The Secret Sauna - NZ

THE SECRET SAUNA

The Long Way Around - BEAR’s Guide to New Zealand’s South Island

Location: 1208 Makarora-Lake Hawea Road, Lake Hāwea, Wānaka, NZ

The Secret Sauna is the perfect reset if you’re having an adventure holiday in New Zealand, or if you’re spending majority of your time hiking or participating in snow sports (us). The Secret Sauna is located only a 15 minute drive from Wānaka at the beginning of The Camp.

The Secret Sauna is a wood-fired barrel sauna that protects you from the elements as your tension melts away. They offer both group or private sessions. If money isn’t an obstacle, opting for a private session would be far more relaxing than a group session, but if you’re up for socialising, a group session is the way to go. They allow 12 people per session and our session was full. It was bumper-to-bumper in the barrel, but we had some good laughs together.

Migrating from the barrel to the lake every 15 minutes was ritualistic - Lake Hāwea feels energetically calm, but not sleepy. They give you too-big crocs to wear down to the water which you need because the rocks are freezing in winter. The crispy winter air was preparatory for the icy cold dip in the lake - it made heading back into the sauna all the more relaxing.

I highly recommend a trip to The Secret Sauna on your next visit to Wānaka.

Stray beautiful,

BEAR.

No robots were involved in the making of this journal.