How to destress like a Swede

Trust Sweden to come up with a stylish, sustainable solution to stress. Meet the 72 hour cabin.

Spending three days in a glass cabin in the woods might sound pretty offbeat but West Sweden has been trialling its back to nature experience with amazing results. Just 72 hours in a cabin overlooking some of the most beautiful waterways of Sweden can bring your stress levels down by almost 70% (according to Walter Osika, Researcher in Stress and also Associate Professor at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm).

Image Jonas Ingman/westsweden.com

If you’re going to go back to (relative) basics this is a pretty great spot to do it in.

The five cabins are located on a private island, Henriksholm, which is in southeast Dalsland. The island is 22kms from the nearest town and there are 100 hectares, half woodland, half meadow, to explore. Dalsland is famous for its pretty lakes and extensive canal network; there are 250 kms of waterways to paddle through. Nearby Lake Vänern, is the largest lake in the EU while the island sits on in Lake Iväg.

Image Jonas Ingman/westsweden.com

They were designed and developed by Jeanna Berger, daughter of Henriksholm owners Staffan and Maria Berger, who is studying to become an architect.

She wanted to enable people to enjoy being close to nature without having to camp. Each glass cabin features a double bed and the idea is that you spend most of the day walking, kayaking or pondering and just letting yourself breathe. Swedes are notoriously good at letting nature play its part in helping destress you, and there are also saunas on the island (and other more normal houses to rent).

Anyone can now book the glass cabins for 72 hours peace and quiet from spring 2018. Tranquil Henriksholm can be found two hours from Gothenburg.