Missing the Spa? This Converted Mercedes Sprinter Can Bring the Sauna to Your Doorstep

Now available for private rentals, Vanya’s promise of an affordable schvitz makes pining for a trip to the day spa uneccesary.

Missing the Spa? This Converted Mercedes Sprinter Can Bring the Sauna to Your Doorstep

Now available for private rentals, Vanya’s promise of an affordable schvitz makes pining for a trip to the day spa uneccesary.

Inspired by sweat bathing experiences and sauna vehicles across Europe, Nick Rosenblum created his very own sauna on wheels, dubbed Vanya.

Nick Rosenblum found the 2011 Mercedes Sprinter 2500 170

Nick Rosenblum found the 2011 Mercedes Sprinter 2500 170" WB on the west coast, and drove it cross-country to be overhauled by AWOL Rigs in Maine.

Daniel Orr

Based near Portland, Maine, the roving steam bath can be found along the state’s mid-coast region and has gone as far west as the Catskills. Pre-COVID, the van was a hit at events and pop-ups like beer gardens, yoga studios, beaches and urban art spaces. Now the van is available for private rentals and gatherings.

Based out of the Portland, Maine area, the sauna van is available to rent this winter for private gatherings.

Based out of the Portland, Maine area, the sauna van is available to rent this winter for private gatherings.

Daniel Orr

Rosenblum found the 2011 Mercedes Sprinter 2500 170" WB on the west coast in 2018, and drove it back to Maine with the intention of building a public sauna culture through events with friends.

"My creative work has always been about creating new social experiences and my vision for this project was a flexible, mobile wellness environment," Rosenblum says. "After a few false starts with other builders and working through some initial design challenges, I was lucky to link up with AWOL Rigs who took the idea and executed it beautifully."

In the front of the van, a seating area with under-bench storage provides a place for bathers to relax.

In the front of the van, a seating area with under-bench storage provides a place for bathers to relax.

Daniel Orr

See the full story on Dwell.com: Missing the Spa? This Converted Mercedes Sprinter Can Bring the Sauna to Your Doorstep
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