Inspirations

Forest Bathing: Into the Green

Escape the heat with an immersive time in the forest. Beyond its soothing coolness and deep sense of calm, forest bathing is said to rejuvenate both body and mind. In these houses, the path into the woodland begins right outside the front door.

in August 2026

Silent woods

Palm trees sway wel­co­mingly in the mountain air of Ticino, framed by ferns and shrubs that merge seam­lessly into almost jungle-like vege­tation. Anyone seeking a paradise for their own ‘pho­to­syn­thesis’ can catch their breath and recharge their bat­teries at Casa & Casetta Tessino.

During the 15-minute walk to the house, you gra­dually leave vil­lages, people and everyday life behind. On one of the sou­thern slopes of the Onsernone Valley, pho­to­grapher and climate activist Peter Til­lessen has trans­formed a tra­di­tional stone house into a rigo­rously eco­lo­gical retreat that ope­rates entirely without fossil fuels. In summer, Walden enthu­siasts can climb a little higher to the tree­house hidden in the dense forest to reflect, write or spend the night. With façades and senses wide open, guests can feel the power of nature – and wish deer and squirrels a per­sonal good­night.

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A shower of light in Norway

Even though forest bathing is not about sport but about a slow, mindful expe­rience, active holi­day­makers will find plenty to enjoy at the Nor­wegian Wood Cabin. Hidden among towering conifers, this modern Fjellhytte (mountain cabin) offers endless hiking through magical forests in summer and skiing in winter.

After­wards, the airy, light-filled log cabin – com­bining Scan­di­navian mini­malism with a won­derfully cosy atmo­sphere – offers an open-plan living space for your own per­sonal cabin party. A pro­found con­nection with nature comes as standard. While branches dance in front of the vast glazed façades, you can watch the many shades of green unfold from one of the window seats and allow your own inner eco­system to find its balance again. With a little luck, the Nor­thern Lights may even stop by to put on their spec­ta­cular show.

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From a bird’s‑eye view

Studies have shown that hugging trees lowers the stress hormone cor­tisol and streng­thens the immune system. At Løvtag on the island of Bornholm, archi­tecture lends a helping hand. Adventure comes included, as the beau­tifully crafted cabins designed by Danish architect Sigurd Larsen perch beneath the leafy canopy like birds’ nests.

Each of the three stilt houses is defined by a dif­ferent tree growing through the living space, creating its own atmo­sphere – whether oak, pine or beech. Guests take showers out­doors with the wind against their skin, find culinary inspi­ration in nature cook­books, and wake to birdsong from the comfort of their bed. Hidden deep within the thicket, this “hotel” turns its guests into tem­porary resi­dents of the woods, shifts per­spec­tives and gives new wings.

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A cul­tural oasis

South of La Spezia, over­looking the mouth of the Magra River and the Apuan Alps, a house lies hidden among mature trees that opens not only its his­toric rooms but also the mind. In the 1960s, architect Luisa Cas­tig­lioni designed this ensemble of three holiday houses as a retreat for family and friends.

It became a grove of ideas and the arts, where intellec­tuals gathered away from the cities to exchange thoughts in the coun­tryside. Today, her grand­d­aughter Mad­dalena Scar­zella con­tinues this multi-gene­ra­tional project by reinter­preting her grandmother’s fur­niture designs, car­rying the architect’s legacy into the present. After pas­sionate dis­cus­sions, guests can retreat among green tiles, clean lines and white marble, or wander along the wooded hillside, fol­lowing the res­inous scent of the pines towards fresh insights.

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Forest bathing with a Finnish sauna

Stepping into the forest softens foot­steps, filters the light and brings birdsong closer. A sense of inner calm seems to follow natu­rally. At Mökki Santara, this process be is likely to acce­lerate, for the black timber holiday home stands in peaceful iso­lation beside Lake Santara.

Finnish Karelia is one of the most densely forested regions in Europe, dotted with thou­sands of lakes. The barn-like Mökki is equally unspoilt: an ensemble of house, sauna and terrace built from timber har­vested on the site itself. Inside, sliding par­ti­tions ensure fle­xi­bility, the pared-back fur­nis­hings encourage focused con­tem­plation, and white-painted wood creates a won­derfully fresh atmo­sphere. And should a dip in the forest – or the lake – leave you feeling a little chilly, the sauna will restore the right tem­pe­rature.

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Immersion at Loch Ness

The dra­matic Scottish High­lands are a land­scape of myths, ancient forests and deep lochs. At the elegant yet relaxed cottage Tigh na Coille, they all come tog­ether. Perched above the legendary waters of Loch Ness, the former manor house looks back on a long history.

From its natural stone façade and ornate plaster cei­lings to hand-printed wall­papers, his­toric pain­tings and bed­rooms named Scarlett, Marthe, Nymph and Orlando, every detail exudes history. Com­bined with con­tem­porary Scan­di­navian cool and light-filled inte­riors over­looking the mature trees in the garden, the loch and the Scottish hills, it creates a remar­kable place to stay. An extended walk in the sur­rounding forests reveals many more won­derfully wild places in which to find truly epic rela­xation.

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Zen in the Eifel

Mindfulness is as much a part of forest bathing as a bel­lyflop is to an outdoor pool. Nestled in the Vol­canic Eifel, Eifel­häuschen is a place where all five senses can come alive. Perched on a hillside, embraced by trees and shrubs and shel­tered beneath a long, sweeping roof, it looks out across a vast land­scape of forests and vol­canic crater lakes.

Built in 1975 and reno­vated to con­tem­porary stan­dards, the holiday home with its black slate façade is almost as old as the term forest bathing itself. Alt­hough it has much older roots, shinrin-yoku has been prac­tised in Japan since the 1980s as a remedy for reco­vering from the stress caused by modern urban life. Pan­o­ramic windows, a con­tem­plative design, two ter­races and even a private woodland make Eifel­häuschen the perfect place to redis­cover one’s senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, tou­ching and tasting.

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Into the Wood Wide Web

When tem­pe­ra­tures climb above 30°C and your syn­apses begin to overheat, only a bath among the trees will do – pre­ferably with fresh Alpine views thrown in. Just like at the Wald­chalets Brand­nertal in Austria: five mini­malist holiday cabins that cele­brate their natural sur­roun­dings both inside and out.

From the dark timber cladding to the pale wooden inte­riors and the expansive glazing that dis­solves the boundary between house and Vorarlberg’s flora and fauna, ever­y­thing here is designed to immerse guests in nature. Each cabin enjoys views across the moun­tains and the valley, yet each one is entirely focused on itself. All around, tall trees stand close tog­ether, exchanging mes­sages – some­times whis­pering in the wind, some­times intert­wined under­ground. It is a won­derful place to become very quiet in the shade and let nature take over the con­ver­sation. A tip for little fairies and trolls: head for the play­ground, or simply tumble across the mossy forest floor.

More about Wald­chalets Brand­nertal

Text: Julia Hauch

Photos: Jan Huber via uns­plash (Cover image), Peter Tilessen (Casa & Cas­setta Tessino), Detlef Rahe (Nor­wegian Wood Cabin), Nina Malling (Løvtag Bornholm), Valentina Som­mariva & Luigi Fiano (Boc­ca­monte), Carla Gertz (Mökki Santara), Fran Mart (Tigh na Coille), Mathias Peters (Eifel­häuschen), Katharina Bohm & Günter Richard Wett (Wald­chalets Brand­nertal)