Forest Bathroom

The Outwoods is a popular walking location on the outskirts of Loughborough. Upon visiting the area, I noticed that whilst there are many benches dotted around the woodlands, most of them have memorial purposes and do not encourage mindful interactions with nature.  Bathing has been lauded for its relaxing qualities for centuries, from Roman bathhouses to modern-day spas. Recently, the Japanese art of Forest Bathing has grown in popularity, encouraging relaxation in woodlands to “de-stress and boost health and wellbeing.”) (Forestry England, 2025).  The Forest Bathroom offers a unique experience for visitors of all ages to practice Forest Bathing in an unconventional way. Decorated wooden bathroom features - such as a bath, a shower, a toilet, a rubber duck bench, and a soap bench - will be hidden around one of the quietest spots in The Outwoods, focussing around an 11m x 6m clearing. These interventions will encourage visitors - both old and new - to interact with the forest more mindfully and take in the sensory landscape around them.