Located on the Lule River in Sweden’s Lapland province, the innovative Arctic Bath provides a wellness experience that changes with the seasons. Conceived by development team Kent Lindvall, Per Anders Eriksson, Robert Lundqvist, Patrik Jonsson, and AnnKathrin Lundqvist, and designed by local architects Bertil Harström and Johan Kauppi, the highlight is the spa.

Its circular shape resembles a log cabin on the water, which freezes into the ice during the winter under the Northern Lights and floats in the summer under the midnight sun, thanks to floating concrete pontoons. At the center of the building is a giant ice bath, which is surrounded by three saunas, a spa treatment room, and hot baths. The hotel portion comes in the form of six floating cabins with private access to the water via wooden decks and a footbridge, and six larger elevated cabins with interiors by AnnKathrin that rest on the treelined shore.

Arctic Bath includes six floating rooms for guests to stay in

Six larger elevated on-land cabins occupy the treelined shore

This article originally appeared in HD’s  March/April 2020 issue.