Tend the fire early, keep the ladle full, and never rush a guest out of the heat.
Walter Hemsley
July 31, 2026 Rituals, Seasons
Notes from the bathhouse keeper
The short answer
Walter tends the wood fired sauna every day. His advice for guests: sit low first, keep rounds short, rest properly between them and come back more than once.
Walter Hemsley lights the sauna stove at six every morning, and by the time the first guests arrive the cedar is warm to the touch. We asked him what eleven years of tending the fire has taught him.
On the heat
A good sauna should feel generous, never punishing. Walter keeps the stove steady rather than fierce, and adds wood little and often through the day so the room never swings from cool to scorching.
People think hotter is better. It is not. Steady is better.
His advice for guests
- Start on the lowest bench
- Keep the first round short
- Cool off properly, then rest before going back in
- Drink more water than you think you need
Walter leads the birch whisk twice a day and is always happy to talk about wood, heat and the old bathhouses he visited as a young man. Find him by the stove.
Quick questions
Every day at 11 am and 4 pm in the cedar sauna.
Seasoned alder and birch from a local woodland, stacked to dry for two years.
Walter runs a short fire keeping session for retreat guests on Saturday mornings.
Walter Hemsley
Bathhouse keeper
Writes about the small rituals that make a visit to Olvenne feel longer than it is.
Guest replies
Sample replies written for this demo.
September 25, 2026
Harriet O.
This is exactly how our first visit went, and the tea on the terrace was the highlight.
September 26, 2026
Theo M.
The cold plunge scared me the first time. By the third round I was looking forward to it.
September 26, 2026
Olvenne
Ten seconds is always enough the first time. See you next visit.
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