Interview with our CEO Jirka Kachlík about TAO design saunas
Read the interview with our CEO Jirka Kachlík to find out about the latest trends and our plans for 2025.
First of all, tell us about yourself. How did you get to where you are today and how did you come up with the idea of creating your own sauna brand, TAO?
I joined Aquamarine Spa 17 years ago as a technician in charge of sauna installations, and about 2 years later I became director after an agreement with the owners, Mr and Mrs Fux. The decision to start my own production of TAO saunas came after the establishment and successful development of IMAGINOX, a stainless steel swimming pool company, where I understood that our own production gives us freedom, the opportunity to influence quality, design and embark on any project.
TAO was just the next step to be able to manufacture all wellness products under our own “baton” and to be more flexible for our customers.
Which saunas are the most popular with customers? What are the trends?
At the moment, the main trend is the design of modern saunas with large-format tiles, design elements and, above all, large glazed areas, often matching the windows outside. The sauna is not just a functional product, but a design element that complements the entire interior.
Why buy a TAO sauna? What are the strengths of the brand and what advantages do TAO saunas have over the competition?
When I founded TAO, I was already convinced that we would not compromise on the quality of workmanship, materials, components or design, even in the more affordable saunas, and I try to stick to that. The advantages are precise workmanship down to the last detail, a cabin design that does not affect the structure of the building and will last for decades, and great flexibility from small, simple private saunas to large commercial saunas with round benches and rounded glazing.
With everything we manufacture or install in the IMAGINOX group, I have to be convinced that I would install the same product in my home.
Can you tell us more about the process of buying a sauna or working with architects, project managers and others?
It starts with an idea of the sauna, a sketch of the sauna or the area where the sauna will be located, and then finding out from the customer what he/she wants from the sauna and the adjacent areas for cooling and relaxation. We then try to follow their ideas and habits, but also use our experience to advise them on what to look out for and how to conceptualise the overall design of the relaxation room in relation to the overall design of the interior or garden.
Who is the TAO design sauna for? Do you have an ideal customer in mind for whom you have created the brand?
It’s designed for the customer who likes to relax and who generally cares about taking care of himself, but at the same time he doesn’t care about how the things he uses look and how they are made. Our customers are used to investing in a nice kitchen, a sofa or a car, but not everyone thinks of a sauna as a product where they should pay extra for design and quality, even if it’s only 20%.
Gradually, however, this is changing and customers are realising that this is a long-term investment and that a space for relaxation, where you have time to take in your surroundings even more than in other areas of your home, should be beautiful and uncompromising, often without over-investing. Maybe just by thinking about how to make it better or more beautiful.
Are TAO saunas also sold abroad? Do you see a difference between demand in the Czech Republic and abroad?
Sales of saunas and investments in wellness in both the public and private sectors are growing worldwide, and customers are becoming more demanding. The difference probably cannot be observed just by comparing demand in the Czech Republic and abroad, as each country has different habits and priorities. In our country, the most popular product is the Finnish sauna, possibly in combination with a “BIO” sauna, and there is less demand for infrared saunas.
In Germany, for example, infrared saunas are rare, while in Arab countries, Turkey or Israel we sell mainly steam saunas. However, we often handle complete complex wellness projects abroad, where we install TAO saunas and steam cabins, as well as pools, whirlpools and cooling pools or Kneipp paths from IMAGINOX.
What kind of saunas, accessories and equipment do private customers generally want and, conversely, what do commercial customers want most?
In private projects, it is a Finnish sauna with a bio-sauna system, so that the client can choose several sauna programmes in one cabin. A classic Finnish sauna or a sauna with lower temperatures and higher humidity. In commercial operations, we focus not only on design and functionality, but also on easy maintenance and cleaning of the cabins, or the use of materials that still look good after thousands of hours of operation.
Popular solutions, especially for bio saunas, include placing the heater under the bench, adapting the cabin to the interior walls or existing windows, or in private saunas, using mattresses and cushions on TAO COMFY benches. Reading lamps etc. are no exception.
Can you think of a project where the client wanted something special and your team worked up a sweat?
Not only in the case of saunas, but in all the projects and products that we have in the IMAGINOX Group companies, there are sometimes real challenges. In the case of saunas, for example, we’re talking about curved glass, high cabin ceilings with air circulating from the ceiling to the floor, saunas for 70 people with projections and equipment. In the production of stainless steel swimming pools, for example, we have worked on pools and jacuzzis for ocean-going vessels with the problem of water spillage due to the rocking of the ship and the breaking of the waves.
Or installing a 100m3 pool on the 70th floor of a skyscraper. Increasingly, customers are asking for cooling pools with cooling walls to go with their saunas, or solutions where the same pool can be heated to 35°C but cooled to 1°C at the customer’s request.
What accessories do customers want for their saunas? Can you inspire our readers, what practical accessories do you recommend (also from your own experience) and what design accessories?
My favourite accessory and feature is the BIOSAUNA for the ability to change the humidity in the sauna and sauna at lower temperatures. The heater with evaporator that provides this function also allows for healing aromatherapy and herbal baths. Other popular accessories are TAO COMFY mattresses and cushions and, of course, ambient lighting and connection to the outside window for the right atmosphere.
What trends do you see in outdoor and indoor saunas? Outdoor saunas are very popular at the moment and the interest is expected to grow until 2027. How do you see this?
I think outdoor saunas are ideal for customers who don’t have room in the house or who want a relaxation area separate from the living area. But often customers don’t think about the fact that it’s not just a sauna, but a total relaxation zone where they can relax, cool down and enjoy a moment of wellbeing between sauna sessions. These other areas usually take up more space than the sauna itself.
Speaking of trends. Can you describe to what extent automation and technology in general are influencing the production and operation of saunas? What can you offer customers today? And what will be possible in the near future?
The Finnish sauna is a traditional treatment and from my point of view there is no need to look for “special” technology in it. But saunas today are usually equipped with touch control panels, sound systems, ambient lighting with dimming. We are able to connect the saunas to a mobile phone app, a central house control or, as part of the delivery of the entire wellness centre, to control them from the reception via a common touch panel, on which we control both the operation and temperature of the sauna, as well as the operation of the Kneipp path, cooling pool or whirlpool, including temperature control, covering, draining, etc. This is our own system, which we have developed. This is our own system that allows us to control everything we need inside the spa and some things outside.
What are your plans for the next few years with the TAO brand? Will you be expanding the range or do you have any new designs in the pipeline?
At the moment we are building a new production hall for TAO saunas, which I am very excited about. We are planning to equip it with some new production technologies that will speed up our work. At the same time, we are expanding the material options for each sauna line, modifying the outdoor saunas that we produce with similar technology as the wooden buildings, adding colour options for sauna fittings with PVD coating and powder coating in several shades, having more options for stained glass, lighting, etc. All these new features will be available from 1 March 2025 and I am very much looking forward to them.
Jiří Kachlík
GENERAL MANAGER
E-mail: kachlik@imaginox.cz
Phone: +420 774 620 838
