Hello! My name is Katie Schweinefus, co-owner of Salú Sauna + Wellness Spa. We opened Salú in Decorah, Iowa, in July 2023 and haven't looked back! I wanted to take a moment to write down our story. I get asked often "where did the idea of opening a wellness spa come from?" "What is your background?" "What does Salú mean?" etc. So let's get into it! It's going to get a bit personal so thank you for reading and allowing me to share - I do so in hopes that it helps someone. Please keep in mind that this is my personal experience. I am in no way offering medical advice or speaking on behalf of anyone else who deals with the same diagnosis.
The short story
The idea for Salú came to me out of necessity in my healing journey.
The long story
I have Hashimoto's. It is an autoimmune disease where antibodies attack the thyroid gland, reducing its ability to produce hormones. It is fairly common as it affects 5 out of every 100 Americans. Hashimoto's can cause hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) - which I was diagnosed with in college. It certainly isn't a death sentence but as I have found through lived experiences and research, Hashimoto's affects every organ in the body.
For me, it would be easy to take my medication and ignore the fact that my immune system is not functioning properly but that would likely lead to more disease down the road. Doctors told me to live my life with no dietary restrictions or exercise modifications. So, I did. In my 20s, I didn't pay much attention. I ate what I wanted, drank what I wanted, and pushed my body to the limit with exercise. After I had my first child at 29, it started catching up with me. I started realizing just how stressed my system was. I was a new mom though and going through a big career change and move so once again, my health was put to the back burner. I carried on drinking coffee for breakfast and seeing how high I could place on the Peloton leaderboards. I did not know any better - but I was stressing my system.
After our second child in late 2020, I started taking matters into my own hands because I wasn't receiving any helpful direction from doctors. I started researching to better understand what was going on in my body. I sought out a great acupuncturist who helped me understand why I am the way that I am and how to eat and move in a way that supports healing (walk a lot and strength train, don't run and try to kill myself). And eventually, I started working with a holistic practitioner. I have learned so much and it's true that knowledge is power.
In my research, infrared saunas kept popping up as a great thing to do to support my healing journey. Sauna sessions could help me out in a lot of ways. From reducing inflammation to detoxing, reducing stress hormones, and supporting my immune system - I was on the hunt. But there was not a single sauna to be found near me. I would have to travel 30 minutes to the nearest one and I wanted to be doing these 2-3 times a week. As well researched as they are, I couldn't believe that 1.) there was no sauna in Decorah and 2.) that not everyone was spending time in saunas.
I also came across red light therapy, cold plunging, and halotherapy, and was surprised at how beneficial these healing tools are too. Red light therapy and cold plunging could also help relieve the inflammation I was dealing with!
One night, I was lying in bed, looking at Instagram and I came across a gal in Canada who opened a business with a single sauna and cold plunge and she immediately inspired me. It struck me that we could do this. I told Cody my idea to open a sauna wellness spa at 10 p.m. one night and said “what if we do this?” He replied, “we have to." And that night we went to bed knowing that we need to make this happen, not only for my benefit, obviously, but I got so excited thinking about how much we could help people and contribute to the community we love in a very healthy and positive way. After all, these tools are for EVERYONE. People who are healing, athletes who need recovery modalities (Cody), people who want to be proactive in their health and prevent disease, etc.
Fast forward 6 months and Salú became a reality at 110 Washington St. in Decorah. I immediately started making saunas, red light therapy, and cold plunges a part of my schedule and I have never felt better. These tools have contributed to my health in countless ways. I notice the inflammation is down in my body, my metabolism is improved, I am more resilient to stress, I am sleeping well, I have energy, and my mood is always boosted after a great sweat and chill session.
What does Salú mean?
Cody came up with the name! Salú is the Papiamento word for health. Papiamento is the language of Aruba where Cody and I honeymooned in 2016. We felt so relaxed and healthy during our time on the "One Happy Island" and left feeling totally rejuvenated.
It's exactly how we want our customers to feel! Healthy, happy, relaxed, and rejuvenated.
Thank you!
If you got this far - thanks for reading and maybe this can help you or someone in your life. Thank you for your support of our small business no matter what that support looks like. Our goal is to be a mainstay of Decorah and to help make our community happier and healthier. We couldn't do that without you!
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