WINTER WONDERLAND
RETREAT
17th - 23rd March 2025
SAUNA, YOGA, BREATHWORK, ICE ADVENTURE
Join us before the ice melts.
£ 100 off* for British Sauna Society members
(* for full programme)
Tune into your potential, and draw inspiration from the Nordic nature and lifestyle.
Location: Tampere, Finland
Dates: 17th - 23rd March 2025
7 DAYS FULL PROGRAMME FROM £1699
5 DAYS (WED-SUN) WEEKEND SAUNA WORKSHOP (FRI-SUN) ON REQUEST.
Who is it for?
This is an immersive retreat for well-being entrepreneurs and founders, sauna operators, contrast therapy practitioners and everyone who wants to take their well-being practice to a new level of self-actualisation!
You will experience difference style of saunas and learn skills to enhance sauna experience to unlock the full potential of the power of deep heat and cold.
Dates: 17th – 23rd March 2025. Join us before the ice melts.
About the retreat:
We invite you to a winter wonderland with joy and tranquillity. Join us for an extraordinary escape from the ordinary, an unforgettable life transformation experience as we venture deep into the Finnish winter, Boreal forest, frozen lakes, wood-fired saunas, clean air and nature, log cabins, locally sourced food – and with any luck, Northern Lights. It is a special week, celebrating the Spring Equinox, International Happiness Day, Forests Day, World Water Day. We invite you to a completely immersive journey through traditional Finnish sauna rituals, combined with another UNESCO heritage – Yoga, including breathwork, movement and meditation, prepare yourself to take the plunge, and dive into Avanto – the Finnish word for ice hole.
The retreat includes daily daoist flow, yoga, breathwork, saunas, adventures & excursions. We have planned two full days of Movements, Saunas and Avanto Adventure workshops. A day trip to visit the Art Sauna at Serlachius Museum ( A Unique Sauna awarded by Sauna From Finland) and three day trips to explore Tampere - the Sauna Capital of Finland, and the surrounding area. Overall you will experience 10-15 saunas. The rest of the time, relax and enjoy the tranquillity of Finnish nature and culture. Optional activities such as life drawing, hot tubs and individual 1 to 1 sauna ritual treatment on request.
We cannot wait to share this ultimate transformation with you to explore your inner universe and take your well-being practice to a new level of self-actualisation! A unique experience to dive deep into Finnish culture and winter landscape.
Wendy & Mika xx
Proposed Daily Schedule:
Daily Morning Movement / Breathworks before Breakfast plus the following:
(Subject to change )
17/03 Monday - Arrival and welcome Sauna Ritual.
18/03 Tuesday - Visit the Art Sauna at Serlarchius Museum - Sauna for the Art lovers.
19/03 Wednesday - Visit public smoke sauna outside Tampere, sauna & avanto exploration.
20/03 Thursday - Spring Equinox / International Happiness Day Dive deep into the secret of the Happiest Country.
21/03 Friday - International Forest Day
Sauna Ritual at Saunakonkeli’s sauna temple, bring forest in the sauna.
22/03 Saturday -International Water Day Visit floating sauna and lakeside saunas to bless in the Water Day.
23/03 Sunday - Smoke Sauna Day, dive deep into Finnish Lakescape.
Optional stay before and / or after the retreat with our extended programme.
Escape your surroundings, experience something extraordinary.
SAUNAS & ACTIVITIES
We plan to take you to over 10 Public saunas including the award-winning ART SAUNA at Serlachius Museum, RAJAPORTTI, a UNESCO heritage site, Finland's oldest public sauna and RAUHANIEMI Folk Spa with sauna ritual in Sauna Temple. Tampare’s best Smoke Sauna in Niemi-Kappe, a newly open floating sauna _FLOU, Sauna resturant KUUMA, the new beach sauna inspired by Rajaportti, rooftop sauna and other local public and private saunas.
SAUNA, YOGA, BREATHWORK, COLD PLUNGE Optional Snow Shoe Hiking, Frosty Forest Bathing. Life Drawing and local peat treatments on request.
AVANTO ADVENTURE - FROM ABOVE TO BELOW THE ICE
AVANTO ADVENTURE - FROM ABOVE TO BELOW THE ICE
SMOKE SAUNA workshop
There are three communal saunas on site. The smoke sauna is very special - built in traditional 19th-century style from the trees that fell in a 2001 storm called Janika. Two additional saunas in the adjacent red house are only a short walk to the the lake. The Old Sauna (Wanhasauna) is a traditional Finnish lakeside sauna. The stove of the sauna is heated beforehand and does not require more heating while bathing. The New Sauna has a continuously heated wooden-stove.
SPIRITUAL
SAUNA RITUAL
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS
ANNA, SIIRI & SAUNAKONKELI
Traditional sauna is a spiritual sauna culture based on Finnish folklore. The sauna healers bring the Traditional Finnish sauna to life in its versatility. One of the most central elements of traditional sauna are the Löyly and whisks.
Our special guests will open up the connection with the local sauna spirits, prepare the whisks and welcome the spirits into the sauna. The boundary between the worlds fades in the midst of Löyly as the sacred steam unleashes the power of Sauna and restores the inner calm as well as the cosmic balance.
* Above description of Tradition Sauna Ritual inspired by Saunakonkeli promotional materials.
YOGA & BREATHWORK
We will be offering daily yoga, movement and breathwork classes to stoke the inner fire and generate warmth and reconnection to your strength, resilience and wisdom. Start with morning practice where breath work/pranayama unfolds into a fluid movement and dynamic Daoist flow (Combination of Qigong and Yoga) to awaken, invigorate and cleanse.
Sauna yoga also available.
Yoga and movement will be led by Wendy,
Breathwork will be led by Mika.
PRACTICALS
Price
for the full 7 days programme.
Single occupancy: £ 2299 pp
Shared occupancy: £ 1699 pp
Stay in beautiful cottages built in Nordic style with options in shared double bedrooms, bunkbeds or twin beds. Each cottage has its own kitchen and lounge and shared bathrooms.
What’s included
The price includes accommodations of your choice, daily breakfast, one dinner during smoke sauna workshop weekend, all sauna facilities, sauna rituals, yoga, and breathwork. Group entrance to all public saunas.
What’s NOT included
Lunch and dinner apart from the smoke sauna day. Your flights and transportation. We could group people to hire car during the retreat. Alcoholic beverages.
Other extra activities, hot tubs, extra private sauna ritual treatments
Flights
The closest airport is Tampere.
There are more options for flights via Helsinki to Tampere.
Also many trains from Helsinki to Tampere.
THE TEAM
WENDY LIU
Co-founder, Board Member of British Sauna Society,
Architect, Yoga Teacher, Artist, Adventurer, Freediver
My favourite time is to relax under the ice and enjoy its tranquillity and calmness.
Join us in this journey and I will tell you more. I have over 700 hours of yoga teacher training with renowned yoga studios in London.
As a trained RIBA Architect and designer, I adore precision and am deeply interested in structure and anatomy, creating spaces and discovering the universe within our bodies.
I am one of the co-founders of the British Sauna Society and I lead the Arts and Culture program. I trained with the International Bath Academy and practice sauna whisking rituals. I love to share my love of nature, water, sauna, ice & many more. I love wild swimming in nature and freedivering around the world especially under the ice. I am passionate about sharing my experiences and creating a healing space in the best interests of your well-being.
MIKA
MESKANEN
Traditional Sauna Guide, Breathwork Coach, Experience Designer
Co-founder & Chair of British Sauna Society,
board member International Sauna Association
A Finn living in London, the only Sauna Masters Guild member outside
Finland. I have dedicated my sauna life to seeking and sharing authentic
experiences, building communities and fostering international
collaboration. Also trained with the International Bath Academy and
currently training with the Association of Traditional Sauna Healers in Finland.
I hold an MA from the Aalto Media Lab, work as a user experience designer
and researcher in the tech world, and adventure and competitive freediver,
love yoga and breathwork.
I am an Oxygen Advantage practitioner trained by PATRICK MCKEOWN.
Nik Torrens
Retreat Facilitator
We are honour to have Nik facilitating our retreat for the love of Löyly. He is half British and half Finnish, bridging the best of both cultures and the sauna world. Board member and Treasurer of the British Sauna Society.
Testimonials
"Wendy and Mika’s yoga and sauna retreat on the spring equinox is a pilgrimage of art, light, fire and ice where you find yourself caught momentarily in time between worlds. Their retreats are balanced beautifully between relaxing in the heart of nature and experiencing the history and culture of Finnish saunas. And to top it all Wendy & Mika are the kindest hosts you can ask for and will make your trip an unforgettable experience."
- Alexandra Dao
'I couldn't have asked for better guides for my first trip to Finnland last year. Wendy and Mika were amazing hosts, offering a truly unique sauna adventure with their expert local knowledge and extensive sauna network. 56 saunas in 7 days!'
- Tom de Wilton
( Co-founder of Saunaverse)
Hello sauna enthusiasts :) what an incredible week in the Winter Wonderland of Tampere with Wendy & Mika of SaunaWave/British Sauna Society. Visiting the sauna capital of Finland with them is an absolute MUST for all serious sauna therapists, sauna builders and general löyly lovers. Visiting the absolute best of the best saunas, experiencing THE perfect löyly, magical smoke saunas, and deeply connecting with our own inner elements. Mika is, of course, a native expert and Wendy a fantastic retreat guide, sharing daoist flow and Chinese philosophy, supported by Nik as generous facilitator. I’ll be joining them on the next trip for sure! The next one is July and there will be not one but two sauna festivals. You’d be mad to miss it. Feeling so galvanised and inspired, I just had to share this feeling! Love, light and sauna magic 🪄 🔥❤️
- Jesse Devlin @ Sauna Corner
‘This was an incredible experience, a total immersion in sauna culture led by guides full of passion and experience! Wendy and Mika organized a 5 star experience for a very reasonable price. It was jammed packed with visits to the best saunas, sauna rituals, yoga, breath work and great food! This is a retreat will leave you feeling relaxed and in tune, and it’s a in a stunning location - not to be missed! Treat yourself’
- Bronwyn Connolly @ Wild Wellness Sauna