Salo Sauna’s Ontario Story: Finnish Roots in Parry Sound

At Salo Sauna, we are an Ontario sauna company shaped by family, tradition, and place. We build modern Finnish saunas with the belief that sauna is more than a feature of the home. It is a meaningful part of daily life: a space to slow down, reconnect, and restore.

Our story brings together Finnish heritage and Canadian craftsmanship in a way that feels deeply personal to us. From our beginnings near Parry Sound to the saunas we build today, everything we do is guided by a respect for where we come from and a desire to share the experience of sauna with others.

A Personal Business Shaped by Family

Salo Sauna is founded by Henry Salonen, but he would not be who he is without his family.

His Finnish heritage, his understanding of sauna and his appreciation for things built with care were formed long before the company began. Sauna was part of his family life, passed down through experience rather than explained as a set of rules. You learned by being there: feeling the room warm, listening to water meet the stones and understanding when it was time to step outside and cool down.

His family did not found Salo Sauna, but they helped shape the person who did.

His father, Timo, passed along both Finnish sauna traditions and a practical respect for construction, materials and things made to last. When Henry’s brother John was visiting from British Columbia, he helped with the early stages of Salo Sauna along with the construction of the first Salo Sauna. John's contributions are greatly appreciated.

Salo Sauna itself grew from Henry’s background in design, modular building systems and the film and television industry. That experience taught him to think carefully about proportion, material, atmosphere and the way people move through a space. With Salo Sauna, those skills are applied to places designed not for a camera, but for everyday rituals that may continue for decades.

The Meaning Behind the Name Salo

Salo is a Finnish word meaning “forested wilderness,” and it sits at the heart of both our family name and our company. Salonen comes from the same root, referring to a person from the wilderness. For us, that meaning has always felt deeply fitting. It speaks to the landscapes tied to our Finnish heritage, but also to the forests, rock, and quiet of the Ontario setting where Salo Sauna took shape.

When we chose the name Salo, we wanted something that felt true to where we come from. It is simple, grounded, and closely tied to nature, much like the sauna tradition that has been part of our family for generations. It reflects a way of life shaped by the outdoors, by craftsmanship, and by a respect for things made to last.

More than a name, Salo is a thread that connects our past to the work we do today. It reminds us of our roots, the landscapes that continue to inspire us, and the heritage we carry into every sauna we build.

Finnish Roots in an Ontario Landscape

Our Finnish roots found a natural home in Ontario. Around Parry Sound, the landscape is defined by forest, granite, water, and a kind of northern stillness that has always felt familiar to us. It is a place where the meaning behind Salo comes to life, and where our family’s heritage feels closely connected to the land around us.

Salo Sauna began on Little Finland Road, just south of Parry Sound, in a setting that brought together much of what matters to us. The surrounding wilderness, the slower pace, and the strong sense of place all echoed the traditions that shaped our family long before the company began. In that way, our Ontario story has always felt like a continuation of our Finnish one.

That connection between heritage and landscape remains central to who we are. Salo Sauna is rooted in Finnish tradition, but it is also unmistakably shaped by Ontario: by its forests, its seasons, and the communities that make this region home.

Building with Canadian Cedar and Finnish Heat

The saunas we build bring together two parts of our story: the Canadian landscape around us and the Finnish tradition that guides us. Every material choice is made with purpose, from the wood that lines the walls to the stove that creates the heat at the heart of the sauna experience.

We build with Canadian Western Red Cedar because it offers the qualities we value most in a sauna wood. It is durable, naturally beautiful, and known for the warm aroma it gives off when heated. Its rich grain and soft tones create a space that feels inviting from the moment you step inside, while its natural resilience makes it well suited to the changing heat and humidity of a sauna environment. Cedar is also deeply connected to the landscapes of Canada, making it a fitting material for saunas built here in Ontario.

At the centre of each sauna is the stove. We use Finnish-made Harvia heaters because they are built for the kind of sauna experience we know and value. In Finnish sauna culture, heat is not only about temperature. It is about löyly—the wave of warmth and steam that rises when water is poured over hot stones. That moment is central to the feeling of a true sauna, and it is one of the reasons the heater matters so much.

Together, Canadian cedar and Finnish heat give each Salo sauna its character. One reflects the land where we build; the other carries forward the tradition that shaped us. The result is a sauna experience that feels both grounded and authentic: crafted in Canada, guided by Finland, and designed to be lived in for years to come.

Carrying the Tradition Forward

What began as a family tradition continues to guide the way we build today. Sauna has always represented something meaningful to us: a chance to slow down, gather, restore, and create space for connection. Those values remain at the centre of Salo Sauna as we share this tradition with more families across Ontario.

As Salo Sauna grows, our purpose remains the same. We are here to honour the tradition that shaped our family and to help others make it part of their own. Every sauna is an invitation to experience the warmth, restoration, and togetherness that have always made the sauna experience so important to us.