Sōnïce

Sōnïce: the beginnings of a great story/. Ice bath and sauna

On November 1, 2023, Sōnïce, opens its doors at the Paris-Olympiades oasis. At the crossroads of worlds and elements, Sōnïce is a unique contrast therapy experience. Indeed, it allows you to immerse yourself in the very best that Sauna and Ice Bath can offer. Whether for well-being, sports recovery or mental clarity.

But where does Sōnïce come from?

The sauna concept opposite the Bain glacé

The Sōnïce concept was born of a shared desire by Alexandre and Clément when designing the Olympiades center. The year is 2020, Wim Hof is on a roll, and the Sauna-Ice Bath alternating therapy is starting to make waves on the networks. Secondly, we're used to finding out about innovations in this field. So, Clément notes that this service hardly exists in France, and consequently not at all in Paris.

At the time, the Olympiades lease was signed and demolition of the old supermarket facilities was underway. While finalizing plans for the landlord and town hall, the team imagined a different kind of space. In other words, one in which people could use the Sauna and try their hand at the Ice Bath in a new, aesthetically pleasing environment. 

Clément's first sketches were based on commercially available sauna and ice bath equipment. Although he takes care of the architecture and the smooth running of the building site at the same time, the creative energy isn't enough. At least, not enough for him to come up with a really interesting concept.

That's when Tom finally joined the team at the start of the project. Indeed, as a student designer at ENSCI les ateliers, for his master's internship, Tom quickly became fascinated by the question of this space. So Alex commissioned him to design the entire space. Finally, we will design and produce all the equipment and furniture ourselves, in a fully integrated design, in the image of ( meïsō ).

Sauna and ice bath design

As is so often the case in design and space architecture projects, a great deal of trial and error is required to bring together the desired functions and the characteristics of the necessary machinery. The first drawings of the space are centered on the ice bath, with complete freedom over its design. 

However, the sauna is also of major importance in this location. So we had to design a space that created a strong link between these two entities. From the outset, contrast is central to the identity of the Sōnïce. TThe sauna is a warm, reddish tone, while the ice bath is a cold, blue-tinted color. 

The contrast between sauna and ice bath

To make this contrast as striking as possible, we decided to position these two elements face to face. They are separated only by the open corridor that houses the transitional shower, allowing you to move directly from one to the other. For the choice of materials, we played with dark tones close to burnt wood for the common walls, highlighting the light work between the sauna and the ice bath. This creates a neutrality between the two cores of the room.

Finally, the ice bath gives the impression of being cut into the walls of the room, revealing a cladding that gives the sensation of bathing in a cave. The choice of stone as the surface material accentuates the cold sensation created by the bath's luminous ambience. An ice-crystal-shaped light with a bluish glow overhangs the whole, setting the tone for what awaits you once immersed in this icy water.

An infrared sauna

Finally, we've decided to go for the top consumer infrared sauna with American manufacturer Clearlight. Indeed, manufacturing the sauna ourselves would require a lot of on-site testing and a major investment in materials. What's more, we're not specialists in sauna construction.

So we're starting with the dimensions of the most spacious model in their best range. This is the Sanctuary Retreat Yoga to deliver the best possible user experience. 

The Sōnïce to share

In short, it can accommodate three people comfortably, and even remove the benches for a workout or yoga if you're on your own. What's more, the sauna boasts a remote-controlled chromotherapy lamp, and is equipped with the best infrared panels on the market, Full Spectrum. In fact, these panels send out all three ranges of infrared waves at once. This allows the heat to penetrate deep into the muscles, for maximum benefits with minimum physical exertion.

This type of sauna therefore has more interesting effects on metabolism than a conventional steam sauna. It therefore operates at a much lower temperature: its effective range is between 45 and 60°C.

An ice bath

As far as the Bain glacé is concerned, after looking at the models offered by suppliers in France, the United States and Australia, we couldn't find one that suited us. In fact, with our expertise (flotation), it's well within our reach to make it ourselves. So we decided to design one of the best pools on the market in terms of body experience, functionality and design.

At this point, the technical team at ( meïsō ) gets down to the nitty-gritty of equipment design. By the time the Olympiad center is up and running, in the fall of 2022, let our work begin. As a result, Tom turns the space upside down to find the pool shape that offers the most fluid experience for users. As well as accommodating all the unique functions we want to offer.

Ice bath temperatures

Next, the tank is cooled by the best chiller in its class. In fact, it was originally designed for large, cold seawater aquariums. In theory, it can cool down to 5°C. 

Based on our reading and monitoring of the accounts and blogs of experts on the subject, we're aiming for water between 8 and 10°C. Our aim was to offer an ice bath experience that was both physiologically effective and relatively accessible to novices (which we were at the time).

Complete immersion

In addition, an ice cube machine allows cold adventurers to enjoy an even more complete immersion. Finally, an ice water fountain drops down at the end of the pool to increase the sensation of cold for those who want it. All lit up by a huge blue diamond on the other side. Finally, a mystical The surface of the water plunges the user into a world of frozen caves. 

We love it, and we hope you'll love it as much as we do! All of which means that right now, in our absolute subjectivity, we consider Sōnïce to be the best hot-cold contrast therapy space in the world, and toc! All joking aside, we're delighted to present it to you, and look forward to seeing many of you there to try your hand at the ice bath!

Construction

The work will be carried out in minute detail. It runs from autumn 2022 to summer 2023. Since we've chosen to do everything ourselves (with the exception of the sauna), this takes time. As a result, we need to be patient and meticulous to ensure quality work.

We raise the floor for drainage, build the walls, install the plumbing, tiling and wall cladding. Then we install the pool, assemble the sauna, and build the filtration and cooling system. As for the ambience, we still have to install the misting system, the waterfall, and connect and commission the ice machine. Finally, we still have to install the lights, printing a number of parts that don't exist on the market, including the 3D luminous diamond of the pool. Finally, we insulated the pool's filtration circuit to achieve the target temperature of under 10°C. 

It's a long, iterative process!

Team

Sōnïce is the product of the brains and hands of a passionate team, full of love for people and innovation. 

Thanks to Alexandre, Clément and Tom for the design.