'Wellness skull' in Vienna

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VIENNA: A large skull-shaped structure housing a sauna is turning heads in the Austrian capital.

The white walk-in structure - situated near a busy Vienna intersection - is known as the 'Wellness Skull' and also boasts a bathtub and shower. On either side of the neck, that is.

The eye-catching installation, about 4.5m tall and made of wood and synthetic material, is the brainchild of Dutch artist Joep van Lieshout.

Mr Van Lieshout said his 2007 creation is part of a series of pieces that he has built based on body parts.

'It's really a piece that has many different interpretations,' he said when asked about the skull's deeper meaning.

'Like a painter uses paint, I use design.'

Tourists and local residents alike appeared astounded by the skull on Monday.

It officially goes on display today as part of an effort by Public Art Vienna to revitalise and enhance urban space around the Austrian capital.

'It's the most random thing I've seen in Vienna,' said 27-year-old Nick Abrahams from London as he walked through the structure on Monday afternoon.

'It's really strange,' echoed Mr Nick Trute, 29, from Sydney, Australia.

Although the skull-shaped sauna was built to be fully functional, visitors would not be able to try it out or witness steam emanating from its eye sockets - something that happens only when the sauna, which can accommodate eight people, is in use.

Visitors will be able to go inside the sauna every first Saturday of the month or by appointment till March 15. LINK