Meet the Cork man who created a hidden sanctuary on his family farm 

The benefits of using a sauna are well-documented.

Getting your sweat on supercharges your cell power, promotes good sleep, reduces stress, improves circulation, and relaxes the muscles.

A field on the Smyth family farm turned out to be a perfect spot for what is now the Hidden Sauna of Bridgefield Farm, near Castlemartyr.

It is a place to relax and rejuvenate while surrounded by the natural beauty of East Cork.

The creation of the Hidden Sauna also solved the issue of ash dieback in a forest part of the family beef farm.

Harry Smyth came up with a novel idea in a bad situation.

“I came up with the idea of using the wood surplus as a fuel for a sauna on the family land,” says Harry, 25.

What inspired him to come up with this gem of an idea?

“I lived in Canada, in Whistler, on the mountainside famous for skiing and snowboarding,” says Harry.

“The sauna community there was like a little village where people embraced the great outdoors and the use of cold plunge pools and saunas.”

Harry studied food innovation in Technological University Dublin (TUD), and always wanted to start his own business.

The Hidden Sauna development has a wood-fired sauna as its centrepiece, set against the backdrop of scenic East Cork where Harry grew up.

“I was down looking at the trees in the forest in a patch I had trimmed as a child,” he says.

“I used to go down in summers when I was 9, 10, and 12 and trim the side branches so that the trees grew better and did not grow outward and it stops them from staying shorter. My dad thought it was a great idea, and he has always been very supportive of me.”

Dad rolled up his sleeves and mucked in to create the sauna.

“The ash tree forest, part of the family beef farm, was to have formed a big part of my dad’s pension,” says Harry.

“The amount of holes me and my dad dug out for everything around the site was tough going.

“It felt like we dug out more soil than the Eurotunnel to be honest!

“At present we have an 85m woodland studio, a clan and tiled changing area with a veranda for privacy, customer toilets a four-minute walk from the site, a 12-person wood-fired sauna, a four-person cold-plunge pool, and outdoor shower, and a coffee caravan with all the bells and whistles, and we’re serving Bell Coffee.

“Most of the impressive structures you can see here on-site were built by carpenter Mark Foley who is very talented and was a great help in realising my vision.”

Who are the residents taking in the beautiful tranquil surroundings?

Harry laughs.

“They are our mother and daughter Alpaca duo, Amy Winehouse and Rainey. People love to pet them.”

People love to get the sweat on and plunge into the cold pool afterwards.

“You can hear the screams across the fields!” says Harry. “The happy endorphins are alive and well!”

The social aspect of the sauna is huge.

“It is a great way to meet new, like-minded people,” says Harry.

“People who have their own saunas installed in their houses still come here to use mine.

“The happy endorphins are released with the hot/cold therapy.

“The regular use of the sauna has shown to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s, depression, get rid of toxins in the body, and induce better sleep,” says Harry.

The facility is for everyone.

“Going to a sauna is proper family activity,” says Harry.

“GAA teams come here, couples, mothers and daughters, hen parties, and a jockey comes here especially to sweat off weight.

“Going to the sauna is a great alternative to going to the pub.”

Does everyone want to indulge?

Harry laughs.

“With the heat, the veins are dilated, bringing blood flow to the surface of the skin, resulting in more growth of healthy new skin cells and the exfoliation of dead skin cells.

“Detoxification takes place through sweating.”

There are other appealing benefits.

“Going to the sauna allows you to detach from the busy world we live in nowadays and gives you some time out,” says Harry. “The sauna is very relaxing.”

Some days are busier than others for him.

“The day after a bank holiday is always very busy,” says Harry.

“People want to sweat out any excesses they indulged in over the weekend!”

The young entrepreneur has future plans for the Hidden Sauna.

“I want to expand into a proper outdoor wellness retreat where people can choose to leave their phones in their lockers and experience an outdoor space in a natural native Irish forest,” says Harry.

“I have plans to get all of the electricity that will be used 100% by solar panels and so no carbon footprint. As I take the dying timber from our forest, I will be resetting other areas with native Irish trees, so we have circular economy.”

Harry is intent on promoting the wellness and the feelgood benefits of the sauna.

“The Japanese have an expression, ‘Shinrin-yoku’, which translates to forest bathing. It invites you to take a break from your busy life and connect with nature.”

People can connect in other ways too, availing of Zumba classes, breathwork, and pilates in the custom-built studio.

Harry is an outdoors person.

“When I came up with the idea of the sauna, I realised it would be the best of both worlds,” he says.

“I’d get to build a business and spend the whole day outside!

“It’s great to chat and have coffee or a herbal tea with people who come to use the Hidden Sauna. They can enjoy the place, and I can’t wait to welcome more people now that it’s up and running.”

Alpaca residents Amy Winehouse and Rainey, immersed in nature, are lucky creatures!