It all started with a dream

The West Coast Sauna Summit began on a quiet Saturday morning, when Valtteri and Linda were deep in conversation about sauna culture on the Pacific coast.

Incredible things were happening and the momentum was on; Builders crafting beautiful saunas, entrepreneurs launching new experiences, hotels embracing wellness and wellness travel being on the rise.

But most were doing it in isolation.

There was no shared space.

No forum for connection.

That morning, a simple idea emerged:

What if we brought the whole ecosystem together?

Bringing people together for an extended weekend of good sweats, great talks and meaningful business.

From that spark, the West Coast Sauna Summit was born.

A platform to connect sauna builders, designers, operators, hospitality leaders, and wellness visionaries.

A place to share ideas, sweat together, and move both culture and business forward.

Because the momentum is here and sauna business is growing, fast.

Now, it's time to nourish the culture.

Let's move sauna culture and wellness business forward!

Meet the Team

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Sauna & Operations Partnerships

Valtteri Rantala

Valtteri Rantala is the CEO and Founder of The Finnish Sauna Co. - a Vancouver-based Sauna company that brings authentic outdoor sauna experiences to people. He is also the Chief Sauna Dude of Aerth Saunas.

In many phones, Valtteri - or Val for short - goes merely by 'The Sauna Dude'.

You can say that Valtteri is a pioneer of sauna culture on the West Coast. He built a thriving sauna business, The Finnish Sauna, well before sauna was as popular as it is now. Valtteri is also one of the first cold plunge facilitators in the Vancouver area, helping to shape how we utilize natural elements of heat and cold for stronger connections and healthier communities.

With WCSS, Valtteri wants to build a platform for bringing people together from all across the ecosystem. He believes that by bringing people and businesses together, we can create a cultural revolution around sauna and connecting with your true nature.

Marketing & PR Partnerships

Linda Helistö

Linda Helistö is the founder of Balthén, a creative studio that creates marketing that moves both business and culture forward.

Born and raised in Finland, sauna has always been a place of unwinding and coming back into her body. A place where she can slow down, hear a bit clearer again, and go and have fun with her people.

If there is a lake to dip into, even better.

With WCSS, Linda hopes to move the sauna culture and wellness business forward in Canada. She is especially excited about new ways of telling the sauna story, expanding sauna to new areas and partners, and helping sauna entrepreneurs bloom.

Operations & Marketing Project Manager

Hadi Ali

With a background in Marketing and Operations, Hadi helps sauna companies thrive through strategy, organization, and creative community-building. She is one of the three organizers of the West Coast Sauna Summit and leads Marketing and Operations for The Finnish Sauna Co. and Ærth Saunas in Victoria.

After years in the agency world, Hadi now focuses on reimagining how authentic sauna experiences can reach more people—supporting operators with everything from sales funnels and booking systems to overarching marketing strategies and business performance.

Moving from Alberta to the West Coast, Hadi found a deep connection to the people, culture, and lifestyle here—especially through sauna. She is passionate about bringing sauna culture into the spotlight and helping it flourish across Canada.