The Arctic Bath, a unique luxury hotel and spa floating on the Lule river in Swedish Lapland is scheduled to open in 2018.

Reminiscent of a bird’s nest or natural dam, the exteriors of the circular spa buildings will be covered with piled logs, providing added insulation to guests during the winter months.

The spa buildings, with saunas, treatment and relaxation rooms, a restaurant and lounge bar, will encircle an open-air cold bath.

Accommodation will take the form of six minimalist floating cabins which will be moored to the spa buildings.

Arctic Bath – open all year – will be free-floating on the river during the summer and frozen in place in winter. It will be located outside the village of Harads, 50km south of the Arctic Circle.

Designed by architects Bertil Harström and Johan Kauppi, the concept for the hotel and spa was inspired by the region's logging heritage, with its distinctive design acting as a reminder of the importance of the forest in Swedish history.

Arctic Bath AB, the Swedish company which owns the globally renowned Treehotel in behind the project.

The Treehotel – also in Harads – is a collection of seven treehouse cabins perched in the tundra forests, each designed by a different architect. The unique structures include one evoking a bird's nest, one taking the form of a mirror cube and one resembling a UFO.

Snøhetta design soaring hotel room among the treetops

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