Our Story
The West Coast Sauna Summit was born one Saturday morning when Valtteri and Linda were talking about sauna and sauna culture in the Pacific West Coast - and realized that we had so many amazing people doing their thing and moving the business forward.
But there was little or no communication between sauna builders, sauna and lodge entrepreneurs, hotels and wellness enthusiasts.
It became clear: We need to bring people across the sauna and wellness ecosystem together.​
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And to have this platform for good and steamy business, we created West Coast Sauna Summit. So that we can truly create authentic sauna experiences that have the power to move the culture and business forward!
Valtteri Rantala
Sauna and Operations
Partnerships
Valtteri Rantala is the CEO and Founder of the Finnish Sauna - a Vancouver-based Sauna company that brings authentic outdoor sauna experiences to people.
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As a sauna culture pioneer, Valtteri has created a thriving sauna business built on authentic experiences. The Finnish Sauna offers mobile and tent saunas for rent, as well as organizes community sauna events at different locations.
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As a Finn living on the West Coast, Valtteri missed the Sauna culture of his homeland, Finland: The heat. The nature. The connection. The community. In 2019, Valtteri founded The Finnish Sauna to help people connect, build strong communities and promote wellness through authentic sauna experiences.
Now, the Finnish Sauna operates in multiple locations across the lower mainland - and the demand is growing.
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With WCSS Valtteri wants to build a platform for bringing people together. Valtteri believes that by bringing people and businesses together, we can create a cultural revolution around sauna and connecting with your true nature.
Linda Helistö
Marketing and PR
Partnerships
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Linda Helistö is the founder and creative director of Balthén, a creative studio that creates marketing that moves both business and culture forward.
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Linda’s background is in IT startups, leading sales both in Europe and Canada. She has brought new software and services to the market and built sales and marketing processes from scratch.
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Linda’s own journey to body-mind science has turned her into a firm advocate of body-based tools to manage stress and work with challenging emotions.
She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology and a Master's Degree in Economics. Linda has also studied the somatic effects of chronic stress under experts like Dr. Peter Levine, PhD, a Medical Biophysicist, Psychotherapist, and former NASA Stress Consultant.
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Born and raised in Finland, sauna has always been a place of connection. With WCSS Linda wants to provide sauna and wellness entrepreneurs a platform for knowledge sharing - so that we can create marketing that stems from authenticity and touches people.
