Get ready for the most unforgettable days in the land of saunas.
World Sauna Forum consists of the joy of meeting interesting business people around the world, talks of current topics, modern panel discussions, and of course, getting familiar with the Finnish sauna experience – not only talking about the sauna but also bathing in authentic Finnish saunas! Follow us to see what the next World Sauna Forum will offer!
Sauna is deeply rooted in the Finnish DNA. We were born there; we healed, and we cleansed ourselves in the sauna. It is also a spiritual place where thoughts have wings and fly freely toward a fearless tomorrow.
The theme of World Sauna Forum 2022 got its inspiration from here, from the core of the Finnish soul.
Emilia Vuorisalmi (M.D.) is the official Love Doctor, best selling author and media personality from Finland.
Emilia’s mission is to lead a love revolution which will change the way we think and feel about love and help people to understand how to unlock the healing power inside them. In her work Emilia bridges the gap between healing and sustaining health. She combines psychological, neurological and philosophical studies in order to provide a game changing formula for lasting health.
Being a big time sauna lover all of her life Emilia knows both from personal experience and scientific research the wide healing effects of Sauna. She tells how sauna can be used to increase the flow of love hormones and enhance holistic health and wellbeing.
Emilia latest book Love Revolution: 12 Step Recipe for Sustainable Health and Love (Rakkaus Haltuun, WSOY 2020), is a practical and research-based guide on how to harness the power of love hormones every day, with or without a relationship.
Tapio Pajuharju has vast international experience in managing global brands. Since 2016 he has been the CEO of Harvia Group, one of the biggest sauna and spa companies worldwide.
Under Tapio’s leadership, Harvia was listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange and has since grown substantially, both organically and through M&A activities. Nowadays Harvia’s networks span across the globe as there are multiple great brands under Harvia Group’s umbrella, all of which tell the story of the health benefits of sauna respectively. Within their offering, Harvia has something for all different sauna types and cultures.
Harvia’s passion is to share the healing heat of sauna with everyone in the world and create possibilities for everyone to access sauna. With the wellness megatrend making its rounds around the world, Harvia’s sauna is hotter than ever.
"I am thrilled about creative concepts that bring human-centric design, business ideas and sustainability together in an innovative way
to create the most beautiful experiences in the world. For me it is most rewarding to see concepts turning into reality."
"I believe in teamwork and collaboration. I love to facilitate workshops to find the best ideas or brainstorm new business ideas related to spaces. I believe in listening to the needs of the customer and bringing with our knowledge the best possible design solutions to serve the end client. We are entrepreneurs by heart."
Studio Puisto has co-founded a few spin-off companies (Space of Mind and Uni Resorts) and is one of the co-founders of the Sauna-restaurant Kiulu in Ähtäri.
Martin is passionate about helping people to live healthier, longer lives through the contribution that intelligent wellness design and technological innovation can make. He believes in simple, effective, evidence-based design that creates a feeling of harmony between design elements and client experience.
We Design Solutions!
Founded in 1983, the bespoke spa and wellness design and consultancy company, ASPA International, together with its team of architects, designers, and engineers, create superior quality, profitable concepts for the corporate, luxury hospitality, wellness & spa sectors, on five continents. The consultancy’s award-winning portfolio includes projects for Accor, Hilton, Marriott International, Longevity, Virgin Active, Holmes Place, Start Ups and Fortune 500 companies. Their 47-4 model proves that workplace wellness is here to stay.
Martin clearly identifies the How and the What, the When is now!
Based in Portugal’s Algarve region, Martin is the founder and CEO of ASPA International. Martin was born in South Africa, graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Southampton University in the UK and was awarded an MBA at Liverpool University.
Raoul Grünstein is the Founder and CEO of Nordic Urban. Raoul is a serial entrepreneur and generalist who since the 90’s has had several successful scale-ups in lifestyle magazines, sponsorship, events and various hubs combining business with urban culture.
He founded Image Publishing, growing it into a powerhouse of half a dozen lifestyle magazines; Korjaamo Culture Factory in historic tram depots and Sofia Helsinki combining co-working and events in the heart of historic Helsinki. All these companies were sold as Grünstein and his team made the decision to focus on building an international network of Allas Sea Pool, which he had founded in 2015.
He has the capacity to inspire and join forces with innovative professionals in several disciplines, investors, corporate partners, and media outlets to make new urban movements come true. As an advocate for budding new social phenomena, he wants to open waterfronts for recreational use and export sauna culture to just about everywhere, latest to Stockholm, Oslo and New York.
Leena Turunen has a lot of experience working with both domestic and international brands in restaurant and hotel industry. She currently oversees the Lapland Hotels city hotels concept, in Tampere, Oulu, Helsinki, and Kuopio. Combining the mystic Lapland experiences into the urban environment has received great interest. The Nordic cuisine plays a major part in creating these experiences.
Nordic wellness is a vital part of the customer experience at the Lapland Hotels. Hotels that have spas and saunas, are known to add a positive affect to the customers overall experience. The newest sauna experience is the sauna world on the roof of Lapland Hotels Arena. The sauna world also features a relaxing hot tub under the stars.
"We have been working closely together with Sauna from Finland for years, to create a successful customer experience and continued concept development. The newest example of this co-operation are the Saunafulness- packages at Lapland Hotels Bulevardi in Helsinki."
"I am interested in the relaxing and refreshing properties of the Finnish sauna. These properties can be measured by optical means, e.g., by PPG (photoplethysmography) or ECG (electrocardiography). In practice, it is known that the sauna baths are proven to enhance blood circulation which can be measured by the same optical means. The heart rate variability (HRV) monitor is also a good opportunity in putting relaxing and refreshing of a person’s autonomic nervous system into the real numbers because of their sauna bath exposures and also health goals."
In the research, the instruments and analysis procedures were developed with the Electronics Laboratory and Department of Computer Science in the University of Oulu. The devices and software were used in the clinical study at the vascular laboratory of the Oulu University Hospital.
Maria Nystedt is a project manager at Raison d'Etre, one of the leading spa consulting and spa management companies. Originally from Sweden, today she lives and works in Palma, Mallorca.
Maria joined the company in 2009. She has more than 20 years of experience in the cosmetic, beauty and spa industry. Prior to joining Raison d’Etre, she was the Spa Manager for the multiple award-winning Six Senses Spa at Soneva Fushi in the Maldives. She has a Diploma in Business and Marketing from IHM Business School. As a CIDESCO certified beauty therapist, she has also worked as a Training Manager at the L’Oréal group.
![Glenn Auerbach backyard photo[1]](https://worldsaunaforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Glenn-Auerbach-backyard-photo1-scaled-e1652098534472.jpg)
Glenn Auerbach has been a sauna evangelist for over 30 years. In 2008 he started www.saunatimes.com, as a source for sauna building and sauna culture. In 2016, he created Sauna Talk, the podcast about sauna and most often recorded on the sauna bench.
Glenn wrote “Sauna Build, From Start to Finnish” which includes step by step instructions for building a sauna.
Jake Newport is MD of Finnmark Group, a group of brands including Finnmark Sauna and their wholesale wellness brand Spa Dispatch. Jake has built an impressive and extensive series of companies off the back of their success as specialist in Authentic Finnish Sauna, illustrating the significant demand by consumers for authentic and genuine wellness experiences.
Jake was awarded the title of Sauna Ambassador by Sauna From Finland last year for his dedication to bringing Finnish sauna and wellness brands to the UK market. Their sauna retail business, Finnmark Sauna, provided them the springboard to build the group to become the largest company of its type in the UK, in literal size of premises, volume of stock held, number of employees and in turnover.
Jake lives and breathes sauna, enjoying using his personal wood burning sauna and cold plunge two to three times per week and loves to take their wood burning sauna trailer to lakes on the weekends, when he gets the chance!
Tapio Pajuharju has vast international experience in managing global brands. Since 2016 he has been the CEO of Harvia Group, one of the biggest sauna and spa companies worldwide.
Under Tapio’s leadership, Harvia was listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange and has since grown substantially, both organically and through M&A activities. Nowadays Harvia’s networks span across the globe as there are multiple great brands under Harvia Group’s umbrella, all of which tell the story of the health benefits of sauna respectively. Within their offering, Harvia has something for all different sauna types and cultures.
Harvia’s passion is to share the healing heat of sauna with everyone in the world and create possibilities for everyone to access sauna. With the wellness megatrend making its rounds around the world, Harvia’s sauna is hotter than ever.
“World Sauna Forum 2022 attracted a wide variety of sauna and well-being business professionals. People were anxious to meet face to face again! The event was unique, as there is no other event like this in the world. Participants of the previous years re-experienced the relaxed and warm atmosphere of World Sauna Forum. The event offered something to everyone.”
Carita Harju, the founder and Executive Manager
Sauna from Finland
WHERE?
World Sauna Forum is held in beautiful Tampere, the Sauna Capital of the World! Visit Tampere is the official partner of World Sauna Forum 2022! Lapland Hotels Arena is the main venue of World Sauna Forum 2022, located in the city centre- just 3 minutes from the railway station.
Lapland Hotels Arena is part of Nokia Arena’s events, action and modern atmosphere. Located in the heart of an entertainment centre, it will create a new hotel experience, combining conference services with exciting events, and offering catering for all occasions. The hotel will live and breathe the atmosphere of the arena.
Registration starts at 9 AM.
Networking & coffee
Opening words at 10 AM.
Sauna and wellness market is open 10 AM-5 PM. Look at the exhibitors here: Sauna and wellness market
The programme
Leena Turunen
Piece of Nordic well-being – How to enrich the sauna experience?
Martin R Goldmann
Finnish sauna – Finland’s best kept secret
Tapio Pajuharju
Overview of the global sauna & spa business and how the mega trends shape the market and consumers behavior
12 PM–1 PM Networking break & lunch. Lunch available for purchase for €15 at the Hotel Restaurant Saivo, 4th floor
Raoul Grünstein
Dreaming of Nordic Well-Being on Urban Waterfronts
Heikki Riitahuhta
Creating the most beautiful sauna experience in the world
2.30 PM Networking & coffee
Matti Huotari
Sauna bathing is healthy, but how are the scientific studies conducted in practice?
Emilia Vuorisalmi
What does sauna do to our love hormones and how does sauna bathing make us happier and healthier?
Panel discussion:
Maria Nysted, Glenn Auerbach, Jake Newport, Tapio Pajuharju
5 PM The day programme ends.
5 PM Dinner Buffer available for purchase for €36 at the Hotel Restaurant Saivo, 4th floor
(Not included in event ticket)
Let’s enjoy a fun and relaxing evening together and make memories that last!
16:00 Departure from Lapland Hotels Arena towards Tammer Brands for Rentosauna tour (bus transportation)
Rentosauna is a genuine and distinctive sauna brand of Tammer Brands. Rentosauna’s roots lie deep in Finnish nature. With a curious disposition and a deep understanding of the Finnish sauna, Rentosauna offers a full range of modern and innovative sauna products for all the senses. The brand wants to help people to relax and enjoy life in a natural way – by feeling the harmony of the sauna.
Come and join us for the unforgettable evening with an authentic Finnish sauna experience! We will have relaxing evening at the top of the roof with old and new sauna friends all over the world. You get to enjoy the nightless nights and enjoy (hopefully) warm summer evening in Finland. Did you know that in June sun is shining 20 hours per day? So this is just something you need to experience yourself!
Evening will have a couple of “toasts” and rewardings too from Sauna from Finland’s side.
The 12th floor of the Lapland Hotel Arena will include a rooftop terrace and sauna with contemporary Nordic vibes. The setting will provide memorable new experiences for World Sauna Forum visitors. Laawu includes a terrace and three separate saunas. Just relaxing get together and you new saunaproducts can be tested too.
RoofTop terrace is also available for food and drinks from the Grill. (excluded from the ticket)
World Sauna Forum Media and Retailers pre-tour in Helsinki.
Charter bus at our service all day and you may leave your luggage in the bus for the day. In case you are staying at a different Hotel, please take your luggage with you!
Please bring SWIMWEAR for the Sauna bathing at LÖYLY.
WOW! This event is already FULL. We are currently not able to take any more sign ups.
9:30 AM Gathering in front of Lapland Hotels Bulevardi.
Street address: Bulevardi 28, 00120 Helsinki
10 – 10:30 AM Welcome to Finland! Lapland Hotels Bulevardi, Maarit Uutela. Possibility for a Hotel tour.
10:30 AM Departure towards Cariitti Showroom by bus
11 AM – 1 PM Cariitti introduction and showroom tour, Salad Lunch provided (variation of different salads)
2 PM Visit to Lapuan Kankurit Store in Helsinki City Centre. Coffee and time for shopping
2:30 – 5 PM LÖYLY – An urban oasis occupying a stretch of beautiful Helsinki waterfront which offers unique sauna and restaurant experience. Story of LÖYLY and private saunas afterwards. Dinner is served after sauna (vegetarian option available) Drinks available throughout the visit.
6 PM Bus ride to Tampere and good night’s sleep at Lapland Hotels and ready for World Sauna Forum day 2.
Please note the times of the items and subject to change.
WOW! This event is FULL. We are currently not able to accept any more sign ups.
10:00 Bus from Tampere (1,5 hours)
14:00-19:00 Day with #healingwithheat
Harvia is one of the global leaders in the sauna and spa market. Harvia’s mission is to provide relaxing experiences and natural wellbeing to people whether at home or at public sauna and spa premises. Harvia has a comprehensive sauna and spa product range, from heaters and their components to full sauna and spa solutions – meeting the needs of consumers and industry professionals alike.
This Day with #healingwithheat will consist of interesting programme including a tour in the world’s largest sauna heater factory, an expert keynote on sauna’s health benefits and product novelty demos with authentic sauna experiences at Harvia’s headquarters in Muurame located in Central Finland.
The Day is only for Media and Harvia retailers by invitation – More info coming soon!
Please note the times of the items and subject to change.
Event address: Ratapihankatu 54, 33100 Tampere
