NASS recently sat down (virtually) with Henning Grentz. He started a business in 2018 that rents saunas in the Tri-State area (NY-NJ-CT) and parts of VT, MA and PA. Since this is a trend that is getting bigger, we plan on telling about these businesses at NASS’s website. The next one in the pipeline hails from Oklahoma!
1) Mobile Sauna business. Where did you get the idea?
The idea for a mobile sauna sprung from my life-long appreciation for Finnish style sauna and my realization that there weren't too many such saunas around the Hudson Valley. In fact, I noticed that there didn't seem to be much of a sauna culture at all, as far as I knew, in most parts of the United States. So, rather than establishing a local brick-and-mortar bath house, I thought that I could bring the joy of sauna to the relatively few sauna aficionados wherever they are in a much larger geographical area. Also, I hoped that the novelty factor would help spread the word about sauna culture and sauna's health benefits. Sauna brings joy and contentment, I believe.
For a few years leading up to the construction of the sauna, I have been sauna bathing in my friend Tom's basic but cute little sauna, which is located on a small island in the pond in his yard. Tom is a gentleman in his 70s who has Parkinson's disease, and I kept helping him out with fixing and maintaining the sauna, replacing a bridge to the island, and other projects. He's a real renaissance man, artist, and inventor, and he encouraged me right from the start as we were brainstorming trailer types, structural design, creature comfort features, and other design elements.
2) Do you know/ where is your competition, either direct or indirect?
As they say, there's a fine line between genius and insanity. The jury is still out on which category a mobile sauna fits into, but if it is lunacy then at least I'm not the only lunatic. It hadn't even crossed my mind to look for other mobile saunas on the internet until mine was almost finished. In this country, they appear to be few and far in between. After Spa Fleet's launch, two separate parties, both located in Oregon, contacted me for feedback on construction, road rules, insurance, etc., and I was happy to help them out with some of the knowledge I had gathered.
Within my delivery area, I only know of one other mobile sauna, down in New York City. However, I believe their core business is to host public sauna events in and around Brooklyn, whereas most of my customers by far, are private groups and individuals in small towns, the country side, or the suburbs.
Otherwise, I suppose the larger hotels (e.g. Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, NY and the Emmerson Resort & Spa in Mount Tremper) have spas for their guests. I don't really consider those competition, though, as (a) their facilities are open to the public, and (b) the fact that my customers can choose wherever they want to sauna bathe is a very specialized feature.
3) How has the response been so far?
It has been great, especially this year as Spa Fleet is becoming more known. I have to admit, I am not terribly great at marketing, nor am I very interested in it, either. So, I do a little bit here and there, and let the word get out bit by bit. After all, this is a small business centered around relaxation, and if I ended up stressing out about trying to maximize profit or posting on social media all the time then this would likely sour the experience for me, and possibly for my customers, as well. So, I'm content to let the business grow organically and see where it goes.
So far, I am happy to report that I have had 100% enthusiastically positive feedback from my customers, and a few long-term (month+) and repeat bookings. I try to be flexible and accommodating regarding booking considerations (delivery times and such.) My customers appreciate how streamlined the process is for them, so they can focus on enjoying themselves.
4) Do most of your customers know how to sauna bathe?
I would say that about 30% of my customers are new to sauna or have little experience with it. When I say this, please bear in mind that mostly I communicate with the people who are processing the booking, so I cannot speak to the people in their parties (friends & family members, clients, co-workers etc.) I supply a user manual with the sauna, which, aside from the sauna's features, introduces safe sauna bathing practices. (You can find it as a .pdf at the bottom of www.spafleetrental.com/about for download.)
5) Final thoughts, anything you would need from NASS?
I just ordered a NASS membership. And I'd love to put a NASS plaque in my sauna, but the blue color would really clash with the color scheme. Is there any way I could purchase the design template from you?
Henning Grentz Spa Fleet - Mobile Sauna Rental 646.331.8329 www.spafleetrental.com