A spa that fits in all bathrooms

A hair product can do wonders. For some, it might even be a career-changing experience.

A few years ago, Luin Spa co-founder Mari Luodes stumbled across a hair towel: a towel that can be wrapped around wet hair after shower and fastened, so that it stays in place. A vast improvement to battling with a regular towel always falling off!

“She thought it was brilliant,” Luin Spa co-founder Noora Mustajärvi recalls of her friend’s reaction. “But she just wished it would be a bit more luxurious.”

That’s where it all started for Luin Spa. Luodes and Mustajärvi, two friends from university that had dreamt of establishing a company together for years, decided it’s time to create the best hair towel in the world.

Now, Luin Spa offers a huge selection of home spa products, ranging from – of course – hair towels and spa dresses, to hairbrushes and bodycare. Each item is designed with the spa feeling in mind.

Despite its Finnishness, Luin Spa isn’t just for sauna or bath lovers. The core idea to help people feel and look good in their homes, even if it’s alone on a weekday night.

It was all about hair

But, let’s backtrack to the hair towels for a moment: they play a crucial role in the first steps of Luin Spa. To create the perfect towel, you need the perfect material. The duo wanted something hefty, soft and absorbent.

“We quickly figured it’s cotton, and went through all sorts of samples to find a match for our needs,” Mustajärvi says. “For example, we travelled to Harrods in London to see what they had on shelves.”

As neither of the ladies was a textile professional prior to jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, it came as a surprise that there are hundreds of ways to make a towel. Touching, cutting and testing came to just one conclusion: no one was spot on what Luin Spa wanted.

Then Finpro* gave the budding entrepreneurs a list of manufacturers. A suitable one was swiftly found in Turkey.

Whilst seeking partners, the Luin Spa team also spent time on design. They wanted certain colours, beauty and convenience. For example, the Luin Spa hair towel uses a snap fastener instead of a regular button.

Soon Luin Spa decided it wanted to be more than just one product. The first batch of Luin Spa products to hit the shelves in May 2015 comprised hair towels, regular towels and bathrobes.

Nordic design tickles fancies all over

Now, the selection has grown, as has the availability of Luin Spa. The brand has agents in various countries in Europe, resellers in even more and orders to the online shop come from all corners of the globe.

Sweden started out as the biggest market, but now France and Italy are showing signs of growing  interest. This summer, Luin Spa will be knocking on a lot of doors in Japan.

Pretty much anywhere poses a possibility.

“Scandinavian design and colour combinations are hugely popular,” Mustajärvi points out. All over the world you’ll find people who are fans of the simplistic style.”

Right now, the focus is all on further internationalisation and growing the global network of distributors. If all goes to plan, even the tiniest of bathrooms can be turned into pampering spas anywhere in the world.

Good News from Finland is published by Finnfacts, which is part of Finpro*.

*Part of Business Finland since 2018