In the heart of an ancient Finnish forest, where towering trees stand as wise old guardians, discover a profound journey of healing and rejuvenation. Our award-winning film, The Spirit of the Löyly, invites you to witness Marcello's transformative experience as he embraces the restorative power of Löyly with the guidance of renowned sauna healer, Laura Foon. This ethereal setting, Nuuksio, provides the perfect backdrop for connecting with inner peace and the deep interconnectedness of nature.

Accolades and Recognition

The Spirit of the Löyly has captivated audiences worldwide, screening at prestigious film festivals in Bulgaria, Denmark, Dubai, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We're proud to have won 15 awards, including:

• Best Cinematography at the Berlin Film Awards

• Best Director at the Best Independent International Film Festival

• Best Editing a the Florence Film Awards

• Best Music in Short at the Dubai Independent Flm Festival

• Best Inspirational Short at the Global Film Festival Awards

• Best Picture at the Paris Film Awards.

Meet the Visionaries

About the Healing Practitioner: Laura Foon, Sauna-Akka

Laura Foon, affectionately known as Sauna-Akka, is a revered Finnish sauna healing practitioner dedicated to preserving Baltic-Finnish sauna traditions. As the head sauna healer at Sipoonjoki Heritage Sauna, she shares her profound knowledge by teaching courses on sauna rituals. Laura also chairs Perinnesaunottajat ry and hosts the insightful podcasts Saunan Naiset, Spirit of Sauna, and Tietäjä. Her expertise was recently highlighted in an article for This is Finland.

About the Guest: Marcello Trombin

Italian actor and model Marcello Trombin is no stranger to the world of wellness and transformation. He has appeared in several Sauna Channel episodes, including the sensory meditation film Forest Spa, Conversations in Finland Part 1 with Samuel Aarnio, as well as Todam Cham Sut Gama, and Hyang Nam Healing Spa in South Korea with Sho Ikushima.

About the Director: Petri Luukkainen

Petri Luukkainen (1984) is a acclaimed director renowned for his high-concept documentaries that often explore themes of environment and identity. His filmmaking journey began at 17, leveraging his "internet background" from the late 1990s when he created low-resolution videos and GIF films for his own websites. This early experience paved the way for a diverse career, from car commercials to wedding videos, before he found his true calling in documentary filmmaking.

Petri's debut documentary, My Stuff (2013), achieved widespread success, playing in theaters globally and inspiring a reality TV format, Stripped (USA, UK, Germany), and a fictional remake, 100 Things (2018), by Warner Bros Pictures & Pantaleo. This success led him to work on independent productions and as a commissioned director for major channels like ARTE, BBC, DR, NRK, RUV, SVT, VIAPLAY, and YLE.

Beyond his long-term projects, Petri engages in various video, photography, and art endeavors, both out of personal interest and professional need. His commissioned clients include Time Magazine, BBC World Service, Wien Museum MUSA, and Universal Music. Petri is currently based in Finland.

Selected Filmography:

• Game of Minds (2023) (doc series YLE, ARTE. napafilms, CORSO film)

• The Gamer (2023) (doc feature napafilms, CORSO film)

• Would You Eat This (2021) (doc series YLE, DR, NRK. RUV, SVT co-production)

• FOMO SHORT (2018) (series YLE Gimmeyawallet)

• NHL GLOBAL SERIES (2018) (Viaplay, Yellow)

• Just Boys (2018) (BBC Original series)

• In the Belly of the City (2017) (doc series 1 episode ARTE Stefilm)

• Road to Rio (2016) (series YLE Yellow)

• Mission in Helsinki (2015) (series YLE Yellow)

• Live at We Jazz (2014) (series Youtube)

• The Climate Game (2013) (doc short Unikino)

• My Stuff (2013) (doc feature Unikino)

Director's Statement

As a documentary filmmaker, I am deeply drawn to the dynamic tension between those who stand before the lens and the image that emerges from that exchange. It's a true dialogue—an exploration of how the subject wishes to be seen and how the camera interprets and translates that desire.

I was invited to capture the profound essence of Laura Foon’s sauna healing practice, a tradition rich with layers of meaning, both tangible and intangible. As a Finn, some of these traditions were deeply familiar, yet others remained a mystery until this encounter.

In crafting this short film, I sought to explore Laura's unique style and her own vision for how her practice might be documented. When I asked her about the core element of the healing experience within the sauna—what essential aspect could be captured—her response was both concrete and wonderfully elusive: she had never seen the spirit of the "Löyly"—that mysterious energy of the sauna, and the mundane water that evaporates from rocks—depicted visually or otherwise.

Given that filming was limited to just a few hours during a single session between Laura and a client, this challenge inspired us to find a visual language to express a tradition that, according to Laura, exists on the delicate boundary between the physical and the spiritual.