Our Story

Hi, I’m Johanna, the founder of Wildwood Sauna. I’m originally from Germany, where sauna culture is a way of life. After moving to New Zealand more than ten years ago, my partner Alan and I eventually settled in Te Anau, where we fell in love with Fiordland’s close-knit community, slower pace, and wild landscape.

Wildwood began with a simple idea: to create a welcoming space for people to slow down, connect, and feel good. Blending Fiordland’s natural surroundings with the relaxed sauna culture found across Europe, it’s designed to feel warm, grounding, and a little bit special. Alan has been a big part of bringing this vision to life, putting in a huge amount of work behind the scenes to help build and support Wildwood from the ground up.

When I’m not by the lake running Wildwood, you’ll usually find me working in design or out exploring the outdoors that inspired this project.

Wildwood is more than a lakeside sauna in Te Anau, it’s a community built around warmth, wellbeing, and connection. Whether you come for post-hike recovery, time with friends, or a quiet moment to yourself, you’re part of something that supports wellness in Te Anau and beyond.