Our Story

Black Sand Sauna started with some friends who needed a good sauna in their lives.

We all love wood-fired saunas, especially the ones where you can feel the natural world around you. The crackle of the fire, the cold of the water and the ground under your feet are all part of the experience.

So we built our own. After a year of scheming and nine months of crafting, we now have a beautiful wood-fired sauna that we're all really proud of. It sits on a 6.5 m trailer, lined inside with Himalayan cedar and heated by a wood-fired fireplace made by a local blacksmith. It's a treat to be inside, and because it's on a trailer, it doesn't have to stay in one place.

We hope to set it up in some of the best spots in Whanganui, and to support local events and sports days. You can also hire it for your own event.

Black Sand Sauna is a space to slow down, warm up and connect amongst the elements of fire, water and earth.

We're passionate about community projects, bringing people together, co-operative businesses, sauna and wellbeing.

Special thanks to the following people for contributing their time, expertise, and materials to build our sauna:

Andy Sutherland - carpenter
Leon Deverick - blacksmith
Ned Tapa - sauna rocks
Mark Russel -  photography