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Women’s Wellness + the Power of Sauna
Women’s Wellness + the Power of Sauna An Evening with Dr. Emilia Vuorisalmi, Moderated by Katie Martin of LUXE Interiors + Design Wellness can be a buzzword. Sauna is not. At Thermasol + Harvia’s Denver showroom, designers, builders, architects, and wellness enthusiasts gathered for an intimate evening exploring women’s wellness and the enduring power of sauna — not as a trend, but as a ritual. The conversation, thoughtfully moderated by Katie Martin of LUXE Interiors + Design, featured Dr. Emilia Vuorisalmi — medical doctor, author, and Harvia Doctor in Residence — whose Finnish roots and medical background offered both cultural perspective and scientific grounding. Sauna as a Signal of Safety In a world wired for urgency, Dr. Emilia returned repeatedly to one concept: inner safety. Sauna, she explained, creates a physiological and emotional signal to the body that it can finally let go. Heat first activates the system — raising heart rate and circulation — but what follows is parasympathetic restoration. The shift into calm. “Sauna creates a sense of inner safety. It’s the place your nervous system learns: you can finally let go.”— Dr. Emilia Vuorisalmi Rather than approaching sauna as another performance metric to optimize, she encouraged a more intuitive approach. “Drop your ego outside the sauna. Listen to your body — don’t push it.” The Chemistry of Calm Dr. Emilia brought the science forward in an accessible way, exploring how sauna can support balance across three key messengers: Dopamine — drive and direction Serotonin — steadiness and safety Oxytocin — connection (to yourself and others) In high-stress modern life, many of us live heavily in dopamine — constant forward motion, constant stimulation. Sauna, she noted, helps create conditions for regulation, supporting connection and calm over time. “Sauna is not about suffering through it. It should feel comfortably uncomfortable.” Women’s Wellness: Less Pressure, More Listening Katie Martin brought the conversation into lived reality — acknowledging perimenopause, stress, and the intensity of modern life. “The one takeaway for everything you said today is just keep it simple. Slow down. Take deep breaths.”— Katie Martin, LUXE Interiors + Design For women especially, Dr. Emilia emphasized that more intensity isn’t always better. Heat is still a stressor. The key is consistency and intuition — shorter sessions when needed, listening to cycle shifts, and allowing the ritual to support the body rather than overwhelm it. “It should be more about letting go, listening to your intuition, and just trusting. Let the heat soften at the edges.” Design Matters: What Makes a Sauna Feel Good For the architects and designers in the room, the discussion moved beyond physiology and into space. Ventilation, Dr. Emilia noted, is critical. Without proper airflow, even the most beautiful sauna will feel uncomfortable. Bench height and ceiling proportion also matter more than most people realize — too much space above the top bench can reduce the enveloping heat experience. And perhaps most powerfully: nature connection enhances regulation. Views, materials, lighting, and what happens after the heat cycle all shape the experience. Sauna is not just a hot room — it is a sequence. Steam, Traditional, Infrared, and Simplicity The Q&A explored everything from detox myths to red light therapy to athletic recovery. Dr. Emilia clarified that while sweating supports circulation, the body’s primary detoxification systems remain the liver and kidneys. The greater benefit of sauna often lies in stress reduction, improved vascular function, and heat adaptation — effects that compound over time. On traditional versus steam, she acknowledged their differences but returned to the same core message: listen to your body. Some days call for deeper heat. Others for gentler steam. “It’s not a sprint. It’s a ritual.” Ritual in a Measured World Perhaps the most resonant moment of the evening addressed the cultural shift happening in wellness: tracking, timers, and constant optimization. Dr. Emilia offered a Finnish perspective — one rooted less in metrics and more in presence. “It’s great that the trend is booming. I think there’s so much that we still don’t know. It’s a lot about measuring and pushing and optimizing. But if I can teach something from the Finnish tradition, it should be more about letting go, listening to your intuition, and just trusting. Let the heat soften at the edges.”— Dr. Emilia Vuorisalmi The Most Powerful Wellness Is the One You’ll Repeat The evening closed not with prescriptions, but with permission. Sauna does not need to be extreme. It does not need to be competitive. It does not need to be another thing to conquer. It can simply be a return — to breath, to warmth, to yourself. And in that return, perhaps the most sustainable form of wellness begins.
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Now Open: Thermasol’s First Sauna & Steam Showroom
A Wellness-Centered Destination Designed to Inspire Thermasol has officially opened the doors to its first-ever dedicated Sauna & Steam Showroom — a space designed not only to display wellness technology but to let guests fully experience it. Located inside the International Design Center (IDC) in Denver, Colorado, this new destination blends immersive design, smart technology, and restorative rituals to reflect a new era of wellness living. “This showroom represents more than a display of products—it’s a reflection of where the industry is headed,” says Nick Larrick, Head of Region, North America at Harvia. “The demand for wellness-centered design is only accelerating, and Denver has become a hub for that movement.” A Space That Goes Beyond the Showroom Open to both the trade and the public, the 3,000-square-foot showroom invites visitors to explore the full spectrum of residential and commercial wellness design. With both indoor and outdoor installations, the space demonstrates how seamlessly sauna and steam elements can integrate into any setting. Key showroom features include: Five sauna models, including two fully operational suites and one custom build One immersive steam shower with full aromatherapy and chromatherapy features Hot soak + cold plunge Displays of Harvia and EOS heaters, controls, and sauna accessories Smart technology for personalized control of temperature, lighting, and ambiance Designed in collaboration with Ultra Design Center, the space reflects the shared vision of delivering accessible luxury wellness to designers, architects, builders, and wellness-focused homeowners. “We’re thrilled to partner with Thermasol, Harvia, and EOS to address this growing product category,” says Kevin Castelo, General Manager of Ultra Design Center. “Colorado has an active and health-conscious population, and many of our clients are now prioritizing wellness spaces in their homes.” Design-Driven. Experience-Forward. The showroom is thoughtfully divided into serene indoor environments and an outdoor wellness courtyard, allowing guests to see, touch, and feel how wellness design comes to life. From elegant cladding and glass walls to cedar interiors and smart controls, every detail serves a purpose — to inspire possibility and offer practical insight for real-world applications. The design team, led by Gina D’Amore Bauerle, brought together elements from Cosentino, Moderno Works, and Denver Glass Interiors, creating a layered aesthetic that balances modernity with natural materials. Whether you're exploring residential upgrades or full-scale hospitality projects, the space is built to support innovation at every scale. A Wellness Lifestyle, Not a Trend As wellness real estate continues its upward trajectory — projected to reach $887.5 billion by 2027 according to the Global Wellness Institute — Thermasol’s Denver showroom stands as a testament to this evolution. The integration of steam, sauna, light, and sound is no longer a luxury reserved for spas — it’s a smart, holistic approach to self-care that can be brought home. Location📍 Ultra Design Center, IDC Building – Denver, Colorado🕘 Hours: Mon-Fri: 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M., Sat: 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M.Schedule a VisitVirtual Tour Featured Thermasol Products – Spectra Outdoor Sauna– Evander Barrel Sauna– Ventura Indoor Sauna– Custom Cut Sauna– Aalto Indoor Sauna– Total Wellness Package– Sauna & Shower Accessories– Harvia & EOS Sauna Heaters 📸 Photographer: Jason Jung📍 Location: Denver, Colorado
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