About Gather Sauna House

Halina Kowalski-Thompson is a mental health professional with 20 years of experience in the field of mental health clinical practice and research. As an experienced trauma therapist, she knew intuitively that the simple methods of hot and cold exposure could have deep healing impacts on the human heart, mind, body and soul. For years, she dreamed of creating the sauna wellness space that she herself wanted access to and that didn’t yet exist in Central Oregon.

Halina knew that Bend’s outdoor mecca of nature and recreation with the beautiful high desert landscapes was the perfect place to let her vision take shape. A study of her personal lineage led Halina to the healing traditions of Baltic bathing practiced by her ancestors. These practices involve sauna (called Pirts/Pirtis) and rituals of healing plants and herbs, often wild foraged or cultivated. Gather Sauna House was born in homage to this lineage and with the intention of introducing folks to the Baltic rituals of sauna and inspiring them to “Gather in nature, “Gather in community, and “Gather the self”.

Following three years of planning and consulting, Halina convinced her husband, Dorian Thompson, to build her vision. The two began their journey in 2019 with the concept for a vintage horse trailer turned hand-crafted mobile sauna. As the pandemic of 2020 unfolded, the husband wife team designed and built their first 4-person mobile sauna. Beginning as a side-business of pop-up events and private rentals, Gather Sauna House quickly grew to become Bend’s first public sauna and wild spa.

Today, Gather Sauna House offering the local community the opportunity to experience traditional and authentic wood-fired and sauna and thermal contrast experiences in connection with nature.

The wild spa features sauna and Baltic bathing herbal ritual experiences in beautiful outdoor locations such as Bend’s premier Riverfront park, with direct access to Central Oregonian’s beloved Deschutes River. With many plans for expansion including additional outdoor permanent, year-round locations, Gather Sauna House is just getting started and is on mission to re-connect people with nature, community and self through an ancient and timeless healing tradition that is turning into modern culture’s most exciting and impactful method of personal and social wellness.