In Otepää, Estonia, an old bus stop has been creatively repurposed into a public sauna, addressing the problem of underutilized infrastructure in the area. The bus stop, located on the Rõngu-Otepää road, had stood empty for years with plans for demolition, but local community group Palupera decided to rent it from the municipality for several decades and converted it first into a grill house and then into a sauna, which serves the nearby Tartu Marathon visitors.

The transformation has been warmly received by both locals and visitors, with customers enjoying the sauna experience and expressing their amazement at the initiative. A visitor from Poland commented on how unique and impressive the idea is, highlighting the sauna as a novel attraction. Furthermore, discussions have arisen about the potential for similar projects in train stations and other bus stops, indicating a growing interest in utilizing abandoned public structures for community-oriented purposes.

This project reflects the vibrant local culture in Southern Estonia, known for its nature tourism, and illustrates a practical solution to revive and make use of redundant infrastructure. By turning a disused bus stop into a sauna, it not only provides a recreational space but also promotes social interaction and supports local tourism, aligning with broader trends of communal engagement and sustainable development in rural areas.