- Words by Tess Van Straaten Photography by Lia Crowe

Josh Dupuis has been building things since he was a child. He started working in construction at just 15 years old, but never thought heB次元官网网址檇 have a business building saunas.

B次元官网网址淚f someone had told me three years ago that I would be building and renting saunas right now, I would have laughed,B次元官网网址� says Josh, the founder of . B次元官网网址淚t was something that hadnB次元官网网址檛 crossed my mind until my wife, Amy, said she loved saunas.B次元官网网址�

It all started in 2020 when Amy wanted to rent a sauna for Christmas. When they couldnB次元官网网址檛 find one, Josh decided to build one in the backyard.

B次元官网网址淚 thought it would be really cool to have one on a trailer because you could take it anywhere you want. Then I thought, B次元官网网址楲etB次元官网网址檚 throw it on a trailer and rent it out!B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Josh explains. B次元官网网址淵ou can bring the benefits to everybody and share such a cool thing. Show up at someoneB次元官网网址檚 birthday party with a sauna and drop it offB次元官网网址攊tB次元官网网址檚 pretty cool. And we actually went camping with our barrel sauna.B次元官网网址�

So Wildwood was born, and has since built up a business around custom sauna builds and mobile sauna rentalsB次元官网网址攊ncluding weekly Saturday stints at Willows Beach in Oak Bay, where they do both drop-ins and pre-booking.

B次元官网网址淏usiness is really good and everybody loves it,B次元官网网址� Josh says. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 such a great thing to have. Our goal is community building, and at Willows, the groups come and do some cold dips and everyone hangs out. ItB次元官网网址檚 really cool and there are big smiles all around. When you come out of the sauna, itB次元官网网址檚 hard not to smile. We really enjoy doing it, because itB次元官网网址檚 such a nice thing to bring to the community and the health benefits are great.B次元官网网址�

For Josh, who also owns Josh Dupuis Construction, the building bug started at a very young age.

B次元官网网址淏eing creative is definitely my passion,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淲hen I was 11 years old, I built my first go-kart just by looking at a picture in a magazine. I bought a welder and learned how to weld. Doing that first go-kart and seeing it drive, thatB次元官网网址檚 where it started. I thought, B次元官网网址榃hat else can I build?B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

After struggling in school, Josh moved out on his own when he was just 15 years old and started in carpentry, building homes for five years.

B次元官网网址淚 wanted my freedom and I wasnB次元官网网址檛 very good at school,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淚 was home-schooled and I didnB次元官网网址檛 do well with books, and I couldnB次元官网网址檛 sit still and I couldnB次元官网网址檛 stop building stuff, so I decided to just go build stuff. I never thought I could own my own business because I was so terrible at school and math.B次元官网网址�

But after getting into commercial refrigeration and obtaining his Red Seal in HVAC-R, Josh realized he could do math and concentrate on things he was passionate about. He spent the next eight years building grocery stores all over Canada before quitting his job to start his own construction company in Victoria three years ago.

B次元官网网址淚 was building the Walmart in Langford and on my days off, I was going home to Edmonton, where I was living at the time. It was -50 C there and I was in a T-shirt here, so it made sense to move here,B次元官网网址� says Josh, who grew up in New Brunswick. B次元官网网址淭he weather is great, thereB次元官网网址檚 lots of construction, and Victoria is beautiful. All the hiking here is crazy!B次元官网网址�

Josh grew up playing competitive sports, including baseball, hockey, amateur boxing and skateboarding, and says the best advice he ever received was from a coach, who would say: B次元官网网址淢ind your thoughts, because they become your words. Mind your words, because they become your actions. Mind your actions, because they become your character. Mind your character, because it becomes your fate.B次元官网网址�

Keeping a positive mindset has been something heB次元官网网址檚 tried to do, even when faced with the challenges of the construction industry.

B次元官网网址淐onstruction can be pretty challenging all the time,B次元官网网址� Josh says. B次元官网网址淭he timelines, trying to get things done quickly and well at the same time, thatB次元官网网址檚 probably the hardest thing. The biggest lesson IB次元官网网址檝e learned is to double-check prices on materials before sending the quote.B次元官网网址�

Summer is also a challenging time for the sauna rental business, especially when the last two summers have seen several heat waves and record-breaking temperatures.

B次元官网网址淚t really slows down when it warms up,B次元官网网址� Josh says. B次元官网网址淲hen itB次元官网网址檚 30 C itB次元官网网址檚 hard to rent a sauna, but we still had lots of people at the beach. But now that itB次元官网网址檚 raining and not nice, weB次元官网网址檙e pretty busy because itB次元官网网址檚 a pretty unique way to warm up.B次元官网网址�

Passionate about health and wellness, Josh says he thinks saunas are definitely making a comeback as people look for different ways to de-stress.

B次元官网网址淚 think people are really getting more aware of the health benefits,B次元官网网址� Josh says. B次元官网网址淲hen I have pain from working hard all day, IB次元官网网址檒l do a cold plunge and then a sauna and I just feel so relaxed after. It clears my brain and I find it puts me in a good mood.B次元官网网址�

Wildwood has two rental saunas right now and plans to build a third one soon. The company is also going to be designing cold-dip tubs next year, and is even considering starting sauna boat tours. Josh says his dream is to have a whole fleet of saunas and to be doing custom builds full time.

B次元官网网址淭he biggest mistake IB次元官网网址檝e made has been not starting this company sooner,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淣ot believing that I could be successful and not believing in myself enough. When things get hard, thatB次元官网网址檚 when youB次元官网网址檝e got to push through, and once you do, thatB次元官网网址檚 what shapes you and makes you better. DonB次元官网网址檛 give up when things get hard. When you push through, thatB次元官网网址檚 the game-changer.B次元官网网址�

Story courtesy of , a Black Press Media publication
Like Boulevard Magazine on and follow them on