Case study · Concept project
THAW Sauna Club: brand, website and social for a club that feels properly expensive
A concept for a members’ sauna club on the British coast. We created the brand look, the website and an Instagram presence, all designed to feel like a luxury club.
The idea
A sauna club that sells a feeling, not a spa day
THAW is our own made-up concept for a private sauna club on the British coast: a navy hut on the sand, a few guests at a time, and the sea at the door.
The aim was a website that makes people want to request membership, and feels like a private club rather than a leisure centre.
Everything on the page is built around one action: request membership.
How we got there
From lemons to lemonade
Chat
We worked out who the club is for and the one thing the site should get them to do: request membership.
Squeeze
We set the look: deep navy, warm bone, one brass accent and calm, spaced-out type.
Make
We designed the website, then an Instagram grid and stories in the same style.
Pour
We checked every page on desktop and phone and wrote the copy, from the headline to the membership levels.
The brand
A hut, a towel and a lantern
The logo turns the A in THAW into a steaming sauna hut, with an anchor underneath. Around it sits a quiet set of colours and type, so the brand reads as expensive rather than cute.
The website
Quiet on purpose
Decision one
Let the hut do the talking
The first screen is the hut at dusk, full width. One headline, one short sentence and a request bar. Nothing else competes with it.
Decision two
Make membership feel like an object
Membership is shown as a black members’ card, next to three simple levels (Guest, Member and Founding) and a short request form.
Decision three
Give every coast its own page
Each location gets a full-screen section with a photo, an opening date and the practical details a member would ask about.
On a phone
Just as calm on a small screen
On a phone, the request bar becomes a simple stacked form and the brand stays just as quiet. Most people will see it on their phone first.
What we would do next
If THAW became real
- Photograph the real huts, the interior and the products, and use the photos across the website and the grid.
- Connect the request forms to a real booking and membership system.
- Confirm real prices, locations and opening dates, then replace the placeholders.
- Check who owns the THAW name and logo before launching.
THAW is a self-initiated concept. We made the club up to show what we can do, so it isn’t a real business and nothing on the site is a real offer.
Got lemons? Let’s make a brand.
We design brands and websites for small businesses, start to finish.
Let’s Create
The social
An Instagram that looks planned
We designed a nine-post grid and stories as one set, so the profile looks considered from the very first scroll.