This Floating Sauna Brings a Touch of Scandinavia to Coastal Connecticut

It’s a sunny afternoon in Cos Cob in coastal Connecticut, and Peter and Victoire Boldt’s home is buzzing with energy. Their oldest child, Madeleine, leans on Victoire in the kitchen while younger sister Louise flits around, vying for Peter’s attention as baby August snoozes in her bassinet. The second-oldest, Winston, is out of the action, as he attends Japanese school on Saturdays. Anticipation is building, not just for the lunch about to be served but for the adventure to follow.

After chicken sandwiches, the group piles into Peter’s Suburban and heads for Tod’s Point, the town beach. After packing supplies into a dinghy, we set out for a mooring a few hundred feet offshore. Here, a boxy, shedlike structure floats among the boats dotting the water. The red and white–painted cabin sits atop a cedar deck, with a narrow metal stovepipe rising from its pitched roof. On the bow, two built-in aluminum storage boxes next to the steering station double as benches. A bright-orange burgee above the roof announces the vessel’s name: Sauna Float.