There will soon be a new sauna in town after a now three-year journey comes to fruition in the form of Ærth Saunas.
Ærth Saunas is the brainchild and project of entrepreneur Viki Csanicz, who initially got the idea to open a sauna because of the lack of accessible options as compared to her home country of Hungary.
Csanicz has spent much of her adult life travelling between home, Mexico, the United States, throughout Europe and Canada. She says she first experienced Victoria at the end of a backpacking trip.
She says that since moving here she has realized that saunas aside, there is a general lack of healing modalities, or experiences, in North America when compared to Europe.
“A $140 counseling session is not affordable, you know, it’s not accessible to people,” Csanicz told Victoria Buzz.
“There are very traditional rituals that I grew up with that can facilitate that healing through community and through inter-generational converstations—just that net of people. So I’ve been very connected to community spaces and saunas were one of them.”
She adds that here in Canada, saunas are targeted to be more expensive than they need to be, with some businesses charging upwards of $100 per drop in.
“In Europe it’s like $10, I am sure we can do better,” she said in reference to the $100 sauna fee.
Csanicz says that while those luxury saunas with a high price tag have their place, she intentionally wanted to challenge the status quo, while being mindful about cost while facilitating togetherness in a new third space, or gathering space.
Additionally, she said that her ideal location was somewhere in downtown Victoria, where people are most disconnected from nature and healing.
That ethos drove her to start a business plan and start seeking a space to open a sauna that she hopes will be affordable, accessible and something that people might want to make part of their daily routines.
She found the location for Ærth Saunas in a moment of serendipity while on a walk in James Bay, looking for outdoor locations that might be suitable.
Csanicz found her perfect location tucked behind the Pendry Inn and Tea House, at 312 Quebec Street.
“We ran into the hotel manager, I had known her from before, and I said ‘this is what I am looking for,’ and she was like, ‘how about here,’” Csanicz explained. “It was really cool.”
That was nearly three years ago, in which time Csanicz has been busy finding investors who align with her goals, finding designers, getting all her permits and approvals in order and finally, putting it all together.
Now, the finish line is in sight and the saunas are being built. They are being craned into the site on May 6th, the deck is being built and then the last step is turning the space into a lush, relaxing environment using all edible vegetation, or plants that have an edible component.
The site will have an accessible bathroom; a shared changeroom/shower/bathroom structure, two larger saunas that fit up to 14 people, a communal eight-foot wide cold plunge and an area with a private sauna.
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Csanicz says that a big part of her next steps is hiring and training staff. Part of their jobs will be to learn about and facilitate sauna ceremonies.
“It’s a way more immersive experience than just letting people roam around in the sauna space,” she said.
“There’s a lot of interacting with the guests and guiding them.”
She explained that there are many different kinds of sauna ceremonies, but Ærth Saunas will be a free-flow space with the option for ceremonies.
One ceremony that will be conducted at Ærth Saunas is called “aufguss.”
“It’s a 15 minute guided experience where we bring in essential oils and a snowball, and we wave a towel around to music,” Csanicz explained.
“It’s a whole journey. You go through a whole 10 to 15 minute experience with someone waving the towel to move the air around—it’s a very arty way of holding space and it’s more intense than just sitting because you get hot air in your face.”
She added that the everyday programming will be fairly rich, once they are open and have their feet under them, with a myriad of workshops and nutritionists who will be invited to work with their clientele.
Csanicz says that drop-ins at Ærth Saunas will be $55, which includes an aufguss experience if there is one going on.
There are also a variety of options for punch cards and memberships that fit in with all kinds of lifestyles and sauna needs.
Ærth Saunas’ grand opening is slated for mid-June. Visit their website for more information on memberships, pricing and hours of operation.
