“You guys have been ‘coming soon’ for a while now…”
And honestly – fair.
So this one’s a bit different. Not a story. Not a ritual.
Just an update. A real one.

Because transparency has always meant something to us. As people, and as a company. We don’t want SaunaGuus to be this mysterious thing that suddenly appears one day with a ribbon on it. We want you to know what’s happening behind the scenes. Not just the pretty parts. The machine room too.

So here’s where we actually are:

The sauna is getting its final touches. We’re adjusting heat flow, adding the benches, testing scents, calibrating everything until it feels like us. The last permits are on their way – the city moves at its own pace, and we’re learning patience day by day.

At the same time, we’re close to finishing our first round of funding in New York.

Almost champagne-popping close. But then again – why pop champagne when the real work is only just getting started?August doesn’t even like champagne.

Either way, we’re definitely close enough that we’re smiling a bit more these days.

London is also in a really good place.
Funding-wise, we’re there.

Rasmus is currently juggling two potential locations – both very different, both exciting in their own way. It’s that classic early-stage chaos where you stand with two good options and try to predict six years into the future with nothing but gut feeling and long conversations with people from various neighborhoods.

Now it’s about building the right team around it and getting everything lined up so we can open the doors as soon as possible. We’re moving fast, but carefully – and we can’t wait to show you the location.

We’re talking with companies we genuinely respect.
Other young startups, honest concepts, and local businesses – people who care about quality and doing things with intention.

We kind of hate the word “community.” It feels so forced these days. Everyone is trying so hard to build one that it suddenly loses its magic. It’s not organic anymore – it’s overhyped and overused.

We want to create a space that can hold good conversations, no conversations, strong memories, and maybe even a place where you feel like you belong.

And who knows – a community might form on the way ;)

Most days are pretty rough.
Calls, emails, logistics, approvals, more approvals – and waiting for someone to answer something that should take five minutes but somehow takes two weeks.

It’s also the three of us figuring things out as we go. First rodeo building something like this.
In cities we just moved to. And doing it in two cities at the same time adds a whole new level of chaos.

Some days even basic things slip.
Meals become an afterthought, and you suddenly realise it’s 4PM and you haven’t eaten.
You have to remind yourself to take care of the basics.

So yeah – talk about learning on the job.

Still, there’s nothing we’d rather be doing. And every day comes with a new laugh and new core memories we’ll never forget.

They’re small, but they matter:

- finding the right location after twelve wrong ones

- a meeting that unexpectedly opens a door

- a partner who actually gets what we’re trying to build

- finally getting an approval after months of waiting

- someone writing us – sharing feedback, good or bad – and reminding us why we’re doing this

- a contractor calling back (a true miracle)

- feeling momentum – even on the slow days

- and on a good day, the three of us somehow being in the same country at the same time.

Because if you’re following along, you deserve to know what’s actually happening – not just the polished surface. And because we want transparency to be part of SaunaGuus from the beginning, not something we pretend to care about later. Not just the polished surface.

We’re getting close now. In both cities. And when we open the doors, you’ll know exactly what it took to get there.

Every week, a new wellness concept opens. Someone’s always building a colder plunge, a bigger sauna, or a smarter way to breathe.

And honestly, we love that people are searching. But somewhere along the way, wellness started to look a lot like performance. Apps, subscriptions, metrics for relaxation – everyone’s trying to get better at doing nothing.

We built SaunaGuus because we felt something was missing.

Not innovation, but intention. 
Not more, but meaning.

It’s one of the oldest rituals we have for feeling human again. Simple, physical, unpolished, raw. It doesn’t promise transformation, but it makes space for it – the kind that sneaks up on you when you slow down long enough to feel something real.

We don’t believe you need Italian marble, 10,000 square feet, iPads, and a $120 membership to get back in tune with yourself. You don’t need LED lighting or cucumber water to reconnect. You just need heat, cold, breath. That’s it.

Our vision is to democratize the sauna experience – to make it accessible, social, and real again. To build something that doesn’t separate wellness from everyday life, but weaves it into it.

Efficient, intentional, and rooted in ritual.

For the early-morning runner.
For the hungover.
For the overworked.
For anyone who needs sixty quiet minutes and a deep exhale.

We know the market is blowing up. But we’re not here to compete. We’re here to reset the tone – to prove that simplicity still works, and that presence doesn’t have to come with a price tag.

That’s why we’re here: to protect a ritual that’s older than most of the buildings around us, and to share it – simply with whoever needs it next.

More soon,
Adrian, Rasmus & August

For us, saunagus isn’t just turning up a sauna – it’s a story, a ceremony, a little rebellion against the ordinary. To understand where we are, we have to trace where it came from – and why guided sauna sessions matter.

The sauna is one of the oldest living rituals in the world. Archaeological findings suggest that people in what is now Finland built early sauna-like structures as far back as 7000 BC – small earth pits lined with stone, heated by fire.¹

By around 2000 BC, sweat-bath traditions had spread across the northern regions of Europe – from Finland and Estonia to the Baltic lands – as a way to cleanse, heal, and reset through heat.²

Early versions, known as smoke saunas (savu saunas), were dug into the ground, heated with fire, and filled with smoke before being vented.⁴ Over time, these evolved into wooden cabins with stoves, chimneys, and benches – simple spaces designed for warmth, rest, and recovery.⁵

It’s even recognized by UNESCO as an element of intangible cultural heritage – a sacred “church of nature.”⁷ In Scandinavian tradition, the sauna has always been about contrast: heat followed by cold water, tension followed by release.⁸

It was often the first building raised when a family settled on new land.⁹
So when you walk into a sauna, you’re stepping into a lineage of ritual, survival, and transformation that has lasted thousands of years.

Over time, the sauna ritual has taken many forms. In parts of Europe, Aufguss turned into a kind of performance – with lights, music, and choreography. In the North, it’s different. Here, the focus has always been on the essentials: the heat, the cold, the silence – and the person sitting inside it.

There’s a gusmaster facilitating the rhythm – pouring water, circulating steam, introducing scent and music – but they’re not the center of attention. You are. The purpose isn’t to watch. It’s to feel.

To let the heat build, let your mind quiet, and simply be there for it. It’s simple, really.

No flashing lights. No choreography. Just steam, scent, and the steady pulse of breath meeting intense heat. Because in the end, the true ritual isn’t what happens around you – it’s what happens within you.

More soon,

Adrian, Rasmus & August

Footnotes
1.SecretsSaunas – The Ancient Origins and Evolution of the Finnish Sauna
2.Medium – The History of the Sauna Is Deeper Than You Might Think
3.finlandiafoundation.org – The Scoop on Sauna
4.finlandiasauna.com – Sauna History
5.finnstandart.com – History of Sauna
6.nationalgeographic.com – Everything You Need to Know About Finnish Sauna
7.unesco.org – Sauna Culture in Finland (Intangible Heritage)
8.sunhomesaunas.com – The Scandinavian Sauna Culture
9.aitosauna.com – History of the Sauna
10.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing
11.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – Clinical Effects of Regular Dry Sauna Bathing
12.mayoclinicproceedings.org – Cardiovascular and Other Health Benefits of Sauna Bathing