In Finland, wellness is a way of life. Rooted in connection to nature, seasonal rhythms, and time-honored traditions like the sauna, the Finnish approach to wellbeing is both simple and profoundly effective. Nowhere is that more evident than in the lake-dotted landscapes of eastern Finland, where stillness, clean air, and water form the foundation of everyday health.
At the heart of this region is Lake Saimaa, a pristine expanse that has quietly become one of Europe’s most compelling wellness destinations. Guiding its growth is Maisa Häkkinen, Director of Tourism for Visit Lake Saimaa in the Mikkeli region. With a strong background in business development and marketing strategy as well as a career shaped by entrepreneurship and strategic planning, Häkkinen brings both vision and expertise to the evolving wellness space. A graduate of University of Jyväskylä, she has spent years helping to position the region as a place where visitors can truly disconnect to reconnect. Here, she shares the role wellness plays in her own life.
What does wellness mean to you?
To me, wellness means balance—not perfection, but harmony between the different areas of life. It’s about having time for myself while also nurturing meaningful connections with family and friends. It means doing work that feels engaging and purposeful—work where I learn something new every day and have the opportunity to collaborate internationally. Growth, curiosity, and connection are all essential.
Wellness also lives in the daily fundamentals: moving my body regularly through yoga, Pilates, and horseback riding; eating nourishing, high-quality food; and protecting my sleep. These steady rhythms support both mental clarity and physical vitality. Movement helps me stay grounded, food fuels both body and mind, and deep sleep restores everything. From a Nordic perspective, wellbeing isn’t extreme or performance driven. It’s sustainable. When life feels balanced—when there is space for rest, meaningful work, relationships, and mindful movement both the mind and body feel genuinely happy.
What is your greatest wellness achievement?
My greatest wellness achievement has been creating a consistent morning yoga practice. Some days it’s just 15 minutes, but that small ritual makes an enormous difference. It gives my day an energetic yet balanced beginning. Before emails, before responsibilities, before the outside world steps in, I take a quiet moment to connect with my breath and body. On the rare mornings when I skip it, I immediately feel the difference. The day feels slightly off, and my mind is more restless. That simple practice has become my anchor. It is a steady, grounding rhythm I can rely on. I’m deeply grateful to the many yoga and meditation teachers who generously share their knowledge online. Their guidance has made it possible to build and sustain this daily ritual, no matter where I am.
What is your favorite place for a healthy vacation or escape?
My favorite destination for a truly healthy vacation is a simple lakeside cabin on the shores of Lake Saimaa in Finland where I grew up. For me, the ideal escape means complete privacy. A small cottage tucked into nature, with its own shoreline, preferably rocky and untouched, and a traditional wood-fired lakeside sauna just steps from the water. My days begin slowly. I practice yoga on the dock in the soft morning light, surrounded by still water and forest silence. Later, I wander into the woods to gather wild berries and mushrooms, which I use to prepare simple, nourishing meals. If I’m lucky, I’m able to buy freshly caught fish directly from a local fisherman. Nothing tastes more vital and alive than fish that was swimming just hours earlier.
In the afternoon, I collect branches in the forest to make a traditional Finnish vihta (a birch whisk used in the sauna). Then I heat the wood-burning sauna, letting the warmth build gradually. I spend hours moving between the intense, enveloping heat and the cool, clear lake water. There is no rush, no schedule, just deep restoration. And then I repeat this rhythm the next day. And the next. After a week like this, something shifts. The nervous system resets. Sleep deepens. Creativity returns.
What is your favorite self-care routine?
My favorite self-care ritual is the Finnish sauna, the original, wood-fired kind. Sauna at least twice a week, it’s not a luxury; it’s a way of life. Almost every home has one, and many of us also have a lakeside sauna where the ritual becomes even more powerful. The experience is beautifully simple: slow, building heat followed by a plunge into cool lake water—repeated several times. The contrast of hot and cold awakens the senses, quiets the mind, and releases physical tension almost instantly. Research from Finland has linked regular sauna bathing to cardiovascular health, stress reduction, and even increased longevity. After each session, I understand why. My breathing is deeper, my thoughts are clearer, and my body feels completely reset. In winter, stepping into an opening carved through the frozen lake elevates the ritual even further, an intense rush of cold that awakens every nerve, followed by a deep, steady calm.
What is your go-to for de-stressing?
My favorite way to relieve stress is beautifully simple: I head into the woods on a trail ride with my friend, a Finnhorse named Säde. The Finnhorse is Finland’s only native horse, known for its steady temperament and quiet strength. Calm, grounded, and deeply intuitive, this remarkable animal is the perfect companion for slow walks along a peaceful forest road. There’s something profoundly soothing about moving through the trees together each week, the rhythm of hooves on soft earth, the scent of pine in the air, the stillness that only nature can offer. In those moments, stress gently fades away.
Caring for horses is its own form of mindfulness. The brushing, the quiet presence, the unspoken trust. It brings me back to the present moment every time. For me, true wellness begins there: in nature, in connection, and in slowing down.
What aspect of your wellbeing do you struggle with the most, or would most like to improve?
Sleep is the area I would most like to improve. I sometimes wake in the early hours of the morning when unfinished thoughts or responsibilities resurface. Even when life feels balanced, the mind can stay quietly active at night. Deep, uninterrupted sleep feels like the ultimate form of restoration. It’s something I value greatly and continue to work toward with gentler evenings and more intentional wind-down routines. When I do sleep through the night, I truly feel the difference the next day.
What brings you joy?
Food brings me genuine joy. I love preparing simple meals from fresh, local ingredients. Knowing where the food comes from and who has grown or produced it makes the experience deeply meaningful. Cooking from scratch feels grounding and creative at the same time. Some of my most cherished travel memories are connected to local food and the people behind it. I believe the best way to truly understand a new destination is through its food culture. It reveals history, values, climate, and community, and it always offers moments of discovery and connection.
I deeply respect ethical farmers, producers, chefs, and hospitality professionals who honor quality and sustainability. In my home region of Lake Saimaa in Finland, we have even created a regional quality label, D.O.Saimaa, which guarantees that ingredients are genuinely local and responsibly produced—inspired by Southern Europe’s traditional origin designations. For me, joy is found at the table, where authenticity, sustainability, and shared experience come together.
