About

Sea Smoke Sauna is a quiet wood-fired sauna on North Haven island, offering 60-minute private sessions. Our rustic sauna is nestled into the woods, between fern beds and mossy purple ledge. In the summer it’s a lush sanctuary, in the winter a cave-like retreat. Community, meaningful connection, inward reflection, and presence need time and tending in our busy lives. Sauna provides a safe and nurturing container for this important cultivation. We know you’ll appreciate our little cocoon as much as we do. And like a cocoon, our sauna offers shelter for transformation: heat from fire, water into steam, stress melts away, new you. It’s both simple AND totally profound. Visit us.

Who.

Sea Smoke Sauna is created, owned, designed, handbuilt, and operated by Kat Alexander & Jessie Hallowell. We live, work, and raise our families on the island year-round. We deep-dive into everything we do, with a shared love for our community through service. Lifelong health is another shared dedication, after both facing our own chronic health challenges. Since 2020, we’ve been cold-dipping daily in the ocean with sauna as the perfect antidote to the cold. The idea of building a sauna business together was born in 2021 after visiting our inspiring friends at Cedar Grove Sauna in Montville, Maine. We saw that sauna could be rustic, inclusive, simple, and intentional. We are so proud of what we’ve created for our community, and hopeful that the ripples from this small project will be far-reaching.

What.

Sauna refers to the Finnish practice of dry or steam bathing in a small room to clean and refresh the body. Finnish lifestyle centers around practical wellness, community, design, and nature. Prioritizing health and relaxation becomes culturally essential. Versions of sauna exist in many cultures around the world, and have been practiced regularly for thousands of years. There is a long-standing wisdom in the ritual of heating and cooling the body to promote lifelong health and resilience. Beyond detoxifying the physical body, sauna offers holistic health benefits. We’ve noticed improved circulation, sound sleep, a decrease in stress and anxiety, meaningful connection to nature and community, and more joy from regular sauna use.

When you schedule a 60-minute private sauna session for up to 4 people (please, all guests must be over 18 years old) the space is yours. There is a cozy, private changing room at the sauna. We currently do not have a restroom onsite (but will soon!) so please go before you arrive. We stoke our Kuuma wood-fired stove to maintain the hot room between 160-205°F during your session, optimal sauna temperature. We recommend spending 5-10 minutes at a time in the heat, then cool down on the covered porch, or the private outdoor patio. Take your time, no rush.

Where.

We are located, walking-distance up Smith Street from the public ferry landing. North Haven is an unbridged island, accessible by public ferry from Rockland or charter from Vinalhaven. For ferry schedules and fares please visit the Maine State Ferry website. We provide parking available for two guest vehicles. Please park in the designated sauna parking and we will greet you. Our small office space is next to the parking, the sauna itself is set back into the woods by way of our rustic wooden board walks.

Why.

We whole-heartedly believe in local, year-round, resilience through connection, community, and caring for each other (and ourselves). We work hard and we know you do too, so it’s our mission to offer everyday wellness for EVERYBODY. We’re here to help you remember the basics: get quiet, slow down, relax, repeat.

What We Provide

  • Private 60-minute session

  • Outdoor patio

  • Peaceful nature setting

  • Stoked stove

  • 160-205° F

  • 2-tier cedar benches

  • Fresh towels

  • Dry & steam heat

  • Space for up to 4 people

  • Small changing room

  • Water bucket & ladle

  • Solar lighting

  • Bathroom available on site

How to Prepare/What to Expect

  • BYO DRINKING WATER. Hydrate before, during, and after your session.

  • Bathing suits are optional. Wear easy shoes. Bring cozy clothing for after your session.

  • Shhhh, get quiet. Listen to what has been trying to get your attention.

  • Be a part of nature. Look around, take in the subtleties of each season.

  • Take it easy, move slowly, relax.

Cancellation & Rescheduling Policy

  • Cancel or reschedule your appointment up to 3 days ahead:

    Transfer funds to another session or full refund available.

  • Changes 3 days-24 hours ahead:

    Funds are transferrable to another session.

  • Less than 24 hours notice:

    Funds are non-refundable and non-transferrable.