The Last Löyly
The Last Löyly is a ritual-based VR experience inspired by traditional Finnish sauna culture. Players go through a five-stage journey—chopping wood, building fire, ladling water, steaming memories, and submerging into silence—each step metaphorically guiding them through emotional release and personal renewal.
VR Immersive Experience
Unity, Meta Quest, Hand Tracking, Blender
Role: Creative Director / Interaction Designer
inspiration
In the spring of 2025, I traveled to Finland for an artist residency. At that time, I was overwhelmed by internal pressures—career uncertainty, creative self-doubt, and a constant feeling of being trapped by expectations, both external and self-imposed.Amid the dense forests and still lakes of Finland, I encountered something unexpected: the profound simplicity of sauna rituals.
In Finland, sauna is not just a place to sweat—it's a space for reflection, release, and renewal. It is where people confront their inner weight, in the quiet presence of heat, steam, and nature.Through weeks of experiencing these rituals and the slowness of Finnish life, I found a deep personal resonance with this tradition. It inspired me to create The Last Löyly—a VR experience that transforms the emotional arc of a traditional sauna journey into an interactive ritual for anyone, anywhere.
The Ritual of Sauna — Tradition and Embodied Process
Choosing and Chopping Wood
The ritual begins outdoors, selecting the right type of birch or spruce logs—wood that burns steadily and produces gentle, consistent heat. The act of chopping firewood with one’s own hands is a meditative preparation, connecting body and mind to the process of transformation.
After the logs are split, they are gathered and carefully carried into the sauna room. This symbolic act of bringing nature’s raw energy indoors marks the transition into a space of intentional focus.
Before entering the heated room, it is customary to cleanse the body—through a simple shower or a rinse in nearby natural waters. This step represents a shedding of external concerns and a readiness to face the inner self.
Inside the sauna, water is gently ladled onto hot stones, producing löyly—clouds of steam that envelop the space. This moment is central to the experience: each release of steam becomes a breath, a voice, a wave of memory. The room grows warm and thick with atmosphere, encouraging deep reflection and release.
Löyly Spirits—elusive beings that momentarily reveal fragments of our inner world. With each ladle of water, a new veil of steam appears, swirling with memories, emotions, and unspoken thoughts. These ephemeral spirits invite us to release what burdens us, to breathe with them, and to let go.
