A Brush with Nature: Handcrafted Brushes for Sauna Sweeping

When we retreat to the sauna, we seek a feeling of serenity, presence and connection with nature. But beyond relaxing in the heat of a sauna session, it’s important to pay attention to how we engage with the space during it’s upkeep too, ensuring every interaction maintains its integrity as a place of tranquility and rejuvenation. This is what inspired us to collaborate with local maker Rosa Harradine to design hand brushes specifically for use in our saunas, and now available to purchase as part of our exclusive range of sauna accessories.

Beautifully handcrafted from natural materials, these hand brushes offer both efficacy and aesthetic appeal, enhancing the practical aspects of sauna upkeep and making sauna maintenance an enjoyable ritual.

Introducing Rosa Harradine

After graduating university in London with a music degree in 2015, Rosa Harradine sought to return to the countryside for a slower pace of life and connection to the natural world. This decision led her to the heart of the historic Welsh town of Carmarthen, where she discovered her passion for traditional craft.

“I originally started out with spoon carving, and I also did some basket making, and learned how to turn wooden bowls on a traditional pole lathe - but it was brush making that really stuck. I think craft is more beneficial than music to me in many ways, I find it more meditative. When I work with my hands I find I have time and space to be in the moment.”

Hidden behind an unassuming terrace, Rosa Harradine’s beautiful workshop feels like it exists outside of time. Previously occupied by a cabinet-maker, the workshop carries a rich history of craftsmanship and hand-making, now continuing its legacy with Rosa's artisanal creations.

“I came across this house for sale that had a really large workshop out the back. It had been on the market for a long time because no one wanted to do the renovation… Sometimes you just know when you walk into somewhere - it felt like it had the right energy for making. The renovation of the workshop was a lot - if I’m honest I was naive about the amount of work that would be involved, but I definitely learned a lot of new skills. We haven’t really started on the house yet! It’s funny what becomes important - my workshop is the nicest part of the property, but it’s also where I spend most of my time. ”

Rosa started her business towards the end of 2021, and only a few months later, she was selected for Toast’s new makers program which really kick-started her brush making career. Her dedication to the craft and her unique approach quickly garnered attention, allowing her to establish a name within the artisanal community in Wales and beyond. Today, Rosa's brushes are known for their exceptional quality and beauty, combining traditional techniques with a contemporary sensibility. Her collaboration with Heartwood Saunas reflects a shared dedication to quality and a mutual appreciation for using beautifully crafted tools, transforming simple activities like cleaning into calm, grounding rituals.

From Craft to Connection

Being a craftsperson, at its heart, is about more than just creating objects — it's about forging a bond between the maker, the material, and the user. Rosa Harradine’s approach to brush making exemplifies this philosophy.

“I think originally, I was inspired by practical things - things you can use every day and really enjoy, and I suppose I sort of had that feeling from my addiction to buying wooden spoons - I loved using them every day knowing the name of the person who’d made them - that real sense of connection with the craftsperson is so wonderful. I think the more you use something the more you can enjoy it and appreciate it, so I suppose I want people to get that experience from the things that i make.

But more recently I’ve been thinking about beauty as well - a number of people buy my work and don’t use it, instead they put it on a wall and admire it - and I used to not understand that as much but now I’m coming around to it - so I’m also inspired to make things that you could appreciate it in terms of its beauty as well as its functionality. I think people appreciate things in different ways, but certainly, I think using something that’s handmade changes everything about what you’re doing - it becomes so much more enjoyable, having natural materials in your hands, something so much more tactile, and miles more pleasant than interacting with a plastic brush and dustpan.”

This approach certainly resonates with Heartwood Saunas’ philosophy of integrating functionality with aesthetic value; as there’s a strong mutual focus on how thoughtful design features can enrich our experiences. Rosa Harradine’s work effortlessly balances practical use with a sense of beauty, adding a layer of depth and meaning to our interactions with would-be everyday objects.

“It’s always nice to work with other local businesses, and I love what Heartwood do. The saunas look beautiful, and I think my work fits in really well with Heartwood Saunas’ aesthetic. Functionality and beauty are clearly key to both of us. It was such a straightforward process working with Heartwood. I originally sent some samples of the different materialsto choose from, and I’m so glad the broomcorn was chosen because it’s my favourite and I think it’s the most effective material that I use. We decided together to use a dark colour cord for practical purposes!”

The Art of Brush-Making: Form and Function

Although certainly more striking than the average sweeping brush we come across in the UK, Rosa’s hand brooms resemble a traditional brush design seen across many brush making traditions across the globe, from Africa through Asia and the Americas.

“It’s not my design - that style of brush comes from lots of different places - Asia, Japan in particular, has a long history of brush making that’s kind of similar styles of brush to that, they’re also made in places in Africa. But I think I first came across the design online, when I found it I found it through North American brush and broom makers - it was a common shape of brush to make there - in North America, this style of brush is called a ‘Turkey Wing’ as it’s evocative of a Turkey’s wing. I just love how the fibre kind of splays out into that fan shape, there’s something about them that just feels really nice to hold in the hand and to use, they’re surprisingly light I think, and just really tactile.

I think the fanned-out shape at the bottom works really well because it’s very flat - it works more efficiently than a more rounded brush shape because it’s more agile. I use a brush just like this in my workshop pretty much every day, I just find it so effective at sweeping up all the mess that I make while I’m working!”

Besides the shape, the materials Rosa uses are also fundamental to the quality and performance of the brushes. For our bespoke brushes, Rosa uses broomcorn which is a type of Sorghum and traditionally a grain crop which is especially effective at picking up smaller pieces of dust and debris due to it’s wiggly, wispy ends where the seeds have been scraped away which are angled in different directions.

“I really like working with broomcorn because its the least processed material I work with, the most natural. I’ve got the long term goal of growing it myself - which would be amazing. I know there are some broom makers growing it in Northern France, which doesn’t feel too far away from here in terms of climate, and it’s also grown in parts of  Eastern Europe. I think it’s definitely worth a try - it used to be grown in the UK in the 16 and 1700s, but I think over time because it’s something that has to be harvested by hand it stopped being commercially viable. The cost of labour (I assume) wouldn’t make sense, which is why it’s only growing in a few places in Eastern Europe and Mexico now.”

Rosa’s approach to brush-making combines traditional techniques with her own practical methods.

“It’s pretty low-tech I suppose, which is nice, you don’t necessarily need any specialist tools or equipment. So I wrap the hemp thread around a rolling pin (or you could use a wooden dowel but that’s just what I tend to use!) and that goes underneath my feet, so my feet control the tension of the thread, and then I take the fibre and separate it out into separate bundles. I start off by wrapping the hemp thread around one of those bundles then adding another one, wrapping round them both, adding another one, pulling the thread from the rolling pin underneath my feet, keeping the tension really tight all the time.

Brush-making is a wonderful process to learn, but the people who attend my workshops are always surprised by how physically demanding it is. Once I’ve added in all the bundles then I keep wrapping to create that the handle shape before adding in the hanging strap, then I carefully trim the ends to finish it off.”

If you’re interested in learning more about brush making, Rosa runs short courses in Camarthenshire and further afield, you can find out more here.

Mindful Sauna Maintenance

The decision to commission handmade brushes was driven by a desire to enhance the overall sauna experience - to transform cleaning into a meaningful and enjoyable part of enjoying using the sauna. Maintaining an inviting and clean sauna space is essential for maximising the benefits of each session. It’s not just about hygiene; it’s about preserving the tranquility and rejuvenation that the sauna offers.

Using Rosa’s handcrafted brushes, carefully designed and handmade from natural materials, adds a tactile pleasure to the cleaning process, so that sweeping down the benches with with one becomes an engaged, mindful practice. This approach to sauna maintenance ensures that every interaction with the space upholds its integrity as a place of relaxation and retreat. We recommend brushing down the sauna benches and floor before each use, as the sauna begins to warm up, before gently scrubbing with diluted sauna soap.