After 12 years living in China, Robbie Reeve returned to Ireland to start Wild Irish Saunas in Galway.
Wild Irish Saunas founder Robbie Reeve is a recent alumni of the Irish Government’s Back for Business programme.
The development programme, which is now in its 8th year, was created to foster and support entrepreneurial activity among emigrants recently returned to Ireland and is funded by the Irish Abroad Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs.
“After the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s a whole new interest in saunas and ice baths, and after lockdown and all the public health restrictions, there’s a growing interest in endurance athletics”
The deadline for completed applications for Back to Business 8 is midnight on Thursday 16 January. For more information or to register your interest in receiving an application form, click here to apply.
It’s good for you
Reeve first learned of the restorative powers of saunas and ice baths after developing a keen interest in endurance athletics during his 12-year spell living in China.
A key plank of the Nordic way of life, the combination of intense heat and severe cold is proven to aid recovery of muscles and reduce inflammation after prolonged periods of exercise. It has also been shown to boost levels of energy and cognitive function, reduce stress, burn fat, and improve skin health.
Robbie set up Wild Irish Saunas, a company selling a range of saunas and ice baths for both indoors and outdoors, from his home in Galway shortly after returning to Ireland in 2022.
“We have an array of products available via our website, from tent-style saunas that you can set up in your home, to barrel saunas that can comfortably seat up to five people. There are various options, from the very inexpensive to the higher end,” he says, adding that the idea for the business came to him after experiencing intense muscle soreness following an adventure race in China.
“I did an event that took place over two days and featured a lot of kayaking, running and cycling. I’ve also I struggled a lot with recovery after events like that, with soreness that would last for days. Saunas and ice baths were a help to me at that time, especially as I was being invited to more and more events.
“For the organisers, having a foreigner at the start line added some glamour to their event, so it became sort of self-fulfilling. I enjoy challenging myself. The longest race I’ve done so far was a 100km run over a 6,000m elevation. Now I’m aiming to do a 100-mile race over the next couple of years.”
Robbie believes that he has set up Wild Irish Saunas at a good time in Ireland, when interest in health and wellness is thought to be peaking alongside the growing national fascination with endurance sport.
“After the Covid-19 pandemic, there’s a whole new interest in saunas and ice baths, and after lockdown and all the public health restrictions, there’s a growing interest in endurance athletics,” he adds.
A qualified financial advisor and teacher, he had been operating his own export business in China when he applied for the Back for Business programme. Indeed, he only moved home permanently the day before the programme began.
“I saw a piece about Back for Business in the newspaper when I was home for Christmas and that sparked an interest. The programme was my impetus to move back. It had always been my plan to return to Ireland but being accepted into Back for Business gave me a hard deadline,” he says.
“I found the programme very helpful. It was great to have people to bounce ideas off and having a lead entrepreneur as a mentor, someone who has developed a successful business, was inspiring. I would recommend Back for Business to anyone.”
Main image at top: Wild Irish Saunas founder Robbie Reeve
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