Journalist, Editor & Author

Welcome to my portfolio. Explore my latest projects and keep up to date with my new book.

Coming soon. Wild Sauna is available to purchase in May.

Wild Sauna: The Best Outdoor Saunas in Britain

Escape the everyday and immerse yourself in the UK's burgeoning wild sauna scene. This comprehensive guidebook unveils a hidden world of outdoor sweat lodges, from repurposed horseboxes on windswept beaches to bespoke saunas nestled in ancient forests.

Sauna - The Power of Deep Heat

There is a new wave of sauna culture spreading throughout the UK and beyond. Saunas are being built in unique settings providing tech-free spaces in which to gather, share stories and enjoy nature.

The tradition has a rich history, filled with rituals that encourage us to soak up the mental and physical health benefits of deep heat. This book honours the old, embraces the new, and plunges headlong into the transformative power of steam.

Buy the book

  • Kate Rew, author of The Outdoor Swimmers’ Handbook

    “As a new sauna culture establishes itself in the UK, this beautiful and timely guide will appeal to anyone looking to deepen and vary their experience, with or without the added joy of a cold swim”.

    Sarah Douglas

    “An essential guide to a movement reborn, blending modernity and tradition, design and wellness, community and nature”.

    David Baddiel

    “I love this book about saunas almost as much as I love saunas”.

    Jasper Pääkkönen, actor and founder of Löyly

    “A wonderful, in-depth look at a subject that is extremely close to my heart”.

    Samantha Spiro

    An all-encompassing, entrancing trip through everything you could possibly eant to know about the sauna, I am now totally obsessed!”

    Esther Freud

    A book to inspire the senses - a call to both courage and comfort”.

    Mikkel Aaland, author of Sweat

    “Smartly written and beautifully illustrated ... a celebration of a cultural resurgence and a reminder of the power of connecting with nature and something larger than ourselves”.

  • Emma O’Kelly lives in London and is the author of Sauna-the Power of Deep Heat, an exploration of the joy of sauna and its therapeutic benefits.

    She has has various editorial roles at Wallpaper magazine for 24 years and written and edited several Phaidon/Wallpaper city guides. She also writes for the likes of The Telegraph, The Financial Times and Conde Nast Traveller.

  • Maija Astikainen's work has been published both in Finnish and international media such as the Telegraph, the Financial Times, NBC's Today.com and Les Echos Weekend, to mention a few. She works regularly for Finland's biggest travel magazine Mondo and has photographed several travel guides.