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My year 2021 as an entrepreneur

At this time of year, I like to look back and see how the previous year has gone. I want to start by looking at how my third year as an entrepreneur went. What have I achieved in 2021?

I have to say that this third year as a business owner has been really challenging and mentally difficult. There have been some really tough moments. However, when I look back this year, I see how much I have accomplished.

So, let’s see what I’ve done last year!

Welt der Sauna

The year 2021 began with the launch of my German blog. I think it went really well and my blog was well received. A year later, about 12% of my readers are German-speaking. The German blog is called Welt der Sauna and I post twice a month.

If you have German friends who want to know more about the Finnish sauna, please tell them about my blog!

Welt der Sauna Blog

Sauna-Shop

In April, I published my own World of Sauna blog’s Sauna-Shop. Work on the online store started as early as November 2020. The project was quite laborious; setting up an online store here in Germany requires more than just a few clicks!

I decided to set up the Sauna-Shop because I had ordered products for future Finnish sauna events. However, due to the coronavirus, all my sauna events had to be cancelled. I panicked. I had a big pile of sauna products lying around, but I couldn’t use them. So, I decided to start my own shop!

There is a lot to learn and remember when setting up an online store. The fact that I decided to set up an online store in Finnish, German and English further complicated the matter.

I had to add all the products with product descriptions to the online store in three different languages. Luckily, I decided to start with a moderate amount of products and I have had help from my two translators.

My big brother has been a big help and technical support. Thank you again.

Visit: Sauna-Shop

Workshop

In the spring of 2021, I also organized a few digital workshops. In these workshops, we made various foot bath bombs and bath salts together.

The idea in these workshops is that I provide digital guidance on how to make sauna products. I am there with you (by video) and, if necessary, I will also send the materials to you in advance. I have a few Workshops coming up in the spring of 2022, so watch this place if you’re interested.

Sauna guest book

The sauna guest book was the first product idea I had for my own online store. Work on the sauna guestbook began in September 2020 and I had the finished product in my hands in June 2021.

It took a surprising amount of time to design and manufacture the right kind of product. Sure, this was an extra project for everyone involved, and we’re all busy. Still, I’m really happy and proud of the end result.

The sauna guest book is also available in three languages. The front cover is available in Finnish, English and German. The inside has sauna-themed aphorisms in English.

The pages of the book also contain landscape pictures of Finland and saunas. The covers are made of birch and the book is bound with linen cords.

Read more: What is a Sauna Guestbook

Sauna-Event

In August we were able to hold our first Sauna Event. We spent two wonderful afternoons with my amazing clients.

The clients had all missed sauna so much. My sauna treatments received an enthusiastic response and were well-liked. For some, sauna treatment was their first, which is wonderful!

These sauna events are a great way to relax. They include shampoos, conditioners, soaps, exfoliating salt, a birch sauna whisk, a foot bath, 30 min massage, drinks, and snacks. The duration of the sauna event is about four hours.

Finnish sauna night

In the autumn I also had my first Finnish sauna night!

You can get to know the real Finnish sauna on my Finnish sauna nights. First, I tell you about the Finnish sauna culture and tradition and then you get to experience the real Finnish sauna. The price includes shampoos, conditioners, soaps, exfoliating salt, a sauna whisk, and a foot bath. And drinks and snacks of course. The duration of a Finnish sauna evening is about two hours.

You can choose a birch sauna, a honey sauna, or a rose sauna. Special wedding treatments for brides and grooms are also possible. Next spring and summer I plan on trying a peat sauna and a cleansing sauna.

Unfortunately, the Christmas saunas I planned for this Christmas had to be cancelled. Hopefully, I get to do them next year.

It is possible to book Finnish sauna nights for two people or for a group. Gather your friends or family and come enjoy the Finnish sauna! Feel free to contact me if you are interested.

Make Your Own Sauna Products, Easily and Cheaply! -Online course

At the end of November, I finally launched the Make Your Own Sauna Products online course in Finnish.

The online course tells you about the best plants for sauna treatments. In the beginning, there is a theory section where I talk about the plants and products we use. What the active ingredients are and how to use them.

In the second week, we start making sauna products. In the videos, I show you step by step how to make the products and also share my best tips and tricks.

Hopefully, this course will be available in English someday!

How did I get it all done

Do you sometimes feel like you haven’t done anything in the last year? That’s how I felt until I looked at this list. Now I ask myself, how have I accomplished all this?

In 2020, I spent a total of six months and in the winter of 2021 two months at home because I was laid off from work due to the pandemic. Sure, I had a son at home with me, so I was not been able to work on my blog full time.

Blogging, setting up an online store, designing sauna products, and preparing for an online course have meant that I have sat at my computer a lot in 2021.

In the midst of this all, I decided also to change jobs. Thanks to my new job I have more flexibility and can spend more time on my own business.

Personally, I hope that my butt muscles get some rest next year. Unless I come up with something new again, you never know!

I hope you have been inspired by my blog and blog articles this past year. Thanks for being here. Thank you for reading and encouraging me.

I appreciate you and I’m here for you.

With love, Sauna-Kati

Is it OK to flirt in the sauna? In this article, I share my own experiences and views on the subject. Are public saunas good places for flirting or partner-seeking?

I have written about the German mixed saunas before in this blog. Mixed saunas are saunas in which women and men are together, naked. Many find this very strange and even unsafe. “Can women and men really take a sauna together without clothes?”.

Read more: German sauna culture

Well, I once read an article about a Finnish couple who had ended up making love in a public sauna. After reading the article, I thought mixed saunas are not a good idea in Finland.

What do you think?

Can we take a sauna with the opposite sex without any ulterior motives?

Has anyone tried to flirt with you in the sauna?

Is it OK to hit on someone in a sauna?

I have a lot of experience with German mixed saunas, and I want to share some of them in this article. Please remember that these are my own experiences, yours might be completely different. Many things also depend on the situation and your own past experiences.

I have already written some articles about sauna and nudity. For example, I have discussed different approaches to nudity and nakedness cultures. I also have listed some countries in which mixed saunas are common.

Read more: Nudity in different cultures.

My own experiences

I have to say that I have never experienced any “serious” flirting/harassment attempts in a German sauna world. I have also never seen it happen to anyone else. But, just because I have not seen it, does not mean it does not happen.

Is the sauna a good place to flirt? Or maybe even a place to look for a future partner?

I really don’t think so.

A public sauna is not the right place to look for a relationship or a one-night stand. I know that in Germany (and other countries) there are so-called erotic sauna clubs, where flirting is an integral part of the experience. I’ve never been to one, so I can’t say anything for sure. However, these are separate clubs, not ordinary public saunas.

German sauna world

That being said, I have encountered some suspicious activity in a German sauna world. Or, one of them is more funny than disturbing.

The first one has happened a few times. This usually happens in the steam baths where you can do your own salt peeling. I have often received suggestions from men asking whether they could help me by rubbing the salt on my back. Or, they have asked me if I would be willing to rub the salt on their backs.

Is this an innocent question or is there something else behind it? I cannot say. I refuse politely and it has never been a problem. No one has ever said anything negative or tried to continue the conversation. These experiences have been quite positive, they have usually just left me smiling.

The second scenario was more uncomfortable. Once, I was in a sauna world and this man kept following me everywhere. Every time I moved, he moved. He followed me from sauna to sauna. Was this a coincidence or something else? I can’t say for certain, but this is the only time I started to really get freaked out. Fortunately, there was a women’s sauna area in this sauna world, where I escaped very quickly.

Long gazes? Sure, I notice that some people look at me or others for a moment too long. Generally, however, there is nothing sexual about the looks you get in a sauna. It is quite normal that when someone arrives at the sauna, people glance at them and greet them.

One time my male coworker asked me to come to the workplace sauna with him. While there’s nothing weird about the situation per se, I still didn’t feel comfortable. I had to refuse politely. The thought of sitting naked on the sauna benches so close to him, made me squirm.

Online harassment

I have encountered more unpleasant behaviour on the internet than in real-life situations. There are a few examples of this “Covid-era phenomenon”. When corona first closed the spas, saunas and sauna worlds, there was a surge of new, sauna-related discussion groups on Facebook. There are strict rules in every group and sexual harassment is strictly forbidden.

Despite this, I have received my fair share of not-so-innocent messages. People have asked me for example: Can we go to the sauna together after the pandemic? Are you naked when you take a sauna? What can you do in the sauna? Can I shave b*lls in the sauna? And many other crazy things.

So, I would say there is more harassment in the online world than in real world. Luckily, I have picked a few tips along the way. Firstly, you can’t influence the messages people send you. The only thing you can do is immediately block suspicious-looking messages. I get a lot of weird messages that I do not reply to, especially on Instagram. If I can see that the person has no real questions, I just delete the message.

Secondly, if the message just says hello and nothing else, I recommend that you don’t reply. If, on the other hand, the message clearly asks something really related to the sauna, I answer them gladly.

It would be interesting to hear what kind of experiences you have had with “sauna flirting”? Has it ever happened to you? Do you agree with my thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

Love, Sauna-Kati