We launched Kamu Sauna in December of 2022 and, as any new business owner would know, the first year of a new small business is always such a whirlwind—we felt like we were between so many worlds and juggling a hundred things at once. There were two things we always remained focused on however:

1. Building Sauna culture first and foremost, and
2. Working directly with Community and local folks to respond to needs.

The result after our first year was, what we thought, a solid foundation to continue building upon. With Juho being from Finland, to build authentic and meaningful Sauna culture in the East Kootenays means so much to us. And it seems - Sauna means a lot to our local Community of Kimberley BC also.

In March of 2024, we were shocked to have been awarded the most coveted-of-all-small-town business awards, the 2023 "Business of the Year Award" by the Kimberley Chamber of Commerce! We are still so stoked and incredibly grateful for the Kimberley Community to rally around us in this way. Entrepreneurs sure know how challenging the starting of a business can be, especially one as personal as Kamu is to us. Stuff like this can be really validating that we are on the right path. With immense gratitude.

What now? Well we've got exciting things ahead - stay tuned on all our updates by subscribing to our newsletter or following us on Instagram. We love having you as part of the Kamu Sauna Community!

Ok, we're not crying - you are (insert crying emoji here). For those who are "authentic Finnish" Sauna converts, you know what we are talking about when we speak about how much sauna can transform your life for the better. For those of you who are trying to decide if you believe all the hype, we offer you to take a look at Suzan's testimonial below. We recently built a custom Mettä outdoor sauna for Suzan and her family with our partner, TMBR Structures. Here's what she had to say:

​Hello Juho!

I wanted to let you know this past weekend we used the sauna for the very first time. We wanted to have the "inaugural" sauna together...as we felt it was an important and meaningful event to all be together in the sauna for the first time.

Juho....what can I say other than the sauna experience was simply luxurious, glorious, therapeutic, and addictive!! I cannot begin to tell you how much I (all of us) enjoyed it!! The stove worked incredibly well and is perfect for heat generation for the space. We reached the maximum temperature with ease and we all handled the temp very well. We went in/out about 4 times, following your instructions as to how long to stay in.

We sat on the benches....laid down....talked....meditated in silence...[J] even did a few stretches standing up!! The fire crackled and you could smell the cedar. I was transported to another world!

As you mentioned, the heat was a gentle heat and we certainly felt that; it was not searing at all and felt very healing. We tried different types of wood to see which type worked best. I lit the inside with candles (although there is a good amount of light from the stove itself) and I put candles on the deck so we could find our way down to the sauna in the dark and enjoy the ambiance.

All of your recommendations/suggestions were perfect (i.e. footrests, steps going up to the benches, railing to grab on to when stepping down, upper bench hotter than lower bench...). I know I questioned you on some of those items and you were very patient with me...but you were right, Juho!!

When cooling off, we sat outside and looked up at the night sky and stars...I felt I was in a Travel Alberta Promotional Video!! The stressors of my very busy life evaporated and I was transported to another world!

To be honest, I was not anticipating I would love the experience so much! I had a sauna experience in another town...and I much prefer the sauna that we now get to call our own.  Having a sauna is all I can think about now and can hardly wait to have the next one! 

Juho, you are a master at your craft. I cannot put into words how much I appreciated your impeccable attention to detail, your willingness to present and discuss options that fit within our price range and style preferences, your ability to clarify discussion points when I felt overwhelmed with decisions that needed to be made, your calm and gentle demeanor, your desire to get everything "just right", your willingness to follow up in the future if we had concerns or problems and your incredible work ethic. I know you worked some very long days to ensure you stayed on track with build timelines. You have taken my satisfaction with life to a new level and I can't thank you enough for that!

With tremendous gratitude,

Suzan S, a VERY happy Kamu customer ❤️