TWICE 2.0 — Coming soon.
Learn more about the update
For founder and CEO Santeri Metsähonkala, the lake isn’t just scenery — it’s a way of life. He left a regular day job to build Laineille.fi into a year-round experience business, guided as much by instinct as by spreadsheets.
Santeri co-owns the company with his father, a lifelong entrepreneur who serves as a steady investment partner. During peak season, a small team of three powers the operation — Santeri captaining the sauna boat with a mate on deck, and a friend managing jet ski rentals. Safety is non-negotiable; wood-fired sauna stoves are tended with care, moorings are handled in crosswinds, and every group is welcomed like old friends.
From Santalahti harbor in Tampere, Laineille.fi offers three ways to enjoy the boat: private cruises, dockside sessions in summer, and a winter sauna experience. The fleet has expanded from one 30-ton sauna boat to also include five jet skis and SUP boards for extra fun. The company also arranges guided safaris for those who want adventure without the stress.
The vibe is hands-on, straightforward, and deeply Finnish — steam rising from a sauna bench, cool lake water, then back to warmth again.
As demand grew, the business outpaced its tools.
The old online calendar felt clunky; Santeri didn’t love sending customers there, and most bookings ended up in the inbox.
That meant long back-and-forth threads, manual entry of reservations, and the occasional scheduling scare — especially when the first warm days of the season triggered a rush of requests all at once. Some customers also struggled to understand the experience before arrival. What is a sauna boat? What should they bring? Where do they go?
Santeri knew clearer information at booking would set better expectations and save time for the work that matters — cleaning, safety checks, and delivering a great experience on the water.
Santeri went looking for something better and found TWICE Commerce. It felt like a smart fit — sensible pricing, a platform built for rentals and bookings, and the ability to bundle extras in one place. “I thought I’d give it a try,” he says, “and it’s been really good.”
TWICE became the single source of truth for reservations across the sauna boat and jet skis. The online booking calendar moved customers from email to self-service, and intelligent add-on recommendations at checkout simplified upsells: towels, SUP boards, meals — everything could be booked in one go. Order management became easier, payments clearer, and Santeri finally felt confident pointing customers straight to the website. “The booking itself is straightforward; customers just book online and that’s it.”
With new revenue streams coming — public sauna sessions every Thursday in Santalahti and firewood sales through the same online store — TWICE offered a path to run it all in one place without adding complexity.
The shift was immediate and measurable.
Where the old system pushed bookings into email, TWICE pulled them online — and flipped the entire mix.
As Santeri explains: “Before, we might have had twenty bookings a year through the online calendar.” Now, he says, “we get a hundred bookings through the online calendar,” with the rest by email. That reversal saves hours of administrative work and slashes the risk of conflicts. It also gives customers a clearer path to the right experience at the right time.
Upsells started working harder, too. With automated add-on suggestions in the cart, Laineille.fi saw more people choose extras — boosting average order value while removing the need for follow-up emails. For Santeri, the change brought peace of mind. The team could focus on physical work that can’t be automated knowing the front end was doing its job.
Perhaps most importantly, the new system helped Laineille.fi stay true to its ethos. This is a business built on hospitality and craft. When the booking is easy and the information is clear, guests arrive calmer and better prepared. They step onto the deck, feel the heat rolling from the stove, and the experience starts right away.
Laineille.fi is still growing, step by step and season by season.
Public sauna Thursdays will bring more locals onboard through the winter. Firewood sales are rolling into the same online store — another way to balance seasonal demand. Safety innovation is next: every jet ski will soon carry a device that enables remote speed limiting and geo-fencing, reducing risk and streamlining orientation on busy days. All small improvements add up to a better customer experience and smoother day-to-day operations for the company.
On the fleet side, five jet skis may become six or seven while the sauna boat remains masterfully utilized. And as more of the booking flow moves entirely online, Santeri’s inbox will keep getting lighter.
The mission stays the same: do things well, focus on quality, and let passion and profit walk hand in hand. TWICE is there in the background — steady, simple, and built for businesses that make experiences last.
Turn every item into lasting revenue. Explore TWICE with a free trial.