LUUN was founded in Sweden, but our original product idea appeared in Germany. One of our founders purchased a new hot tub, and discovered that the cold, wet Berlin winter wind quickly undid all the benefits of traditional wool hats. He looked around for a better solution, but couldn't find one. A startup veteran, he founded LUUN with two other partners, and began researching how to create an improved hot tub hat.
It took us over 3 years to actually find the right material, create the design, and do the testing. We originally thought a simple softshell material would do the trick - but it was too stretchy - and didn't insulate adequately. We needed a material that had a certain amount of stretch, but also a strength and firmness that would help it survive both repeated use, and any kind of washing machine.
Working closely with a european company with decades of expertise in outdoor clothing material, we developed a solution that had 3 different layers - an outer layer to protect against wind, an inner layer to insulate,
We worked diligently on the design - spending countless hours trying, refining, and re-testing the shape. We eventually reached a solid compomise between size and features - big enough to contain plenty of hair, and enable a user to lean backwards against the edge of a tub - but still snug enough on the head to provide full insulation.
In sub-zero testing, we also discovered that the most sensitive part of the ears is the top - which is why all LUUN hats cover the tops of the ears.
After years of work and arduous testing (well....maybe it was kinda fun :) ) we launched the original Värma hat in Europe in 2016, To this day, it remains the most successful hot tub hat on the market.