When Bébhinn O’Malley’s dear pet dog Samhradh passed away in 2021, Bébhinn, our cherished maritime lass, travelled from her residence in the south of Kerry to lay her beloved canine to rest in their family home in County Mayo.
Samhradh was a free spirit herself, much like Bébhinn, exploring the shores of the raw Wild Atlantic Way, seemingly content to bask in the beach’s sandy dunes while Bébhinn indulged in swimming or surfing. She was often scheming about their next shared escapade, one that could take them up hills or maybe even span continents.
The resting place for Samhradh, under the shade cast by Glen Hill on Clare Island, rewards the soul of the faithful hound with a fantastic panorama of the port and the Clew Bay. It also witnesses the monumental Croagh Patrick sketch against the skyline of the mainland.
Three years on from her passing, Samhradh’s spirit is commemorated at the now-prominent Samhradh’s Sauna on Cromane beach in County Kerry. From here, the vista encompasses the Dingle and Iveragh Peninsulas, Slieve Mish mountains, and the MacGillicuddy Reeks.
The popularity of these mobile saunas seems to be a silver lining of the pandemic, which amplified interest in sea-swimming, positively contributing to our focus on health and outdoor lifestyle.
Growing up in a different era, the health advantages of saunas were not something I associated with my upbringing. Our bathing practices during my formative years typically consisted of two or three of us children making a ruckus in the bathtub on Saturday evenings.
Luxurious hotel spa experiences, involving steam-rooms, saunas, salt grottos, and hydro-therapy pools, felt as foreign to me as a world that lacked mid-day meals and catechisms.
However, apparently, we possess a deep-rooted tradition of stone-sweat houses, so when my daughter recently extended an invitation to join her in a sauna while visiting the Kingdom, my cultural card was effectively redundant.
To be perfectly honest, I initially felt awkward having to share an enclosed space, heated to 80 degrees Celsius, barely dressed, with a group of strangers. Venturing out from my comfort zone, which was becoming stiff, was indeed uneasy. Indulging in a required routine of walking across a breezy beach several times and thereafter, plummeting myself into a bone-chilling sea – barely 10 degrees in the month of April – did not thrill me in the least.
However, my conversations with Bébhinn irrevocably threw my age-related apprehensions out the window, particularly when I learnt that one of her frequent clients was an octogenarian. Evidently, she welcomed individuals from all walks of life and across all age brackets – from farmers to engineers, janitors to doctors, be they locals or tourists.
Addressing my inherent claustrophobia, Bébhinn detailed the design of her Finnish-style, wood-fired sauna nestled amidst nature’s elements, promising a breathable atmosphere. With a large window that opens up to the scenic vista of land and sea, visiting her sauna doubled up as a therapeutic experience.
Bébhinn referenced the words of Dr Susanna Søberg, a keynote speaker from the first ever Sauna Summit held in the UK last May. The doctor’s research underscored the considerable health benefits of regular sauna and cold-water immersion. Bébhinn echoed her findings- a weekly routine of 11 minutes in cold water and 57 minutes in a heated environment can provide significant health benefits. Bébhinn went on to explain that regular sauna visits coupled with cold-water immersions can serve as a cost-effective, preventative healthcare routine, rather than a quick-fix health solution.
Despite initially being hesitant, I can undoubtedly say that the whole sauna experience made me feel invigorated. I perceived a deep sense of cleansing, both physically and spiritually. I surprisingly found myself growing comfortable in the shared setting, when my daughter Saoirse and I joined a one-hour session with four others. Despite our diverse backgrounds, we bonded well and ended up finding common connections and acquaintances, in a characteristic Irish manner, by the session’s end.
Meanwhile, Bébhinn was busily preparing for her next batch of clients. Nora, her energetic new puppy, was amusingly engaged in tail-chasing adventures by a sandwich board that showcased the logo of Samhradh’s Sauna. The sign bore a painting of Bébhinn on a surfboard, accompanied by her beloved late dog with Clare Island’s silhouette as a backdrop.