Luxury Escape on Victoria
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With Sauna Sanctuary, Max and Rebekah Butters are making luxury feel attainable. They’ve been operating Sauna Sanctuary for two weeks when I visit, and the location seems an unlikely one for a sauna and cold plunge pool - in an upstairs office building at 56 Victoria Ave. But you walk into the reception and there’s candles and plants, it feels private and peaceful, like an escape from the everyday. The brother and sister at the heart of the operation are two of the loveliest, most down-to-earth people you could ever meet. Their warmth and humour is infectious, as well as their passion for what they’re doing. Max and Rebekah (or Becky, as Max calls her) started Sauna Sanctuary because of their shared love of the sauna, and the sense of well-being it gives them. “We feel like Whanganui deserves more nice things and we wanted to invest back into our hometown and create a clean, comfortable, more private space for people here.” Max adds, “Once we decided to do this, we just went full-steam ahead. The idea came about three months ago. And then me and Becky were like - let’s just do it, let’s take a risk.”

The pair did all the painting and decorating of their new space in-between holding down their full-time jobs. The result is a ‘contrast therapy’ room that has a resort feel: dark wood panelling on the walls, soft lighting and candles, tropical plants by the cold plunge. Laid out for guests are towels, a range of herbal teas, electrolytes and aftercare products. While there’s no shower onsite, the two say they’re looking to the future and depending on demand would love to accommodate showers and more services. They explain that the sauna works by using light emitters to directly warm the body with infrared waves, rather than heating the surrounding air like a traditional stone sauna. These waves penetrate the body’s tissues, raising the core temperature to induce a deep, relaxing sweat. They’ve gone with the Clearlight Sauna, which is the best available on the market. “We wanted to go for a more luxurious feel, with top-of-the-line saunas. We wanted to give people the best,” says Rebekah. “And It’s a good way to destress, recover and unwind, and even to socialise with a friend. It’s a nice way to spend a Saturday night. Afterwards you feel amazing. You feel refreshed. It’s good for recovery, especially if you’re working out a lot.” It’s clear with their pricing and their passion that they want to make their sauna accessible for those who need it - particularly people with stressful and physically demanding jobs. “Great for tradies,” says Max. “I went to Zip Plumbing the other day to get some stuff for here and the fella that served me - he’s been through the wars. He's been a plumber all his life and tradies get real sore. It’s
hard on your body. Saunas are a good way to loosen up the muscles.”
 
The sauna can accommodate two people, making it perfect for the date night ‘Friday Soak and Chill’ package the studio is running. While Max says that he’s a cold plunge convert, “The Scandinavians have been doing it for years. It gives your body that shock factor,” Rebekah and I are not totally convinced this sounds like our idea of a good time. So for anyone who thinks a cold plunge doesn’t sound ideal for a date night - the plunge pool can be turned into a hot tub. “Night time in that room looking out onto the ave and seeing the lights - there’s a great ambience. You’re upstairs tucked away and in your own world.” I have to say how impressive I find Rebekah, starting a business at 25-years-old. “It’s nice waking up with more of a purpose,” she says. “When it's for yourself and something you're passionate about. That’s why we’ve loved seeing our first lot of clients coming through - because it’s like, this was all for something and then after they come out and they’ve had a nice session it just reminds you of why you did it, which is such a good feeling.”

Becky and Max are the youngest of four siblings, who all live around the corner from each other. “Handy when you need to borrow the lawnmower,” laughs Max. “And for the nieces and nephews to come over to play X-Box.” I explain that I think it’s a huge compliment to a mum when she has kids who want to stay living in the same town when they’re grown up. “Yeah we always come back. Even if we leave home for a year or so we somehow just creep back in. We’re a close family. We still have Sunday dinners,” he says. Rebekah agrees, “ I did go overseas when I was 18, went traveling and stuff, but I always came home . Now that I'm older and have been back here I really appreciate my hometown.” “Your mum must be so proud of you guys,” I say. “Yeah, mum’s so proud. She’s super supportive. She helps us a lot. She’s been coming up here showing all her workmates. That big palm tree out there (Rebekah points out to the lobby area) one of her workmates got that for us and they’ve all been super supportive and nice. She’s proud we’re doing something we love to do. She’s always lived in Whanganui, she loves it here, so she thinks it’s pretty cool seeing us put back into Whanganui as well.”

For Max and Rebekah, Sauna Sanctuary is clearly more than a business venture – it’s a way of making their own passion accessible to people in Whanganui. Their space on Victoria Avenue offers the city a little luxury, but it also reflects something deeper: family, community, and a belief that looking after yourself doesn’t have to mean leaving town.