Finnish Bath In Newton?
My wife and I recently took a trip to visit my daughter who lives in London. While there, at my daughter’s suggestion, we decided to take a high speed train to the city of Bath. Bath is located 97 miles (156 km) west of London and is famous for its Roman-built baths.
Historians are certain the Romans discovered the hot springs deep below the surface and built a temple on the site in Bath around 50AD. It was dedicated to Minerva, the Roman goddess of healing, and Sul, a Celtic god. This is the derivation of the Roman name for the city – ‘Aquae Sulis’ – meaning ‘waters of Sul’. For the next several hundred years, people from many, many miles away visited the hot springs and integrated saunas for their healing powers.
By now you’re wondering how all of this ties into this column titled, “Local Innovations”. Well, while Bath is nearly 3200 miles from our MetroWest area, I recently walked into what appears to be a piece of history literally in the making. This one is of Finnish descent and is newly built but feels centuries old. In fact, the sauna environment is cobbled together from very special, aged kelo timber logs carefully selected and imported from Lapland, Finland.
A Kelo sauna is a type of Finnish relaxation space made from Kelo polar pine, a type of wood that grows slowly in the Arctic region of Finland. One spectacular feature is the scent that greets you as soon as you walk into the spa. In addition to the one of a kind wood fired sauna, the spa boasts a steam room, cold plunge tubs and luxurious robe service.
I recently sat down (in the sauna) with founders Alex Lendel and Klim Gotovkin to learn more about this fascinating new space. Alex shared “there is significant medical evidence that suggests the combination of heat and a cold plunge can improve blood circulation, boost the immune system, and help protect against infections.” Klim went on to say “the centuries old approach can also improve the texture and appearance of the skin and promote faster muscle recovery.” Alex left the sauna to retrieve what appeared to be large, leafed out paddles. Proudly he explained these paddles are a part of an ancient ritual. The application of these paddles differs from therapist to therapist, but functionally, they are used to bring the heat down from the high areas of the sauna onto the person on the sauna bench receiving the treatment. This is then followed by a plunge into the cold water plunge pool and is repeated. Trying this is a must!
Three things are very clear from the moment you walk into Kelo Spa & Steam. First, this is a very welcoming environment. Secondly, it’s nothing like you’ve ever seen. Finally, the owners are truly passionate about what they’re doing here. They live it, they love it and they want to share it with our community.
If you find yourself in Newton Highlands, I highly recommend you stop in and check out Kelo Spa & Steam. It’s a truly innovative way to relax just as people did centuries ago - only better!
