Focus On Wellbeing
A Taste Of Scandinavia At Villa Hygge
Few American homes have saunas, and those at hotels and resorts rarely offer the authentic Finnish sauna experience that is so much a part of Scandinavian life. Villa Hygge in North Conway, a unique boutique hotel and spa, provides the opportunity to experience the serenity of a sauna and the beauty of the Scandinavian lifestyle based on hygge (pronounced somewhat like “hooga”).
Villa Hygge co-owner Mari Corbett explains the term by saying, “The word hygge comes from Norway and means wellbeing. So the concept of hygge can be explained as a moment of wellbeing and happiness. In my home country, Finland, and Scandinavia, wellness is part of everyday life and it starts with the design of our homes and it has a remarkable affect to our wellbeing and happiness, so we designed specific features in Villa Hygge to increase wellbeing.”
The UN-sponsored World Happiness Report has ranked Finland as the world’s happiest country for the eighth successive year, with Denmark in second place, citing the access to nature and a strong welfare system as factors. Mari says, “No, it’s related to hygge. It’s how we grow up, how we go to school, how we work.”
That involves taking advantage of natural light and fresh air, taking time to relax, and eating healthy foods.
Features that Villa Hygge incorporates include maximizing natural light with large windows, building outdoor living spaces to make it easy to step outside for fresh air, and using interior designs known as “modern warm” that use natural materials and elements and keep colors and lines clear and harmonized. The property was built with safe and sustainable materials.
“In Finland, every home has a private spa-sauna area with meditation space,” she says. “Villa Hygge has two saunas in an outside building, a Himalayan salt room for yoga and meditation, and three private massage rooms. It is well-known that sauna and spa activities have a major impact to lower stress and increase health.”
Mari is focused on such areas not only by heritage by also by a career in health care before turning to the hospitality field.