The Story of Our Handmade Sauna Hats
While it may at first seem counterintuitive to wear a woollen hat in a sauna, they have been used across Europe for centuries to enhance the psychological and physiological benefits of sauna bathing by protecting the head from overheating, enabling longer, more relaxing sauna sessions. In 2020, we teamed up with local craftsperson Janine ‘JB’ Dibling to design and hand-make a limited number of contemporary sauna hats that are ideal for outdoor adventures as well as inside the sauna.
Why wear a hat in the sauna?
In the sauna, our heads heat up much faster than the rest of our bodies, and this can cause us to feel uncomfortable or even make us unwell, meaning we end a sauna session before we have really reaped the full benefits. Wool felt is exceptionally insulating - wearing a thick wool hat actually prevents the hot air of the sauna from reaching our heads too quickly, meaning our bodies heat up more evenly, so we can enjoy longer, safer and more comfortable sauna sessions in which we are able to truly unwind. Sauna hats also help to prevent damage to hair, which can otherwise become dry and brittle from exposure to heat and steam.
Despite the many benefits of sauna hats, their popularity has undoubtedly suffered due to their somewhat eccentric traditional designs. A quick online search reveals modern sauna hats tend to lean into the realms of comedy and novelty (think felted-on horns, lampshades and mushrooms!) But we wanted to offer something contemporary as well as functional - something that could also be worn outside of the sauna, to keep warm in cold weather.
Introducing Local Maker, Janine ‘JB’ Dibling
JB has always been a maker, and textile arts are her specialty. As well as her own projects, she works at Ruth Emily Davey’s artisan shoe making workshop in Machynlleth, just a stone’s throw from the Heartwood Saunas workshop.
“I’ve always made things, especially textiles. I just love using sewing machines, I get really in the zone when I’m sewing. My machine is in the middle of my living room - it’s a big part of who I am and what I do.”
Known to the team as a talented craftsperson, during the first UK lockdown, when things got a bit quiet for local makers, we asked JB if she was up to the challenge of creating a contemporary, unisex, versatile sauna hat, and she accepted with enthusiasm. As well as her passion for making, JB is also a fan of the sauna.
“My dad built his own sauna when I was in my early twenties, and whenever I visited in the winter, we would go in the sauna then jump in the snow! These days, I do mountain biking and hiking, and getting in the sauna after a cold day in the Welsh hills feels really great.”
Locally hand-crafted with Responsibly-sourced Materials
Rather than stretching the felt around a head mould, JB found that creating a pattern and making the hat from separate sections created a more robust modern design, as moulded hats had a tendency to lose their shape, become thin and tear. Thus, the skull-cap, beanie style sauna hat came to be.
It was important to JB, and to the team at Heartwood, that we use only local, responsibly sourced natural materials, which is why the felt we use for our sauna hats is 100% responsibly-sourced British sheep wool. The felt for each hat is carefully cut by hand, then assembled and tailored by JB on her treasured industrial sewing machine at her home.
As the first hats were nearing completion, JB had the idea to use some of the leather off-cuts from her shoemaking work to add some finishing touches to the hats. For this, we enlisted the help of another local craftsperson and machinist, James Dent, who fabricated a leather Heartwood motif for the front, and an adjustable leather fastening for the back from the off-cuts.
And so, a year on from its conception, here it is, our first endeavour into sauna accessories: A high-quality contemporary natural British sheep wool and salvaged leather sauna hat, handmade to last within 4 miles of our workshop by local artist, craftsperson and shoemaker, JB, in collaboration with local craftsperson James Dent, and the team at Heartwood Saunas. We hope they help you to enjoy many longer, more satisfying saunas.
