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A child’s love of active play and his parents’ dream of their own sauna come together in the lower level of a hillside Portola Valley home, which has been transformed into a wellness wonderland – a literal hotspot for relaxation, adjacent to an active indoor play and fitness space for the whole family to enjoy.
The house, located in the Portola Valley Ranch neighborhood, had undergone a lengthy remodel, but a few areas were left unfinished. The homeowners turned to Harrell Design + Build to complete the renovation of the remaining rooms, creating a luxurious sauna area and a playroom complete with a climbing wall, dual sets of monkey bars, rope swings and ladders, hanging rings and a foam pit.
The project won a 2025 Meta Award from the Silicon Valley chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI).
A playful paradise
The family’s young son was the inspiration for the kid-friendly gym space’s creation, located a few steps down from the sauna area.
“They noticed how much he loved to climb. This was a continuation of something that would interest him and his friends,” designer Lisa Parramore said, noting that the installations are all safe for grown-ups to use as well.
“With the monkey bars, it was a matter of finding something that was the right scale and size for the ceiling that didn’t interfere with the recessed lighting,” Parramore said. There is also a double set of the bars so that two can play – or even playfully compete – side by side. “There was always the intention of being able to race another person,” she said.
Safety is, of course, an important consideration when designing an active play space. In this case, the structural reinforcement in the ceiling had been installed before Harrell Design + Build came on board.
“They were smart enough to take photographs of the blocking during construction so we could see for ourselves what was behind the drywall on the ceiling,” Parramore said, noting that this saved the team time and effort by not having to open the wall back up.
Having not worked on an indoor gym space like this before, Parramore was surprised to see how many options are available for climbing and play equipment. For this project, she used Smart Playrooms.
“There are companies that specialize in these things. There’s a lot out there if someone has the room,” she said.
A soothing retreat
For the sauna, the homeowners were originally hoping for two full glass walls, however, that didn’t turn out to be permissible for the space. The main purpose of a sauna is, of course, to be nice and hot. To function properly, a sauna needs limited glass in order for its heater to be efficient – going over the maximum glass percentage would have voided the heater’s warranty.
“We designed within those parameters and made it work,” Parramore said. “I was worried they would be disappointed with less glass, but they were so nice to work with; they took it in stride and accepted that we’d have to figure out a configuration of walls and glass. It ended up turning out to be a good thing.”
A new wall was built, separating the space from the guest room, which now includes a Murphy bed.
The sauna, from Finnleo, includes two custom benches and a heater and is finished in hemlock wood. LED lighting beneath the benches can be switched from warm red to cool blue depending on what vibe the user is in the mood for.
Why a sauna?
While sauna usage dates back for millennia, and is especially associated with Finnish culture, Parramore said she’s been hearing more about their therapeutic and health benefits in recent years and won’t be surprised to see more of them being installed locally.
“There’s a lot of benefits to sauna use,” said Dr. Michael Fredericson, the co-director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, program, director of the Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Program and professor of orthopaedic surgery. He said clinical evidence does show the positive impact sauna use can have.
“It’s kind of like doing a workout for your heart. What happens is, as you get into this high heat, your blood vessels dilate. Over time that actually will reduce the stiffness in the artery. Stiffness is what leads to plaque formation and what leads to things like strokes and heart attacks.” It can reduce blood pressure, improve lipid profiles, and there have also been studies showing sauna use could be an effective tool for combating serious depression. Other studies have indicated effectiveness in helping maintain muscle mass, according to Fredericson.
Typically, a sauna session should last for no more than 20 minutes at a time, he said, “but it’s something you want to build up to, starting off with five minutes, taking a break, maybe even jumping in some cold water.” He also offered a tip from his own practice: “After you’ve exercised and your heart rate is already higher, you generally don’t need to stay in there as long for the same benefits. I may only stay in for 12-15 minutes.”
Saunas are generally safe, “but there are some precautions. You want to get to the point where you’re really sweating, your heart rate’s going to go up,” he said, “but if you start to feel nauseous or lightheaded you definitely should get out.” Of course, it’s important to check with your physician if you have certain conditions. Pregnant or breastfeeding people, for example, or those with low blood pressure or severe diabetes, among others, should avoid the practice. Like Parramore, he’s noticed an increased interest in saunas from members of the younger generation. “My teenage son, he’s dying for a sauna in the backyard,” he noted. And at his gym’s sauna, “it’s a lot more packed than it used to be,” he said. With modern scientific studies backing up centuries of traditional practice, “I think saunas are here to stay,” he said.
