Ida-Mae Penning and Grant Ferry came up with the idea for Bondfire Sauna while travelling Europe. Photo: Supplied.
When Grant Ferry tows his handcrafted cedar-lined sauna down the Princes Highway, people do a double take.
Believed to be the first mobile wood-fired sauna in the Illawarra, Bondfire Sauna is designed to bring a slice of European sauna culture to carparks, cafes and coastal events.
Grant said he and his partner Ida-Mae Penning had always loved saunas, but they were typically attached to a gym as an after-exercise activity.
“We moved to the UK and lived there for three years, where we came across these saunas that were more like a communal space,” he said.
“You’d go in with a bunch of strangers, but by the end of the sauna session you’d all be talking and be friends.
“It’s just this really nice social sauna experience that we fell in love with in the UK.”
He said they explored many sauna types during their European travels, admitting they “went quite deep down the rabbit hole”.
“We went to a bunch in Norway where these saunas were on these beautiful icy lakes,” he said.
“We went to Austria where they had saunas that could fit 80 people.
“At some point we just looked at each other and thought, we’ve got to do something like this back home in Australia, so that’s why we started Bondfire.”
Home for the pair is Bulli, with Grant having grown up in Wollongong and Ida-Mae in Bulli.
Grant said he designed and built the sauna with his father, resulting in a Western red cedar-lined sauna mounted on a trailer, complete with a fireplace inside.
“As far as I know, it is Illawarra’s first wood-fired sauna, and I’m pretty sure it’s the first mobile sauna,” he said.
“It’s a traditional Finnish-style sauna – you pour the water over the rocks, and that creates the steam.
“It gives it a bit of a different heat. People say it’s a bit more of a radiant heat, and it’s a bit more primal in the sense you’re not using any electricity, you’re using timber, stones and water.
“It’s quite an earthy experience.”
He said there were also benefits to using red cedar, which was a natural antimicrobial timber.
“As long as you clean it with things like vinegar and water, the cedar itself will take care of any nasties … and as soon as you open up the door, you get this earthy cedar smell,” he said.
He said they opted for mobile after noticing a lot of the UK’s coastline was dotted with mobile saunas.
“It’s a sauna basically on a trailer that would park in a beach carpark for maybe a weekend, or a couple of months through the winter season, which is essentially what we’ve done,” he said.
“We can take it to Pilates events and retreats, we’ve got a wedding recovery lunch coming up, we’re going to a winter festival, and we’re hosting a fundraiser.”
The fundraiser will be at Woonona Beach on 17 May in aid of the Woonona Boardriders after an arson attack on their trailer resulted in the loss of about $50,000 worth of equipment to run their board ride events, with 50 per cent of proceeds going to the cause.
“It’s drawing back to the fact we love the coastline and beaches, and want to support the people and businesses that make the most of the beaches in the Illawarra,” he said.
Grant admits the journey to this point has come with some challenges.
He said the idea was to simply park at the beach, get a commercial licence and let people sauna by the sea.
However, he said the reality had been more complicated due to Bondfire not fitting neatly into existing business categories, with the couple now working with Wollongong City Council to find a regulatory pathway.
For now, they had found a base at the Bulli Timbermill to complement the cafe and art already on offer.
While they started in the heat of January, he said business was picking up as the temperatures dropped and customers made it part of their weekly ritual or became regulars of their women’s circles and events.
“Everyone is intrigued,” he said.
“Driving this thing down the highway, you see all these people trying to figure out what it is.”
Costing $33 per person, a 50-minute communal session for up to eight people offers the sauna and a hydration station with water, electrolytes and lollies.
It was that “bonding” that inspired the name.
“We wanted to draw on the fact that bonfire night was a place for everyone to meet up – neighbours, strangers – and you’d all sit around the fire and share stories, which is essentially what we’re doing with the sauna,” he said.
“Because there’s a fireplace in it, you’re connecting around the fire and chatting.”
He said saunas also came with health benefits, including increasing heart rate for cardiovascular health, which in turn released endorphins to reduce stress and cortisol levels, and the byproduct was better quality sleep.
Learn more about Bondfire Sauna and the Woonona fundraiser at Woonona Beach on 17 May.
