The Power of Hot and Cold London launch event!

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Last night, November 14th 2024, was the London launch for Katja Pantzar and Carita Harju’s THE POWER OF HOT AND COLD: From Sauna to Sea. The Finnish Way to a Happy, Healthy Life! The event was hosted by the Finnish ambassador Jukka Siukosaari and Special Advisor Pirjo Pellinen.

Warmest Thank You Ambassador Jukka Siukosaari and Pirjo Pellinen for hosting a successful event, and Yellow Kite for publishing this unique book! We also thank FILI for supporting this book launch.

THE POWER OF HOT AND COLD is the first English-language book on contrast therapy, which explores the therapeutic benefits and long history of going to the sauna followed by a rejuvenating ice bath. In 2020, Finnish sauna culture was added to the UNESCO cultural heritage list, and there is no one better to write about it than this bestselling cultural expert author team.

About THE POWER OF HOT AND COLD:

Step into the world of hot and cold, where contrast therapy – pairing a good steam in a sauna with an icy dip in a lake or the sea – is an essential part of life in Finland. More than a trending pastime, the traditional Finnish practice of alternating hot and cold has a range of health benefits that boost mental and physical wellbeing, which greatly contribute to happiness. It’s also a large part of the reason Finland has been named the World’s Happiest Country for the seventh year in a row.

This definitive guide by two experts takes readers on a journey into the transformative powers of hot and cold by pairing the sauna, that quintessential hot Finnish steam bath, with a cold-water dip. Along the way, it serves up the inspiration and practical tools for creating a wellness retreat using the Nordic contrast bathing philosophy, wherever you are in the world.

Click here to access the full English PDF of THE POWER OF HOT AND COLD.

Happy Authors, Agent & Publisher with Elina

Yellow Kite/Hodder, Carolyn Thorne & Kallie Townsend

Publisher Carolyn Thorne gives The Power of Hot and Cold to The Ambassador thanking him and presenting the book to the audience

The Finnish Power Ladies of Hot, Carita Harju (Red), and Cold, Katja Pantzar (blue)

Publication Info:
Yellow Kite, November 2024, 192 pp

Rights sold:
WORLD ENGLISH: Yellow Kite / Hodder & Stoughton (orig.)

Reading Material:
English edition

About author


Carita Harju

Carita Harju is a Finnish sauna experience expert and marketing professional whose mission is to share the Finnish sauna’s positive health and wellness benefits with the world. She is the founder and executive director of Sauna from Finland, which represents an international network of more than 200 sauna industry companies. The organization’s mission is to create the world’s best sauna experiences, and Harju loves her work, because it allows her to advance an idea that she is personally so passionate about. Carita Harju has always enjoyed saunas, goes to sauna with her family nearly every day and gives talks all over the world.

Her first illustrated guide, Sauna - The Way of Finnish Life (2016), has been published in four languages, including German and Chinese. Her second book, Soul of the Sauna, was released in Japanese and Hungarian, while her newest title Saunafulness (Hyvää oloa saunomalla, 2021) has been sold to 4 territories.

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About author


Katja Pantzar

Katja Pantzar –  Katja Pantzar is a Helsinki-based writer and journalist who swims in the Baltic Sea year round. Raised in Canada, with stints in New Zealand and England, she is the author of The Finnish Way (Penguin Random House/2018), a bestselling non-fiction book about Nordic well-being, winter swimming and sisu (resilience) that has been translated into 24 languages. Her second book on sisu, Everyday Sisu: Tapping into Finnish Fortitude for a Happier, More Resilient Life (Penguin Random House/2022) explores through expert interviews and research-based information how we can better support our mental and physical health while taking care of each other and our planet. Everyday Sisu has also been published in Japanese, Thai, and Indonesian. Pantzar’s work has been widely covered around the world in media ranging from Le Figaro, Le Monde, and El Paísto Vogue the Washington Post and the New York Review of Books. . She is also the author of three mini-guides to the Finnish capital, including 100 things to do in Helsinki (Siltala/2024).

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