Out of the Valley

Out of the Valley

It started with a single cabin, built in a deep wooded valley by the river Teign, on the edge of Dartmoor in England. Driven by a desire to embrace off-grid living in close connection with nature.

Rupert constructed the cabin as a home for himself, where he could embrace a simpler way of living. Word soon spread, and others were interested in similar sanctuaries for themselves. And so Out of the Valley was born.

Out of the Valley worked on their first sauna soon after, built on the waters edge in Cornwall – it started a fascination in sauna culture and the health benefits it could bring.

Rupert has spent time exploring various traditions who use heat for healing, from sweat lodges in Mexico to public spas in Germany. It illustrated the powerful benefits of thermal stress on the body.

Quarry Sauna-6
Out of the Valley are on a mission to create the best sauna experiences in the world and boost human health.

Comprising architects, designers and craftspeople, the Out of the Valleys team are experts in timber construction and have a wealth of knowledge in biophilic design – that is, the design of structures that invite their inhabitants to connect with the surrounding natural landscape.

Rupert McKelvie CEO

Rupert spent much of his childhood playing with wood shavings and offcuts in his parents’ workshop in the Gloucestershire countryside. (He still has the first table he ever made.) It was this love of the material that led him to study sustainable design in Falmouth and then classical boat building in Dorset, where he learned centuries-old woodcraft techniques from the masters. After four years spent working for design houses and furniture workshops in London, Rupert relocated to Devon in 2015, where he built his first cabin. He founded Out of the Valley in 2016.

Wood, sourced locally, will always be our primary material – its organic, tactile quality, its smell, its warmth and beauty are a constant source of joy for us, and inspire everything we make.