The hats
Handcrafted, bespoke sauna hats from natural and reclaimed materials. Run your finger along the branch.
Elizabeth
Every hat on the branch is cut, sewn and embroidered by hand by Elizabeth.
Sangha Studios makes handcrafted, bespoke sauna hats from natural and reclaimed materials: camp blankets, wool, linen, knits and shag, often finished with hand embroidery. No two are alike.
Elizabeth takes commissions. Bring a fabric, a color or an idea, like a name stitched on the brim, a favorite animal or a design of your own, and she'll make it into a hat.
You'll find her hats at sauna festivals around the Northwest, including the Sauna Textiles Showcase at the Willamette Sauna Festivaali.
How they're made
Natural and reclaimed fabric, cut into panels, sewn into a bell and finished by hand.
Finding the fabric
Camp blankets, wool, linen, knits and shag. Much of it is reclaimed, so each hat starts from a piece of fabric with its own pattern and history.
Cutting the panels
The pattern is laid out so the best part of the fabric lands on the front. The panels shape the bell and the brim, scalloped, flared or pointed.
Sewing and stitching
The panels are sewn together, the seams topstitched, and many hats get hand embroidery: flowers, animals, eyes, names.
The loop
Last comes the loop on top, so the hat can hang on a hook to dry between rounds in the heat.
Why a hat in the heat?
Heat rises, and your head is the first thing it finds. A good hat resists the flow of heat to your head and ears.
- Ceiling
hottest air pools here - Top bench
where your head sits - Lower bench
gentler - Floor
often much cooler
It keeps your head cooler
Wool insulates. Your head stays comfortable while the rest of you takes the heat, so you can sit longer.
It protects hair and ears
Dry, very hot air is hard on hair and on the thin skin of the ears. A wool hat takes the brunt of it.
Caring for it
Hang it by its loop to air dry after each session. Every fabric is different, so ask Elizabeth how to wash yours.
Order a hat
Pick a hat from the branch, or ask for a commission. Nothing is charged here.