A Parry Sound Beginning
SALO began quietly on Little Finland Road, just south of Parry Sound — surrounded by rock, trees, and the scent of cedar. It wasn’t a factory or showroom, but a small workshop where we built our very first sauna by hand.
Founded by a father and two sons, SALO grew the way many things do in the North — with the help of neighbours.
Our lumber came from a mill down the road. A local electrician wired our first stove. And the first time we felt that heat rise, we knew we had something real — rooted in tradition, built for
modern life.
That first sauna was simple, but it had everything that mattered: good wood, honest construction, and the kind of heat that brings people together.
Family and friends tested and approved the sauna. Steam rose into the cool air. Conversations lingered. From that small beginning, SALO took shape — an idea rooted in Finland, built in Canada.
And so it began.
Our Team
SALO is a family-run company built on generations of Finnish sauna tradition. Growing up, sauna wasn’t a luxury for us—it was simply part of life. A place to slow down, reconnect, and reset.
Founders Henry Salonen, Tim Salonen and John Salonen
Our Manifesto
We believe a sauna is more than heat.
It is a tradition, a rhythm, and a way of life passed down through generations. In Finland—the country with the highest number of saunas per capita—this ritual has stood the test of time, shaping community, health, and renewal.
At SALO, we honour that legacy and carry it forward. Salo means “forested wilderness” in Finnish. Our saunas are designed and crafted by a father and his two sons, and our family name, Salonen, literally refers to a person from the wilderness. This connection to land, craft, and lineage is at the heart of everything we do.
We line our walls, benches, and backrests with Canadian Western Red Cedar—not only for its strength and durability, but for its warmth, aroma, and quiet beauty. Cedar transforms a sauna into a sanctuary, a place set apart from the noise of everyday life.
We choose Harvia stoves because they are born of the same soil as the tradition itself—engineered in Finland to create true löyly: the living wave of heat and steam that makes a sauna come alive.
We believe deeply in the physical and mental health benefits of regular sauna use. Scientific research continues to show sauna bathing as one of the most effective forms of passive therapy for heart health, resilience, and longevity.
We are SALO. We build saunas that endure storms, silence distractions, and carry the wisdom of a culture that has always known this truth:
The sauna is not a luxury.
It is a necessity.