On the Record: Mobile sauna startup peddles wellness on wheels
Photo / Jim Neuger
Mary Dunham, right, and Denise Weaver, owners of Too Haute Saunas, in front of their mobile sauna when it was set up at Orchard Ridge Farm in Gorham.
Mary Dunham, originally from Westchester County, N.Y., and a graduate of the Maine College of Art and Design, is the founder and owner of a tattoo, henna and reiki studio located in the State Theatre building in Portland. With business partner Denise Weaver, she recently launched a mobile sauna business called Too Haute Saunas. Mainebiz caught up with Dunham to find out more about her business ventures.
Mainebiz: What prompted your path into becoming a tattoo and henna artist?
Mary Dunham: I was infatuated by the beautiful intricate designs of Mehndi henna art that I saw in National Geographic in the ’90s and also on music icons at awards events. I became a henna artist when I was 19 years old because I loved the multicultural lineage of this 5,000-year-old ancient art from a healing plant. Using my drawing skills, I have traveled all over the world doing henna for over 30 years. I became interested in becoming a tattoo artist once clients asked me to create tattoo designs for them. It was disappointing not to be able to create them myself, so I set on the path to become trained. I have been intuitively painting on the body for 30 years, so it became a very natural transition into tattooing.
MB: What has bringing in a partner for the sauna business added to the equation?
MD: Denise Weaver (aka Coco) has been a lifesaver — she has taken over my scheduling and put so many organization elements in my job where I struggled to keep up. Having her help is like freeing up 30% of my brain space. She is a taskmaster, and it’s been great to see how our brains work differently, but also good, together.
MB: What’s your aim with Too Haute Saunas, and how will the pop-up model work?
MD: We came up with the concept to bring sauna experiences that invite people to come to a place in nature they have never visited before in Maine. We believe cultivating collaborations with artisans and other business-to-business opportunities with the sauna — highlighting offerings such as food, yoga, singles night or creating an activity with a sauna experience and prioritizing wellness in an accessible, nature-based way. We want to give people the opportunity to practice hot and cold therapy in a comfortable environment, as a community, or the privacy of renting the sauna for their home to share with family and friends. We will have pop-up events along with monthly residencies at scenic locations. We will work with the landowners and venues to highlight the good they are doing with the serene relaxation of sauna practices.
MB: Who and where are your target customers?
MD: Sauna is for everyone, and we want to bring awareness of the health benefits for de-stressing as well as create more opportunities for corporations and businesses to use the sauna for employee appreciation days. We also want to have the sauna be an amazing addition to a bachelorette or other type of party or a sacred ceremony. Our sauna is for everyone 18 and older — in other words, ageless. There are endless health benefits, which can help people live longer, healthier lives. We will be operating in the midcoast and southern Maine regions.
MB: Where do you see your businesses in five years from now?
MD: I hope to hire another artist in the studio for tattooing and to hire a woman apprentice, paying it forward to empower the next generation of female artists. For Too Haute Saunas, we aspire to have multiple mobile saunas in use for events and rental collaborations, as well as raise money for nonprofits via sweat-for-a-cause donations. Our mission is to bring awareness of health through saunas by creating fun community events in the beauty of Maine, from the woods to the ocean. One big dream we have is to build a floating sauna that we can launch upon the lakes of Maine.
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