The sauna experience at Woolman company’s Jyväskylä office got the recognition it deserves on Tuesday 14 June 2022. The office sauna of Woolman in Jyväskylä was granted the Authentic Finnish Sauna Experience Quality Certificate. It is the first sauna that was designed specifically for the use of employees and business partners.
The sauna is situated in the middle of the office space which makes using it as easy as possible. This didn’t happen by accident, but the sauna was built there on purpose. The charter member and CEO of Woolman, Juha Harju, thinks that when the sauna premises are situated in the basement or top floor, it might not get very much used. With this case, they got a bit lucky as well. The decision had already been made that the whole space would be rebuilt from the start. This way they had the chance to construct a unique office around the unique sauna. The COO of Woolman Petteri Mustalahti adds that when they saw the future workspace it was as clear as day that they should build a sauna in there.
The result ended up being better than what was planned
After the sauna had been built, Carita Harju from Sauna from Finland, interior designer Maru Hautala, and Anu Tuunanen, the People Manager at Woolman, begun to create some atmospheric ideas into the premises. Because of the tight schedule, all big plans couldn’t be executed like they were first planned. Partly by chance the results ended up being more suitable for the place. For example, the cold pool wasn’t an idea in the beginning. When the original plans ended up being too difficult to accomplish, it felt like the perfect addition. The cold-hot variation is scientifically proven to help to recover from stress. That is an important goal for this specific sauna.
Carita mentions that building a sauna in a new office is not self-evident in every case. Woolman company invests a lot in the treatment and wellness of its people, and the community has its own Wellness Nurse, Katri Keskinen.
The Wellness Nurse helps the employees to take full advantage of the sauna
Katri had some exchange of ideas with Carita, who has developed the Saunafulness concept, about the wellbeing related to sauna bathing. Together, they decided to build the experience so that anyone can take a sauna even if they didn’t bring the equipment for it. The company purchased towels with straps from the local company Lindentex which fit men and women. They replace both bathing suits and towels, if necessary.
Additionally, Carita and Katri focused on the employees’ recovery of body and mind during the sauna experience. For this, they developed two methods to increase the metabolic rate together with the sauna, made for shorter and longer breaks.
Methods of treatment for short and long breaks
- The short break at Woolman is the so-called ‘business sauna’. In addition to a brief time of sauna bathing, anyone has the time to take a plunge in the cold pool. Even in a hurry, it is difficult to spend too much time in the freezing water. The hot-cold variation adds to the rate of the metabolic system. The employees can focus on the feelings in their body more strongly because of it.
- If there is more time for a break, or to stay for about half an hour longer at the office, the employees can stay in the sauna for a longer period. In this case, the Wellness Nurse suggests trying a traditional Chinese method of treatment called gua sha. The gua sha tools by Hukka Design at Woolman office are made of soapstone. They help to remove metabolic waste in the body. It can also be used for massaging the mouse arm and to prevent from Tennis elbow. Soapstone stays cold or warm for a long time, so it works as a softer and more localized hot-cold treatment.
The sauna premises are already in a daily use
The beautiful sauna wasn’t built and developed to be admired as cold. Most of the office employees have already tested the sauna during the first few weeks. According to the employees, the premises are even in a regular use. Erno Lehtonen, Front-end Developer at Woolman, confesses that he starts every morning by sitting in the cold pool. This must be true. We saw Erno spend multiple minutes in the four-degree water while posing for a photo shoot.
Thank you to all companies that took part in creating the Woolman sauna experience.
- NAKA Finland (shelves and bath towel stand)
- Osmia (sauna aromas and shampoos)
- Luin Living (seat covers)
- Lindentex (towels with straps)
- Rento Sauna (bucket and ladle)
- Harvia (sauna stove)
- Hukka Design (gua sha stones)
