Check Out Alisa Cardenas’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alisa Cardenas

Hi Alisa, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
The vision for Howl at the Moon Sauna Co. emerged from a desire for my family and I to create a life more centered around balance and wellness. After years immersed in the corporate world, watching my own physical and mental wellbeing suffer, I developed a strong desire to blend my personal passions with my career and do it in a way that my health and family would not suffer in the process.

A few years back, a Finnish friend had introduced me to the love of sauna. Between tent sauna sessions with her and experiencing sauna during travels to Europe I had fallen in love with sauna culture. Recognizing my own burnout and need for change I decided to embrace the unknown and take the opportunity to begin a journey of self-work and stress recovery with the desire to start a business down the road. Fast forward 6-12 months and my vision was settling. My new life design was to consist of more flexibility, family time and more ownership over my career. Now was the time to chase my dream. I began consulting part-time while standing up one of the first mobile sauna businesses in West Michigan. My own “wellness” pursuit would become a journey to share the physical, mental and social benefits of sauna with our community.

In the fall of 2022, my husband and I purchased a vintage horse trailer with the intent of converting it into a Finnish-style mobile sauna. Despite having immersed myself in the realm of sauna builds, business and culture over the prior year we quickly discovered we were both under-skilled and overambitious. Having begun the demolition on the horse trailer and lacking the confidence to proceed with the build, we felt like the wind had been taken out of our sails. We sat on the project for the next six months, trying to determine our next move. Then, through an online sauna publication, I discovered Timber Sauna Co., a custom sauna builder based in Lansing, MI. I contacted them the same day and, after a few discussions and brainstorming sessions, it was clear that they shared the same degree of passion. They were the perfect partner for our project.

Over the next few months, we collaborated on the design, layout, and features of what would become “The Wildflower,” our beautiful bespoke Finnish wood-burning mobile sauna. The final result exceeded our expectations—it was better than we ever could have imagined!

The build was finished in November of 2023 and we already had plans to launch the business in January. We took the next months to iron out the business concept and get to know The Wildflower. When our “sauna door” opened in January we had a few private rentals right out of the gate. Our first was in a blizzard where nearly 3-feet of snow dropped over the weekend. Needless to say we learned some things, and truthfully we are learning every day. We are 8-months into the business now and the outlook is good. Howl at the Moon Sauna Co. has hosted several events, and private overnight rentals. We have a lot opportunities for growth and partnership and are finding success in reaching our target audiences. One of our key challenges is creating the sauna culture here in West Michigan. It exists in pockets, but there really isn’t much momentum here yet like there is in other mid-western communities. Building that culture will take time and hard work. We’re working to show people that sauna is more than just an effective physical and mental wellness tool. Sauna can be used to heal the soul through introspection, embrace authenticity and build and nurture community and social bonds.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There have certainly been obstacles along the way. Pursuing entrepreneurship in general is much different than working for a company. The two biggest realizations I’ve had with becoming a business owner is that I am my own bottleneck. When I say that I mean that it feels like there are always a million things to do, and I am the only person doing them. Therefore I am waiting on myself a lot of the time. And secondly, the success of my business is based on the limitations of my own knowledge and skills. I am grateful of the season of life I spent in the corporate realm. The skills I gained there have been invaluable and I wouldn’t be doing this today without that business experience. Generally speaking, the road is difficult. Confidence, motivation, and success ebb and flow. It really is a journey.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Aside from running Howl at the Moon Sauna Co. I currently do freelance work in Compensation Consulting (HR). I’ve spent the last 15 years of my career in human resources leadership specializing in the development of compensation strategies, structures, plans and communications across a variety of industries. I’m grateful for much of my professional work experiences- to work with people across the world, to experience different cultures first hand, to grow and mature in my career through continuous learning, to become an expert in my space within HR, it’s all been very fulfilling. What really sets me apart from others is my ability to create relationships- I’ve had the opportunity to hone this skill throughout my career. I genuinely enjoy getting to know people, their stories, their hopes, dreams and life challenges. I guess connecting with others comes somewhat naturally and I am happy to continue to focus on the community building and connection aspect through Howl at the Moon Sauna Co.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
Howl at the Moon Sauna Co. is always looking for location partnerships and different events to be involved in. One of the challenges I’ve encountered through the business has been our location flexibility. Although location flexibility is a huge advantage to use, there are many rules and regulations to navigate when it comes to when and where you can setup shop. It’s not as easy as deciding to host a community sauna session in a city park. Location partners are other businesses who have suitable spaces for using the mobile sauna and draw a customer base that is attracted to both business concepts. We have had successful partnerships with campgrounds, breweries, and wineries so far but are on the lookout for additional partners.

In addition to that, we are open to your ideas. We want to share the love of sauna with the community whether it’s setting up a community sauna session, participating in local events, or renting the sauna overnight for a variety of celebrations and gatherings. So, follow us on social media, engage with us and come out to an event if there’s one near you!

Pricing:

• Overnight Rental – $350 / 1st day
• Overnight Rental – $150 / additional day
• Overnight Rental – $650 / 3-day weekend
• Hourly Rental for Hosted Events – $500 / 4-hours
• 1-Hour Community Sauna Sessions – ~$30-40 / per person

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.howlatthemoonsaunaco.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/howlatthemoonsaunaco/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552340240717