Not just any sauna...
Saunature is the creation of Lithuanian sauna master Gerda, who's making a reality of her dream to bring the ancient healing practice of sauna to people in the UK.
She started with a simple sauna tent that could fit just 6 people, and could be erected and taken down quickly and easily, wherever she liked. With this tent, she ran sauna experiences and rituals at Holme Farm, and at festivals around the UK. And at weekends, she took it to a small swimming lake in Surrey, where she introduced the swimmers to the magic of her wild, nature sauna, and to contrast therapy during the chilly winter months.
After the winter season, Gerda was able to commission her husband, who (as luck would have it) is a highly skilled carpenter, to build a mobile sauna trailer — in the traditional style of their native Lithuania.
The new sauna has been lovingly hand-built to create a comfortable and relaxing space, using reclaimed wood from retired saunas, and finished to Gerda’s high standards. In just a short time, she has introduced hundreds of people to her wellbeing-focused, natural sauna style, and is intent on building a community of likeminded people to share the journey. A successful Crowdfunder has also enabled her to buy a second trailer, which she and her husband will convert into another stunning mobile sauna.
As well as her own traditions and new learnings, Gerda brings other wellbeing experts to her sauna, blending their knowledge with her own to create truly unique experiences. These are regularly described as life-changing, and bring people together in a way few things do.
After moving on from her time at the lake, Gerda is keen to keep growing her community at the wellbeing hub of Holme Farm, where she will be running drop-in sessions and her own unique sauna experiences that follow the seasons and moon phases. Sign up to our mailing list below to hear about new events, and join us at Holme Farm to experience the healing magic for yourself.
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A word from Gerda
I’m Gerda, and I have spent the past few years working hard to become a sauna master and bring the ancient healing practice of sauna to people in the UK, where I have lived for over 20 years.
I was born in Lithuania, where the sauna (or pirtis as we call it) is deeply rooted in our culture. My ancestors have cherished sauna rituals for thousands of years, and I grew up hearing stories from my family about the old smoke saunas they used to visit together as a way to cleanse, connect, and rejuvenate. Some of my earliest memories are of going to the community sauna with my mother. As a child, the intense heat and the sight of natural, naked women were both overwhelming and fascinating—it was a true immersion in the natural way Lithuanians bathe, relax, and reconnect.
Though I moved to the UK over 20 years ago, it wasn’t until about 5 years ago that I felt a true pull back to my roots. While attending a retreat in Lithuania, I met Silvija, a gifted Lithuanian sauna master, who showed me the sauna experience on a deeper level than I had ever known. Her way of guiding us to deep relaxation and inner peace in the sauna was transformative for me. It was in that moment, sitting in the sauna, that I felt something shift inside me. I realised I wanted to bring this profound, soulful healing experience to people in the UK. As my sauna school teacher later told me, that’s the day my “sauna app” was installed.
That was when my journey to sauna master began. I knew I needed to reconnect with my Lithuanian roots, with the ancient traditions that felt like home to my soul. Today, I’m still training at Perkūnijos Sauna School in Lithuania, and I’m exploring how to blend the essence of traditional Lithuanian sauna with English culture—learning about Celtic plants, local remedies, and healing herbs. I hope to create a space where both traditions come together, harmonising and offering the best of both worlds.
While I’m still taking my first steps on this path, I’m excited and deeply committed to sharing the healing power of sauna with as many people as possible. My dream is to help one million people find deeper relaxation and to continue discovering who I am both as a sauna master and as a human, reconnecting with my Lithuanian heritage while honouring my life here in the UK.
Thank you for being part of this journey with me.