The Story Behind Nordic Glow, Ollaberry, Shetland

Marc is the architect and massage therapist behind Nordic Glow, a sauna he opened in Ollaberry, Shetland, nine weeks ago. He already has regulars who’ve been every weekend since the doors opened, and visitors from Canada, Portugal, France, Belgium and across the UK, some who found Nordic Glow by chance while in Shetland, others who made the trip specifically to visit.

From architecture to massage therapy

Marc’s path to Nordic Glow didn’t start with saunas. It started with architecture. He was drawn to it from the age of 14, interested in how design and space affect the way people feel. Massage therapy came later, through his own running, first as a way to help with his own recovery and injury prevention, then as something he trained in properly so he could help others the same way.

The two aren’t as separate as they might seem. Marc sees architecture and massage as working on people in similar ways, one through space, the other through touch, both aimed at the physical having an effect on the mental. That connection is part of what eventually led him toward building a sauna of his own.

Designing Nordic Glow, Ollaberry

The idea took around a year and a half to go from thought to opening day. Marc had been a keen sauna user himself and started wondering what it would take to build one. His research led him, by chance, to Stravaig Saunas, a business run by Stuart and Louise, a married couple with a reputation for rigorous attention to detail. That was enough to convince him, and the project got underway.

As an architect, Marc had firm ideas about the design from the start. Three features mattered most. A large panoramic window to make the most of the view, a sheltered space to change in, necessary given how quickly Shetland weather can turn, and a cold shower as an alternative to a sea dip, something Marc says he’d prefer himself. The sauna also has backlighting, which hasn’t really been put to the test yet during Shetland’s long summer evenings, but which Marc expects will change the atmosphere considerably once the dark winter nights set in.

Building it in Ollaberry

Marc grew up a short distance from where Nordic Glow now stands, and it means something to him to have built it there. He talks about it as a chance to give something back, to the Ollaberry community directly, and to visitors who might use a sauna visit as a starting point for exploring the wider Northmavine area, with its coastal walks and access to nature.

Marc’s granny Ruby used to live next to the beach nearby. He finds himself wondering what she’d make of it all now, with visitors getting to enjoy the same sand between their toes as much as she did. He’s sure she’d have been delighted.

Who comes to the Hot Hoose

The people using the sauna are a genuine mix, loyal locals who’ve turned up every weekend since opening, and visitors from as far as Canada and Portugal. Marc’s kept a visitors’ book in the sauna to track just how far word has spread, and he’s set up a small community library where users can borrow a book to read in the sauna, or leave one behind for the next person.

Shetland’s growing sauna scene

Saunas are having a moment across Scotland generally, and Marc’s noticed it firsthand, people who’ve made the trip to Ollaberry specifically to visit Nordic Glow, rather than stumbling on it while already in Shetland. Some found it through their own research, others through recommendations from people already involved in the wider sauna community. For a business nine weeks old, Marc finds that reach hard to quite get his head around.

Marc’s own sauna ritual

Running a sauna doesn’t leave as much time to use one as you’d think, but Marc still gets his own sessions in. What he needs from them changes depending on how he’s feeling, physically or mentally. Sometimes it’s a quiet solo session with a book, or sitting in silence with nothing but the sound of the fire and the view, when he needs to switch off. Other times it’s a session with friends after training, which helps with recovery as much as it does with catching up.

What’s next for Nordic Glow

Marc’s still finding his feet with a business barely two months old, but the response so far has pushed him to keep looking at what else Nordic Glow could offer, services that support people’s physical and mental health beyond the sauna itself. Nothing concrete yet, but nine weeks in, with regulars already returning every weekend and visitors travelling from as far as Canada to find it, Marc is watching Nordic Glow become something bigger than he expected, and he’s only getting started.

Nordic Glow is based in Ollaberry, Shetland. Read the full listing below.