The Sauna Project Tairāwhiti

It’s about to get steamy up in here. Sauna culture has finally arrived in Aotearoa, thanks to a small group of friends hand-crafting saunas trailers from locally-sourced materials. The brainwave moment happened for David, Keelan and Luke in their Mt Maunganui driveway in the summer of 2022. The trio got to work, building their own version of a traditional sauna to test the waters and see if this was something people in New Zealand wanted. It was – and within just a few months the weekly sweat sessions were all booked up. It was time to share the joy of their saunas with the rest of the country.

Simon White was the first person The Sauna Project team approached about establishing a sauna community in Tairāwhiti, Gisborne. As soon as Simon heard about the idea, he was in – and today sauna meet-ups are held three days a week at a nearby beachside location. So, how does it work? Anyone can book an available timeslot on the website, and then all you need to do is show up in your togs with a couple of towels and your water bottle. The beauty of parking up by the beach (apart from the serene views) is the ability to alternate between the hot 85-degree sauna and refreshing ocean water. This contrast therapy has a range of health and well-being benefits, including improving circulation, reducing muscle tension and reducing stress.

Since taking off in Gisborne, The Sauna Project has expanded to the sandy shores of Waihī, Kāpiti Coast, Taranaki, Pāpāmoa, Auckland, Napier and Whangamatā – and are well on their way to fulfilling their mission of bringing a sauna to every town in New Zealand. Their ethos is all about keeping things local and accessible in order to keep us all connected. We think that’s pretty hot.