Say hello to a new sauna experience

Nestled among the trees and surrounded by the sounds of crashing waves sits Hello Sauna, a hive of relaxation and rejuvenation on the Bellarine.

Made of up converted horse floats, the Point Lonsdale business boats two saunas, perfectly positioned on the water’s edge to combine the sauna’s heat with the ocean’s cold plunge.

The concept was inspired by the loss of owners’ Claire and John Simpson’s child and the healing journey that followed when they returned home to Scotland.

While surrounding themselves with friends and family, the pair were booked into a beachside sauna.

“It was the first time that I think both of us had felt really good again, being out in nature and having the mental clarity that sauna gives you and diving into the ocean was just such an incredible experience and healing,” Claire said.

“After that experience and seeing how sauna culture had really taken off and people were really embracing it, and it was becoming part of a lifestyle over there it was something I really wanted here.”

On a trip around South Australia, John, a carpenter by trade, jumped on Facebook Marketplace where he brought the shell of a horse float, towing it back to Victoria to transform into what would become the businesses first sauna.

“It’s kind of a very new concept, the mobile saunas, it took a lot of research,” Claire said.

“Luckily because it’s such a big thing in Scotland, now in Ireland, we were able to contact people over there and see if they were able to give us different ideas and we were able to chat.”

Although the pair had the option of purchasing a trailer and building the sauna from there, as many others have done in the past, they were determined to transform the old horse float.

“We just thought there was something a bit romantic about taking something old and making it something new, I think that goes with the whole beach seaside theme that we want to create,” Claire said.

Designed to look as aesthetically pleasing as possible, the saunas both have large windows, with the idea that people are looking out into nature.

“Not a lot of people talk about when they go into a sauna and they feel quite claustrophobic and especially with the heat, it is quite an intense environment, especially if you’re not used to it,” Claire said.

“Having the window really makes it feel open, and you do feel like you’re connected with nature when you’re there and having the wood fire.”

Unlike saunas normally found in gyms, pools, spas and people’s homes, the saunas are heated using a wood fire.

The wood fire is a more traditional method and takes around an hour to heat up, while the more common infrared saunas are usually turned on with the flick of a switch.

“It definitely is a commitment, but it’s definitely something that we feel is worth it for us, for the experience that it gives and that seems to be the response that people will give back to you as well,” Claire said.

While the saunas are currently set up in the Golightly Caravan Park, they are designed to be mobile and have been part of different events, retreats and positioned at local football clubs.

Claire said the sauna concept was something people need to experience themselves, with benefits ranging from muscle recovery and mental clarity through to helping the respiratory system and detoxifying the body.

“There is something about feeling really hot and when you’re in there, it’s so quiet and you’re hot and then you’re able to then go and dive and cold plunge, not just in a pool or an ice bath when you’re able to do it in the ocean and you come back out, it is such an exhilarating experience.”

Saunas have been part of Claire and John’s life for years. With one on their own property, they regularly spend their evenings in there and retreat without any technology or distractions.

“It was a space where you had to have a conversation, and the world that we live in these days, we know that everybody’s sort of half there, but you’re always on your phone,” Claire said.

“This is where we’ve had most of our deepest chats and come up with our great ideas.”

As the business continues to grow, Claire and John are hoping to find a place where they can be beach side with the window overlooking the ocean.

The two saunas are designed to fit around five people comfortably and are available for public and private sessions, with benefits to both.

“It’s also a space where we really encourage the communal sessions as well, because you go in there, it’s a space where there’s no technology, you can’t sit on your phones, you actually have to talk to people,” Claire said.

Their third sauna is also under construction, designed to be bigger and fit about 16 people, with plans for it to replace one of the existing trailers in the park.

For more information, head to hellosauna.com.au or follow Hello Sauna on Instagram at @hello_sauna