Hello from Tyddyn Rhydderch! A dwelling with this name has been here since 1645, but the present house is from the mid 1740’s. We became it’s guardians in 2019, falling in love with it the moment we arrived to look around. It’s a house that’s welcomed guests since the day we moved in and will hopefully continue to do so for as long as we’re here. Unusually for a Welsh house we also have three saunas – an original one, built in the 1980’s, that was here when we bought the property; one in a converted pigsty and a third freestanding log framed sauna/banya.
The house sauna was built by the previous owners of the property, one of whom was originally from Helsinki. The Kastor wood burning stove was driven over from Finland in the early 1980’s and the sauna has been in continuous use more or less since then. The space had a bit of a re-work a couple of years ago, increasing the ceiling height, adding a new chimney and increasing bench space whilst keeping its overall aesthetic unchanged. It’s compact, cocooning and seats four on two levels. The heat is mellow on the low bench and stronger up high. The löyly is hot and fast, fierce for a while but then settling quickly.
Pigsty sauna. These were derelict buildings when we arrived, but in true pioneer style they were one of the first projects we undertook. One building was converted into the sauna itself and later the second renovated into a changing room and resting spot. The Sydän kiuas (meaning Heart in Finnish) is a beast of a stove. It can deliver hot room temperatures in excess of 120°c and has enough rock mass to produce consistent and continuous steam. This space can seat 7-8 people and the exterior space includes 5 ice baths (3 whiskey barrels and 2 conventional tanks) for mid round cold plunges. The changing room has a wood stove which keeps the space toasty on colder days and ensures that the coffee and sausages are always hot and ready.
Log sauna. The third and latest sauna added to the roster, built in part as the subject of a newspaper article. Cut into a small incline at one hidden corner of our plot, the solid timber construction and hand built brick and steel stove provides a smoke-sauna like environment for low and slow sauna sessions. Containing one deep and wide bench, it’s the perfect spot for leaf whisking and deep relaxing sessions. The stove is heated for many hours before use, allowing some of the smoke to temporarily fill the whole interior space. After burning, the ashes and soot are removed, and the residual heat from the huge rock mass provides several hours of deep and restorative heat. This is our only sauna with a window – providing an eye-level view out along the valley and if weather permits, a perfect view of the setting sun behind the hills opposite.
We’re not a commercial enterprise, this is our home but our saunas and our kitchen have been welcoming friends and family since we landed here. The love of löyly and sauna cuts deep so we’re always happy to share the bench (and the Makkara) with like-minded heat seekers and sauna aficionados. Tucked away in a corner we have an off-grid tiny-house with a wood stove and a comfy bed – so if you need somewhere to flop, post-sauna just ask. We’re dog friendly – we have two of our own – but we also have cats and a free-range and wilfully-roaming paddle of ducks so be warned
There’s nothing like a post-sauna appetite and there’s often something buttery or crusty coming out of the oven. A table of cheese or charcuterie with fresh bread and Welsh butter is pretty much mandatory for rounding off a great sauna session. If it’s warm we’ll set a table in the garden, if not then in the kitchen by the wood stove is perfect for something tasty with a shot of Birch vodka!
