Wellness news: SALA introduces sauna and contrast therapy

I’ve been watching people running around like headless chooks over the last week or so, juggling work commitments with long lunches, big nights out and shopping for friends and family. It’s got a festive vibe but also a highly stressed one, and once the big day hits – AKA December 25 – all of the stress will likely culminate in seasonal indulgence coupled with a feeling of burnout… happy holidays indeed!
For me the key to handling the holiday season is taking time out when I need it, and sticking to a regular movement schedule and finding quiet time when I can get it. I’ve also been spending time at SALA, indulging in the newest feelgood modality to arrive in its doors.
Since opening its Ponsonby studio in 2018, experiential wellness studio SALA’s mission has been to share impactful experiences - whether challenging the body in a cardio class, finding inner rhythm through breathwork, or cultivating connections in their co-working space. Extending their experiential offering further, SALA now has two infrared saunas and an ice bath on site for contrast therapy, and for me the latter has been a lifesaver during a super stressful time in my life.
Founder Sarah Lindsay calls the new wellness add-ons an extension that “solidifies our approach to movement as an act of self-care, rather than counting calories. We hope this will encourage people to see all these offerings as tools to support a life well lived as one body not separate: socialising, movement, sweating.”
The two new rooms are fitted with Clearlight infrared saunas that include additional LED lights within the sauna for an extra dose of immune-boosting collagen. I’ve been throwing these on the moment I get in, and I’ve spoken often here about the myriad benefits that Infrared saunas already offer i.e. stress reduction, easing of muscle tension and pain, detoxification and improved skin tone.
Then comes the Found—Space ice bath, which allows SALA visitors to indulge in contrast therapy, which is also incredibly beneficial for mood, pain and skin. The invigorating effects of combining sauna with cold water immersion have been used for centuries, and the new contrast therapy room can be experienced solo or with up to three for the ultimate social self-care experience. Post-sweat you can get ready at your leisure with showers in rooms, along with ghd styling tools and hairdryers, before heading back out into the world feeling shiny and new.
Sarah first experienced contrast therapy in Sweden, where she spent summers teaching yoga in forest retreats. “There was a traditional sauna on the lake which we would hop between in the evening. There was something beautiful and deeply healing about those retreats. Everything felt very free and very alive. I’m a deeply romantic and nostalgic person, so the past always informs the future, the tapestry of living.”
The two rooms were thoughtfully designed by leading interior designer Mijntje Lepoutre to nurture a mind and body connection. Together, Mijntje and Sarah worked with local suppliers and fabricators to create a calming and elevated space.
“The new sauna rooms are designed as a continuation of the full sensory experience for the SALA community,” says Sarah. Materials used within are consciously chosen for their additional benefits, “such as the extensive use of the Canadian Western red cedar underfoot, as its aroma when warmed has a scientifically proven effect of stress reduction.”
I, for one, have relished the chance to chill and sweat (and repeat) at SALA over the past week, and think it will be the perfect place for those looking to rest and reset as we head into 2024. If nothing else it will help you sweat out the silly season in truly stylish and serene surroundings, which also gets a major tick of approval from me!

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