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Kurokawa Onsen is one of the most frequented hot-spring towns among Japanese bathers, but is relatively unknown to Westerners. Located in the mountains of Kumamoto Prefecture, visitors to Kurokawa typically embrace the relaxation and seclusion of the region by staying in a traditional ryokan, or inn. For a local treat, onsen tamago, or hot-spring eggs, are boiled in the stable thermal waters and sold as street food as a regional delicacy; in Hakone, the eggs are boiled in sulfurous volcanic waters, turning their shells black. With no hotels or colorful signs, Kurokawa boasts only the pure and simple aesthetics of a traditional Japanese village surrounded by forests, mountains, and calming rivers. Featuring ancient wooden buildings and earth-and-stone stairs, the town is lined with small shops and inns, and bathers shuttle from one ryokan to another wearing their yukatas (robes) and geta (sandals).

Ninety-five miles [153 kilometers] north of the Arctic Circle, with craggy peaks, open seas, and sheltered bays, sits the dramatic, remote, and lonely archipelago of Lofoten. With an imposing beauty, the islands are part of the Scandinavian Caledonides, a mountain range that stretches from northern Norway all the way to the south, and comprises six principal islands and hundreds of smaller, unpopulated ones. A dominating presence, especially when approached by sea, the islands’ sheer cliffs and clear waters have been called home by humans—from Vikings to local fishermen—for thousands of years. Lofoten’s history is rooted in fishing traditions: The migrating Atlantic cod, or skrei, that come to the islands to spawn between February and March have been providing a living for the local people for centuries. Charming, idyllic, and positioned at the top of the world, the islands bask in the glow of the northern lights and the midnight sun, with the perpetual smell of salt air and drying fish. It’s home to galleries, artisans, craftspeople, and communities conscious of preserving and honoring their traditions. Within this landscape sits The Bands, a seaside sauna built on a quay in the former fishing village of Kleivan. The sauna was commissioned by the local district to tie together the old with the new, incorporating three historical pre-existing buildings—a fisherman’s cottage (Rorbu), a cod liver oil–production building (Trandamperi), and a cod-salting building (Brygge)—with a new structure. A team of students from the Oslo School of Architecture and Design’s Scarcity and Creativity Studio conceptualized and oversaw The Bands’s four-week construction. Evoking the rocks below and waves nearby, The Bands gets its name from three ribbon-like, connected wooden bands that echo the angular landscape. Each band folds to form the 969-square-foot [90-square-meter] structure, made up of several outdoor areas. To the north, the bands emerge from the rocks, offering a hot tub and a cold tub as well as a rest area. Built sensitively within the surrounding environment, the light-filled, 161-square-foot [15-square-meter] sauna features clerestory windows made from translucent plastic and a gabled wall with windows looking out on the nearby mountains. As the bands bend and fold, they continue to form a fish-cleaning station, a picnic terrace, and many places to lounge and rest.

Created after appearing to its owner in a dream, the Panorama Glass Lodge offers direct views of the active volcano Hekla, the northern lights, the midnight sun, a beautiful river, and the Icelandic highlands—all from the comfort of your bed. Inspired by the simple, rugged beauty of Scandinavian houses, the property consists of four lodges and two saunas completely immersed in nature. “Saunas are very important to us locals. We think it is important for body health and mental health, as well as a way to deeply relax and unwind,” says co-owner Sabrina Dedler. In Iceland, a country that embraces cold winds and freezing temperatures, “we are able to find a greater balance of health by incorporating sauna.” For the full experience, Sabrina recommends two to three continuous sauna sessions of 10 minutes each, with a 5- to 10-minute break between to relax outdoors in the cold air or to have a “super refreshing” outdoor cold shower. “Wherever you go in Iceland, the most amazing landscape is just around each corner. Fresh air, the ocean, thousands of waterfalls. With such unpolluted air, it is mesmerizing to watch the sunsets and sunrises,” says Sabrina. With so much geothermal activity, it invites the question: Why? Iceland has some of the world’s most active tectonic plate movement, allowing the underground geothermal waters to spring up all over the country, making the raw, untouched landscape even more surreal and visceral.

To most eyes, Ezequiel Farca’s 1970s-style concrete home in Mexico City looked like a teardown. Even the lot itself—shallow and crammed against a steep hillside—wasn’t particularly alluring. But Farca saw through all the restraints to create a spa-like refuge in one of the world’s most energetic cities. "It’s is such a hectic place. You’re bombarded by so much information the moment you step into the streets," says Farca, who first gained prominence as a furniture and interior designer. "So we envisioned this house as a retreat, a kind of a temple." The rooftop courtyard is lined with a verdant mix of indigenous plants, including banana trees, palm trees, lion’s claw, Mexican breadfruit, and native vines. The chaise longues were designed for Farca’s EF Collection.

This vintage carved wooden panel is by ERA Industries.

The living area features a Le Bombole ’07 sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia, a Chieftan chair by Finn Juhl, and a rotating hanging stove by FireOrb. The poufs are by Tazi Designs.

A chandelier by Lindsey Adelman hangs overhead. The floor-to-ceiling windows throughout are by Fleetwood Windows.

On an undulating stretch of California coastline, a hidden guesthouse runs free of the grid. "The house is elemental," says project architect Dan Weber of Santa Barbara–based firm Anacapa, who collaborated on the project with designer Steve Willson. "We endeavored to make it out of materials that would wear and take on a patina over time, so they could feel like part of the landscape." Unfinished steel, board-formed concrete, and glass continue inside, where rich black walnut—used for ceilings, cabinetry, and furniture—provides an inviting contrast. "On a foggy day, you want that feeling of warmth around you," says Margaret. Brass fixtures complement the deep-hued wood.

Steve and Margaret Cegelski, a retired couple who invented a popular tire sealant, welcome guests to their Santa Barbara County home nearly every weekend for hiking, surfing, and horseback riding. Overnight visitors stay in the new guesthouse designed by Dan Weber of Anacapa Architecture and Steve Willson of Willson Design; the builder was Curtis Homes, and the structural engineer was Ashley & Vance Engineering. A green roof helps the structure disappear into the site high above the Pacific. “We wanted to capture the quality of the setting, but with minimal impact on the land,” says Weber.

The outdoor shower below the treehouse was shaped and formed from concrete to be a truly private experience.

New company Obo Rain launched their outdoor shower at Dwell on Design. The design hooks up to a garden hose, making it super easy to install (you do have to ask a plumber to install an hot water spigot outdoors, though). The shower comes in three sizes: the Solo, the Duo (shown here), and the Trio. Technically, this was in Dwell Outdoor, but we really loved this "bath" design.

The outdoor shower.

An outdoor shower offers a zen-like sanctuary to wash off the day.

An outdoor shower is made from one complete concrete module—a visual demonstration of how the entire house was built.

A serene outdoor shower space is surrounded by shou sugi ban wood.

A wood-lined outdoor shower adds a modern touch to one of the decks.