Conceived during the pandemic, Circulate was influenced by the mental health crisis, rising costs and potential that community-based solutions could offer. A pilot initiative was developed in 2021 collaboratively with organizations from the health, culture and arts sectors to pilot a community hub to counter isolation with a community sauna and complementary modalities.
Circulate increases opportunities for affordable access and partners with equity-deserving communities. We collaborate with like-minded organizations to maximize our impact and reach.
To foster accessible and affordable pathways for connection, belonging and well-being through the universal practice of thermal cycling (hot/cold immersions). The community sauna serves as a hub for rest and renewal within an inclusive atmosphere.
A world where health and well-being is grounded in relationship with nature and community as an accessible pathway for all, regardless of background or circumstances.
We practice consideration and thoughtfulness of others and ourselves. We honour informed consent, so that each of us has the power to make decisions in our wellness journey.
We welcome feedback, are serious about democratizing wellness practices, and encourage the co-creation of opportunities with equity-seeking communities.
Our decisions are designed to reduce our impact on ecosystems and the natural world.
Our honouring of all cultures, identities and lived experiences serves as a pathway to bridging divides.
New Docklands Steam Baths in east London, UK is non-profit with a fascinating story.
Sjellesgade in Copenhagen, Denmark is non-profit open to all, including a weekly open house for the unhoused.
Jimjilbang - Korean public bathhouse
Sento - Japanese public bathhouse.
Public Banya/Pirts/Pirtis- in the Slavic and Baltic regions
Public Sauna - in Scandinavia. Sompasauna in Finland, Gothenburg, Solar Egg, Tanto Bastu, Sweden.
and more!
Steam Space has been operated as a mobile wood-fired community sauna enterprise since 2016 in Kjipuktuk (Halifax) by Josée-Ann Cloutier- inspired by decades of exploring traditional bathing and spa cultures worlwide. Josee's knowledge of the health benefits of thermal bathing (hot/cold therapy) and her experience of public accessibility of thermal bathing as a way of life among various cultures, combined, became for her a bright north star. She conceived of Circulate during the pandemic, influenced by the mental health crisis, rising costs and the potential for wellness that community-based solutions had to offer. An initiative was developed in 2021 collaboratively with organizations from the health, culture and arts sectors to pilot a community hub to counter isolation with a community sauna and complementary modalities.
Walter Long learned about Josee's vision and concept and experienced the potential and possibility. The Longs invited a proposal for what a design concept could look like that serves and enhances community and accessibility for the Annapolis Valley.
The design and building process started with the Dalhousie Architecture School’s Free Lab in the summer of 2022. Students and faculty spent two weeks designing and building the frame on the trailer. Over 12 organizations and individuals contributed to the build. The sauna build was complete in November 2022.
The Circulate Initiative is a partnership with Engage Nova Scotia to understand the need for, response to, and impact of a publicly available community sauna. Acadia University and the Town of Wolfville were invited to participate. Cat Frawley was the first hire to set up and support logistics. Free and sliding scale sessions were offered in the Wolfville Rotary park in October, 2023.
A Board of Directors was formed to initiate a non-profit organization in July, 2023.
Planning Student, Dalhousie University, Community Coordinator
Social Worker, Child and Youth Therapist, Mindhouse Wellness
Co-Founder, P4G
Attorney
Salon owner, Playwright
EAL Instructor, ISANS
Integrating pathways for well-being and bridging silos into everyday systems is fundamental to Josée, a Mi’kma’ki (Nova Scotia) based body-mind practitioner, wellness facilitator, organizer, and designer. In 2016 she founded Steam Space, hosting mobile sauna sessions, guiding rituals, consulting on experience design, and presenting. Josée believes in the power of thermal cycling to feel and embody care and peace as a bridge to our shared humanity. With a vision to circulate the myriad health benefits of hot and cold immersions in accessible and safe ways more widely as a tool for community building and social justice, Josée established Circulate, a non-profit organization, in 2023.
Josée holds a Bachelor’s in Management, with a specialization in Entrepreneurship from Dalhousie University. She also holds a Master of Arts in Wellness and Spa Service Design from the University of Tartu in Estonia with a research focus on community wellness design in retreat settings. Josée specializes in somatic-based practices with certifications in relaxation massage, cupping, spa therapies, somatic attachment therapy, and meditation. Guided by a deep curiosity for social and natural health practices integrated in society, Josée has travelled much of the world to learn and connect with cultures that recognize and democratize public bathing as a public health measure. She trained in traditional sauna practices in the Baltics, and worked at a Nordic spa guiding guest experiences and leading Aufguss rituals. From 2016 – 2020, Josée consulted and lectured with Dalhousie Architecture School on bathhouse spa design. She continues to lightly consult on hydrotherapy-based spa and sauna design projects. She also supports systems change work as an Organizer for the Transformational Leadership Initiative and historically as a Researcher and Coordinator for the Center for Local Prosperity. She offers consultation and facilitation services as Steam Space.
Learn how a community sauna in a public park impacts well-being
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