Saariston saunottaja - my story and my values

Sauna healer, entrepeneur Alessandra Sarelin

Hello, my name is Alessandra. I'm a sauna healer, herbalist and forager who has studied mythology. My background is in social sciences (PhD 2012) and doula work. I have more than eight years of experience of working with holistic well-being and have also offered retreats for several years. At the moment I study tourism. In addition to the national languages and English I speak some German. 

Saarnila sauna 

I can host small groups in a traditional sauna in the village of Levo in Parainen. This sauna is called Saarnila sauna after the huge ash tree that is growing outside of the sauna. Sitting on the bench of this sauna is an experience that you will not forget. Nobody knows the exact age of the sauna but it is from the time when children where born in the sauna. Here you can feel the stories of birth, healing, rituals and death stored in the logs. Heating the sauna takes 5-6 hours. 

Saarnila sauna is about 6 km from Saaristotie in Parainen in the midst of a beautiful fields and meadows. 

I also have a small sauna tent. This is great for peat saunas. Please contact me if you would like to rent the sauna tent or come for peat sauna to my home. 

Life story 

I grew up in a Swedish speaking bohemian family as the oldest of four children. Herbalism and foraging was part of my upbringing. My father and my grandmother, who was born in Karelia, taught me about plant allies and I learned to make herbal infusions at an early age.

As a child I felt a deep connection to nature and animals, especially horses. I recall seeing a picture in the newspaper of a man with a small bird sitting on his palm saying "I protect you from anything". This image moved something inside of me. I felt a longing to give something back to nature.

After high school I moved to Turku to study international law and human rights. I wrote my master's thesis on indigenous peoples' rights because I was interested in a way of life that respected the gifts of Mother Earth and I believed legislation was a tool of protection. I wanted to find a way to connect ancient wisdom with modern knowledge. I stayed at the university and wrote a PhD. After that I studied herbalism, frequency therapy and became a hormone's coach.

For the past 15 years I have also studied mythology and been interested in wisdom traditions. Sauna has always been part of my life but I decided to take the training in sauna healing when I understood how significant sauna is as a ritualistic space and when I learned about sauna mythology. A ritual is not necessary something mystical, it can simply be pouring water on the hot stones in the sauna. This is what I love about sauna. It's concrete, simple, grounded, meaningful and makes sense. 

WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTACT ME?

My values

Love for the forest 

  • Sauna starts in the forest and without the forest there is no sauna.  

Diversity - not monoculture 

  • Diversity equals life in nature and in culture.

Cyclical awareness 

  • Respect for the rhythms of nature and the cycles in the body.

Reciprocity

  • It's time we give something back to nature and find our way of being in relationship with the elements.