Sauna

The idea for the project stemmed from the client’s desire for a sauna, and from the outset, it was intended as the focal point around which the garden design was centred.

"The client was very clear about what they wanted to achieve with the sauna space and the surrounding landscape. The desire for a sauna with a view was the starting point. Once we had selected the right place in the garden to site the sauna, we then had to create a landscape around it that enhanced the sauna bathing experience," explains Jon.

During initial conversations, the client described wanting to create something "mystical," which instantly sparked Jon's imagination.

"The first reference that came to my head was ‘Lord of the Rings', and when I suggested this to the client, they agreed. That idea led me to the layered, ancient landscapes of Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean. Here, there are twisted trees, moss-covered rocks, and filtered light — it's an otherworldly woodland unlike any other. Its natural limestone is covered in moss, and you navigate your way through rivers and cascades. That kind of atmosphere was my starting point, and I'm so grateful to the client for choosing to invest in the vision and allow me the creative freedom to bring it to life"

Earth mounds were created from scratch, quarry rocks were stacked to appear geological, and water was introduced as a gentle stream and a cascade to resemble a natural spring.

“The location we chose to site the sauna was previously just falling away into the woods. Everything had to be landscaped. We created mounds, stacked big rocks, and nestled the sauna building behind them.”

Large yew hedging was built to echo the stone elements, while shaded woodland was planted to give a sense of enclosure to the space.

“The hedge was grown in Belgium. I sent them pictures with dimensions; they assembled it, did a dry run, and sent images back. The root balls were numbered, then three-ton pieces were dropped into the ground.”

"I didn't want it too hard or built, but we needed architectural presence. The yews were pieced together to form a wall with tunnel arches. I trimmed them so they almost felt like rocks, cut square with cross cuts, echoing the stacked stone."

Water further enhanced the immersive atmosphere.

"We incorporated streams and a cascade. As you walk towards the sauna, reclaimed flagstones lead you through gravel, a little stream runs beside you, and there's a waterfall. You can be having a shower and next to you is water flowing — you get sound as well as visual."

“It's in a circuit, and the landscape team from Hadingham Kirk were able to work out the volume and the reservoir size to ensure all flows seamlessly".

“The first reference that came to my head was ‘Lord of the Rings', and when I suggested this to the client, they agreed.”

“You can be having a shower and next to you is water flowing — you get sound as well as visual.”

Why the Sauna Came First

While Jon had worked with saunas before, this was the first project to include an entire retreat-like setting — including living space, a treatment room, a hot tub, an ice bath, and accommodation.

"It's the first complex where we've created a total space. Rather than it being a sauna within a garden, the sauna is the centre point, and we've created a landscape around it from the user's point of view — rather than it being a garden that happens to have a sauna.”

Delivering a project of this complexity required a partner who could collaborate, attend to detail, and understand how the building would fit within the wider architectural context.

“The first step was to choose the model of sauna we wanted - the location required a modern but natural building that worked aesthetically, and this is what led us to Heartwood.”

“Working with Heartwood was highly collaborative. While the original design reference was the Aire model's unique curved shape, each part of the sauna inside and out was modified for the project — including its size, the bench configuration, and the door orientation.”

Now that the sauna is in place, for Jon, it's the finesse of the execution that stands out: how the building sits quietly within the landscape, the precision of the internal detailing, and the care in the joinery.

“What excited me most was how the wood slotted together on the benches. The tiny details of the finish were beautiful — things you wouldn't even think to consider. Hooks for robes, space for towels — all incorporated so it doesn't feel like an afterthought. It's all there."

“It's real craftsmanship. That’s what you’re paying for — artisan craft. It's amazing down there. Hotel-like, but personal. It's really restful.”

Heather_Birnie_Heartwood_Saunas_Jon_Uglow_068 (3).jpg

“The sauna is the centre point, and we've created a landscape around it from the user's point of view — rather than it being a garden that happens to have a sauna.”

A Philosophy Shaped by Experience

While the client set the direction, the final landscape was grounded in Jon’s philosophy and experience.

After completing training at the Oxford College of Garden Design, Jon worked with Italian garden designer Luciano Giubbilei, who favoured a restrained, architectural aesthetic— focusing on lawns, hedging, and sculpture rather than decorative planting.

This influence is evident in Jon's own approach. His work is rooted in biophilic design; not simply shaping the landscape, but considering how it shapes those who move through it. His gardens are designed to retain their form through winter, with hedging and trees establishing what Jon refers to as the “bones” of a garden — a framework that anchors the design over time.

His early years on complex sites also instilled an understanding that high-level garden design extends beyond aesthetics. It requires clarity of communication, the ability to work seamlessly with architects and contractors, and the confidence to resolve challenges without compromising design intent. For clients accustomed to exacting standards, this balance of creativity and precision is essential. Later, time spent working at an Oxfordshire nursery deepened his knowledge of planting, and since establishing his own practice in 2016, Jon has worked largely through referrals from architects, interior designers, and clients.

"Successful gardens are the result of strong relationships as much as strong ideas. During the early stages of the design process, it can be difficult to fully visualise the outcome, so I never underestimate the trust and faith clients put in me when commissioning a project. It's such a privilege to work with clients in this way, to guide them through the evolution of a vision and to ensure it is realised with integrity.”

Shared Values, Enduring Results

This project demonstrates what becomes possible when collaborators share values and when projects are developed with beauty, craftsmanship, and longevity in mind. And as more and more people recognise the value of a private home garden sauna, Jon sees requests for these types of outdoor wellbeing spaces continuing to grow.

"There's a definite uptick in people wanting saunas. The health benefits are filtering into people's consciousness. I've probably been asked for more saunas than tennis courts in recent years. People see it as something that helps them retreat from the stresses of life.”