Hikitalo: The sauna by the sea, Porthcawl’s ‘third space’

On the coast of Porthcawl, where sea-salt twists in winds from the lungs of South Wales, stands a handcrafted wooden building that’s perched on the edge of a sand dune. Its mirrored windows reflect the ever-changing sky, the lighthouse beyond, and a shoreline shared by a cold dipping community. Hikitalo sauna sitting on the banks of Sandy Bay, Porthcawl This is Hikitalo – a name that, in Finnish, means ‘sweat house’. But for its founder, Will, and the growing community that gathers here, Hikitalo is much more than a place to sweat. It’s a ‘third space’: a modern sanctuary for connection, healing, and belonging. From breakdown to breakthrough Two years ago, Will’s life reached a junction. “I suffered a breakdown and decided to hit the road,” he recalls. What followed was a journey across fourteen countries and through more than seventy saunas. From Finnish lakeside cabins to Guatemalan sweat lodges, and the bustling bathhouses of Germany, Will immersed himself in the world’s sauna cultures. Will, founder of Hikitalo, sitting outside the sauna with his dog, Archie. Each space offered him something he hadn’t found elsewhere. “Sauna had become that space, somewhere incredibly grounding and restorative,” he explains. Returning home to Porthcawl, Will knew he couldn’t step back into his old career. Instead, he wanted to serve his community, to create something that had helped him heal. The answer was a sauna – a place that could become a new kind of social hub. Hikitalo began to take shape. A nod to tradition and transformation The name was inspired by a Finn called Santeri, now a good friend, that Will met while participating in a sweat lodge ceremony in Guatemala. “It felt like a nod to both traditional sauna culture and the healing, communal energy I experienced on that journey.” The word itself, sweat house, evokes images of ancient rituals and communal warmth, but also the release and renewal that comes with letting go. Will’s vision for Hikitalo was shaped by mor...