All our dark retreat sanctuaries are built from wood, because it is a natural material and creates a pleasant atmosphere.

A dark retreat in a wooden cabin

One huge advantage of wood is its thermal insulation and the so-called warm wall effect: the wall feels warm to the touch, whereas a brick wall is always cold. The sanctuary keeps an ideal level of humidity, and the air exchange through tiny gaps is pleasant for the people staying there, too. The only disadvantage of wood compared with brick is that it burns. When we saw a video showing that it takes just a few minutes for a whole room to burn down, we decided to invest in your safety.

Protection against short circuits

Practically the only way a spark could be ignited is through a short circuit in the electrical wiring. That is why the supply to every sanctuary is fitted not only with a circuit breaker but also with a fire-protection residual current device, which prevents short circuits and even cuts off the electricity if, say, you accidentally touched a socket with wet hands.

Fire protection

Every dark retreat sanctuary has two levels of fire protection. The first level warns you of a fire in case you happen to be asleep. When the smoke detector senses smoke, it starts beeping at 85dB, which will reliably wake even the deepest sleeper 🙂 The smoke detectors have been specially modified by Mikromarz so that they beep but give off no light. Because a flashing smoke detector during a dark retreat… well, you get it 🙂 The second level is the fire extinguishers, placed right by the bed, where you usually spend most of your time during a dark retreat. On expert advice, they are CO2 extinguishers, so they can also be used on electrical equipment. CO2 extinguishers cost twice as much as powder ones, but the CO2 evaporates by itself after use and leaves no dust behind. They also last twice as long.

A dark retreat without fire

We firmly believe the fire protection will never be needed and that no fire will ever break out. That is also why we ask you not to use any open flame in the sanctuaries. If you would like to light an incense stick before your retreat begins, please do so with the utmost care, so that the sanctuaries can continue to serve you and everyone who comes after you.