OUR STORY
IT ALL STARTED WITH THE LOVE OF THE SAUNA...
...and to the theater, because that's where we, Rebecca & Sami, met during rehearsals for one of our productions.
Sweating, before deciding to found a lodge, the idea was born on a lake deep in the Finnish forest for a project that combines happiness, nature and pure relaxation in the middle of Berlin: FINNFLOAT©, the first Finnish sauna raft in Germany the Müggelsee, the largest lake in Berlin. FINNFLOAT© still exists and countless people have found moments of happiness and relaxation there. And after we brought a little bit of Finland to the German capital with FINNFLOAT© eight years ago*, the desire grew within us to create another place that combines happiness, nature and relaxation. We found a place for it in Kustavi, a small, great community in the middle of the Finnish archipelago.
Since the beginning of 2022, a place has been created again, the idea of which is to inspire our and your ideas. A place that invites you to relax, that gives you strength, in a natural landscape that takes your breath away and in a country where you can feel life. This place is hidden on an island in Finland: The KALLIOKUMPU ISLAND LODGE. We quickly moved to Finland to experience this place of the heart with all our senses. And of course we are now bringing Berlin to the Finnish periphery. We are currently creating a space for ourselves and you, far away from mass tourism, where community comes to life and cultures meet to learn to be amazed again.
* FINNFLOAT© is now (... and we are quite proud of that ;-) one of the world's top saunas. In 2022, Sauna from Finland FINNFLOAT© was the first public sauna in Germany to be certified as an authentic Finnish sauna experience.
"We are looking for places that inspire our imagination. Places that speak to us and give us strength. Places that relax and unwind. Places where we feel life and which at the same time take our breath away. PLACES OF HAPPINESS!"
Rebecca & Sami
THE HOSTS
"We love Finnish nature & arctic silence, vastness, the archipelago, sauna and being outside. We value encounters, delicious food & cook with passion natural dishes from Finland, Lapland and Scandinavia. We are passionate about discoveries, experiences, travel, a good life, artistic creative work and you!"
Rebecca & Sami
Sami
Sami is German-Finnish and has been a nature explorer since childhood. He is a certified nature coach, trained in nature mentoring and studied scenic arts, biology and ethnology. He worked successfully for more than ten years as a video artist & stage designer, internationally at theaters and opera houses (samibill.de). In addition to his work as a nature coach, he is a passionate nature photographer (samibill-photographer.com)and deals with the nature of Lapland, the indigenous Sámi and the consequences of climate change. Sami has spent some time dog sledding in Lapland, bakes the best Finnish cinnamon rolls and cooks the tastiest poronkäristys (reindeer slices).
Rebecca
Rebecca studied dramaturge and, after many creative years at the theater, completed training as a sauna master, relaxation therapist and sauna yoga teacher in Helsinki. She is the founder of Finnfloat Saunafloss (www.finnfloat.de) and like Sami deeply rooted in Finland and life in nature (she has already caught a zander by hand and likes to go on moose & reindeer safaris in the evenings).
Rebecca loves relaxing with vihta (birch tea), olut (beer) and good conversation in the sauna.
