ROOTS & VISION
After a cold plunge in a hidden Marin County waterfall in the spring of 2024, longtime friends and collaborators Dean Stubbings and Frank Piazza were struck by a shared realization: the clarity, peace, and strength that came from nature’s raw contrast shouldn’t be limited to a rare outdoor experience.
They decided to build something lasting — a sauna and cold plunge they could use year-round, at home, built with intention and craft. What began as a personal project quickly became something bigger. The process itself — the design, the labor, the shared vision — revealed a truth they couldn’t ignore: this wasn’t just about recovery; it was about connection.
Recognizing the deeper potential, they brought in longtime friend and creative collaborator Dave Lloyd — who had shared many of those same hikes and sauna sessions with Dean. Together, the three began shaping their vision into something larger: a way to share this ritual of balance and renewal with others. From that shared experience, Inipa was born — a company rooted in craft, community, and consciousness.
Our saunas and plunges are more than structures — they’re spaces to pause, reflect, and realign.
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Founder
Dean Stubbings is a craftsman, designer, and builder whose work celebrates the enduring beauty of wood and the spirit of sustainability. Based in Marin County, Dean began his journey in 1994 while working at Urban Ore in Berkeley, where he discovered the potential in reclaimed materials long before it became a movement. Salvaging wood from job sites and forgotten corners of the Bay Area, he began transforming what others discarded into timeless, functional art — benches, tables, and garden furniture that told a story of renewal.
Over the years, Dean’s practice has evolved from recycled furniture into a broader expression of design and wellness. Through Inipa, he continues to honor his connection to nature and craftsmanship, hand-building saunas, cold plunges, and structures that reflect balance, longevity, and beauty.
Each piece Dean creates — whether a custom farm table or a cedar sauna — carries his lifelong dedication to thoughtful design, local materials, and meaningful living. Check out Dean’s artisan craftsmanship featured on his website, Madera Furniture.
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Founder
Early childhood was spent living in the Mad River Valley, Vermont. His time swimming in the river in the summer, skiing Mad River Glen in the winter, and wandering the dense forest surrounding the village in the off-season would establish a strong connection to the spirit of the natural world coupled with a do it yourself mentality often found in many rural and urban environments. Landing in the Bay Area of Northern California as an adolescent would rewire that feral spirit rooted in nature to acclimate to the hustle culture that defines the Bay Area.
Work experience started in Santa Fe NM in a warehouse stretching canvas and fashioning Hopi inspired sculpture for graphic artist Gregory Lomayesva. Then back to the Bay where he would spend over a decade managing live music venues and producing live music videos, followed by 15 years designing and fabricating functional ornamental metalwork. A skilled craftsman, musician, artist, designer, fabricator, family man, blessed with intellectual curiosity, and the desire for broad knowledge.
For years, Frank participated in what is now widely known as contrast bathing. In local gyms, he would cycle between hot steam rooms, cold showers, dry saunas, and cold plunges after workouts and was impressed with how it helped him process life’s complexities. So much so that the desire to help facilitate that feeling of clarity and absolute calm to others created space for Inipa to emerge as an initiative to bring sauna culture to the masses, one sweaty box at a time.
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Creative Bridge
Both observer and participant, Dave Lloyd captures the world with a rare mix of curiosity and presence — translating experience into image, and image into story. With over 25 years as a professional photographer, he has documented the built environment across more than 60 countries, where the diversity of cultures and places continues to shape his creativity and outlook on the world.
Originally from Baltimore, Maryland, Dave studied graphic design at the University of Maryland before trading his desk for a backpack and camera, traveling the globe for over two years. He eventually landed in San Francisco, where he and his partner built a life in the Mission District before moving to Marin— raising a family and weaving art, music, and adventure into everyday life.
A traveler, maker, and Saunaer, who loves the sea and snow — an adventurer at heart, Dave lives by his mantra: “Do it for the experience.” His introduction to sauna culture in Japan, followed by waterfall hikes and sauna sessions with longtime friend Dean Stubbings, deepened his connection to the ritual — leading to the creation of Inipa, where he now shapes the brand’s creative direction and visual storytelling, one frame at a time.
