A top trailer maker has helped turn up the heat to create a new luxury sauna on wheels.<\/p>\n
Finnmark Ltd, which counts celebrities and movie stars among its clients, has launched a fully functioning wood-burning sauna using box van\u00a0 from Ifor Williams Trailers.<\/p>\n
The company, run by brothers\u2019 Jake and Max Newport, who are still in their twenties, was launched four years ago and evolved from their shared love of Finnish sauna culture.<\/p>\n
Their ambition is to make sauna bathing a full-blown event in the UK, as it is in Finland, importing traditional materials from the country and working with some of its best-known brands.<\/p>\n
The firm\u2019s constructions cost anywhere from \u00a312,000 to \u00a3180,000 (or higher if you have the budget) and are meticulously crafted to be enjoyed over several hours.<\/p>\n
Previous customers include TV and film personalities, Olympic sports heroes and Hollywood stars.<\/p>\n
Now outdoor enthusiasts will get the chance to try the experience for themselves with the company\u2019s new, purpose-built mobile sauna.<\/p>\n
The sauna, which comes complete with dimmable, LED-lit back rest, will be parked up at idyllic tourist spots including the Lake District and at endurance events, cycle races and triathlons as soon as the lockdown restrictions lift.<\/p>\n
Andrew Reece-Jones, Design Engineering Manager at Ifor Williams Trailers, said: \u201cThe list of ingenious uses of our trailers is growing and we are always amazed at the wonders that can be achieved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re delighted Finnmark appreciates the quality and road worthiness of our boxvan trailer designs and wish them every success with their new venture.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jake, 28, explained: \u201cA lot of our work is high-end domestic. The problem we have is being able to show people how our saunas are really meant to be enjoyed. We just felt the real deal for us would be to have a properly finished sauna in a beautiful setting next to a lake where you can go for a cold plunge too and see what it\u2019s all about.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the UK, sauna use is a really prescribed event, lasting 10 minutes. In Finland, you won\u2019t find any sand timers on the wall at all. It\u2019s about listening to your own body. If you get the temperature and humidity right, it\u2019s nice and relaxing. You\u2019ll not only release endorphins, you will sleep like you haven\u2019t slept since you were a teenager.\u201d<\/p>\n
The firm, which is\u00a0 based in Spennymoor, County Durham, and also has a sales office in London, offers an array of services from bespoke-designed sauna cabins, sauna installations, indoor\/outdoor sauna cabin kits, outdoor buildings and sauna accessories.<\/p>\n
They unapologetically place quality and authenticity over price and no expense was spared in the development of the company\u2019s mobile sauna, which was designed to reflect the firm\u2019s values of quality and craftsmanship.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve seen Ifor Williams Trailers growing up, it\u2019s a brand from our perspective that\u2019s associated with the same values of quality and durability,\u201d said Jake.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s evident in the resale value of these trailers. You can buy a trailer and not do anything with it for two years and sell it for nearly the same price. If you\u2019re putting \u00a330,000 worth of time and materials into something you don\u2019t want the wheels to fall off.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Newports consulted distributors Alan Tuer Trailers in Carlisle to find the perfect model and were delighted with the BV126, which suited their needs perfectly.<\/p>\n
Unlike its usual designs, the firm used Western Red Cedar wood from Canada during construction because it has a lower density and they wanted to keep weight to a minimum.<\/p>\n
Former hi-fi designer Max, 25, Finnmark\u2019s Director of Design, said: \u201cWe had to cut one of the steel box section cross members, so we reinforced that area with additional plywood prior to installing the insulation and tile build up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also fitted the flue so that the twin wall insulated section terminates at a coupling just above the flue grommet on the roof. We did this so that we could remove the chimney for ease of transportation and then quickly add it back on for a good draw through the stove and to ensure smoke exhausts at an adequate height.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stephanie Foster, managing director at Alan Tuer Trailers, said: \u201cThe sturdiness and robustness of the boxvan trailer made this a winning combination for Finnmark and we were delighted to be able to offer our advice. This is a trailer known for its durability and performance and continues to meet the needs of a whole range of businesses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Finnmark is so pleased with its new demonstration sauna it is now considering offering mobile saunas as a new product range for leisure companies or private hire.<\/p>\n
Before launching their business, Jake and Max spent a long time researching sauna products and materials in Finland and worked with sauna building companies in the country to understand the unique processes involved in construction.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe came back with such a taste for the real deal,\u201d said Jake.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur main centre of operation is in the North East of England and we\u2019re well-placed to serve the whole country. There are a lot of highly skilled craftspeople here and we can afford to offer a very high quality product at a more competitive price.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy brother and I come from a very hands-on background. My family in every direction are business owners of some sort and so we\u2019ve seen them working all hours and days from a young age. We\u2019ve always been very practical, we sponged all the information we could in Finland and how to do it properly and worked with local joiners and craftspeople who are used to working in high-end, properly finished industry to show them how to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company, which employs 12 office and operational staff and four full-time installers, is in the process of relocating to bigger premises from its current workshop.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have an incredible conversion rate because people know what they try at the gym is so far removed from the proper experience.\u00a0 It\u2019s not something we should simply tolerate for 10 minutes after a workout it\u2019s something to be enjoyed over several hours,\u201d said Jake.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a huge upswing in the amount of research being undertaken in Finland. Scientist and cardiologist Dr Jari Laukkanen, for one, has published a number of scientifically researched journals on the health benefits and impact of proper sauna use.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always exciting to meet people in the public eye but when you do you\u2019re just calm and professional, the last thing people need to hear is how you\u2019re their biggest fan!<\/p>\n
\u201cMax and I take a lot of pride in the work we do. If you pride yourself on being good at what you do, you\u2019re going to end up working for high end clients.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information on Finnmark Ltd visit: <\/strong>https:\/\/finnmarksauna.com\/#<\/strong><\/a> and for more information about Ifor Williams Trailers go to <\/strong>www.iwt.co.uk<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n