Another way to Bake

Full name: Kathryn Tyler

Zodiac sign: Gemini

Latest words that moved you ?

The only dream worth having is to dream that you will live while you are alive, and die only when you are dead.

To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple.

To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget. Arundhati Roy

Latest music that moved you ?

Ezra was Right - Grandbrothers.

Latest exhibition that moved you ?

(Not really latest more like last as from 2019 but ...) Bill Viola / Michaelangelo : Scenes from the extremities of life at the Royal Academy 2019 - it has really stayed with me.

Latest human experience that moved you?

Holding the hand of a friend while reading poems and prayers to them in their last hours of life.

What is your professional background ?

Interior Designer turned Community Sauna Owner.

Where does your creative inspiration come from?

Years of wandering the world alongside my mother - she was a beautiful draughts woman and I learnt my craft.

What are your creative outlets?

Dancing!

Why Cornwall?

I first came to Falmouth on holiday with friends when I was about 11. We walked past the then art school with palm trees at the entrance, and when I got home I told my parents, “That’s where I want to go to uni when I’m older.” And I did. I moved here in ’97 and honestly haven’t looked back. I love going away, but I always end up missing Cornwall - its people, its landscapes, the whole feel of it.

Tell us about the design of each sauna and the thought process and philosophy behind their conception.

The concept for Kiln is a nod to Cornwall’s lime-burning heritage of the 18th and 19th centuries - you’ll still spot old kilns along the coast and tidal rivers. But there’s also a cultural thread linking kilns to sweat bathing. In Japan and South Korea, charcoal kilns doubled as sweat houses for workers after long shifts, and in Korea, hanjeungmak are traditional dome-like stone kilns used as saunas. And of course, our first home is Kiln Quay—so the name felt like it was meant to be.

We’ve always been guided by Japanese design principles - taking cues from the rhythm of Yoroi Bari cladding and the calm, balanced proportions of tatami and tea houses. Wherever possible, we source materials locally, and we shape our spaces to be open to everyone: places for contemplation, for community, and for all ages to enjoy. The decision to go with a black interior - evoking charcoal kilns and smoke saunas - felt bold (and a little daunting) at first, but we’ve realised it frames the view beautifully and feels deeply comforting. Our new wellness pavilion overlooking Porthmeor Beach in St Ives carries that same ethos forward, offering an additional silent or soundscape sauna alongside cold plunges at different temperatures for the days when the sea feels a little less inviting.

What’s next?

The Ferryboat Inn on the Helford River in October & Porthmeor St Ives a more ambitious Community Sauna Pavilion set in gardens overlooking the beach later this winter.

Who is your mentor?

Not sure I have ever had one ... always been a bit of a lone explorer and fuelled by eternal curiosity and books.

Who inspires you in your local community?

The Gylly Wellbeing Swimmers - an incredible community group who came together during the pandemic and gather every day at Gylly Beach providing open water swim coaching, yoga and meditation all for free.

Who inspires you in your industry?

Nomadic Sauna & Slomo for their innovation and departure from the normal styling they have carved out a much more playful space to experience.

Where is your favourite place for food?

Jolene (that’s the right answer yeah?!) or locally it’s definitely Kelp Canteen.

Where do you get your vegetables?

Soul Farm in Flushing.

What’s your favourite season and why?

I’m an autumn lover as you still get the last rays of sunshine and the sea is warm.

Where do you work best?

At the kitchen table.

How do you relax best?

Lying in bed having a cuddle.

Favourite items of clothing?

Khaki YMC Deadbeat Trousers and a quilted indigo jacket I bought with my mum while backpacking in India many moons ago - it is so threadbare and kinda stinks now (as it would disintegrate if I washed it) but I still love it.