Sometimes a great story does not begin with a dream, but quietly, almost inconspicuously, with disillusionment.
Martin emigrated to Sweden in search of freedom and adventure – but instead he was met with cold, loneliness and hard days. It was in this harsh environment that he discovered something that would never let him go: bathing in a hot tub. Together with his best friend Florian, he built his first stainless steel hot tub during one of the most difficult periods of his life – and it was during their first bath together that the idea was born that would later lead to firewater.
Martin and the game with fire and water
Martin has always loved playing with fire and water. Even as a child, he built dams in streams, tore them down again and watched with fascination as the tidal wave flowed on. He lit countless campfires – often at times when he should have been at school – and could listen to the crackling of the wood for hours. As a rebellious teenager, he also lit one or two things that are better not mentioned in detail here.
A special story: Martin and a friend once paddled down the River Inn in a boat they had built themselves. Their big goal: to reach the Black Sea. But barrages and bad weather soon made this impossible. Instead, the two ended up in a forest near a small hut. It was cold and rainy, so the teenagers quickly lit a campfire. With an improvised construction made from old iron profiles, which they placed over the flames, they managed to heat water – and so they had a warm bath for their frozen feet.
Basically, that was already the principle of a hot tub: fire heats water – so simple, so original, so soothing. Years later, Martin revisited this experience when he built his first stainless steel hot tub.
At heart, he was always a wild, original person – freedom-loving, self-determined, preferably outdoors in nature, far away from the technology that determines our everyday lives. He wanted to create, build and try things out – without asking anyone and without adhering to rigid rules.
Emigrating to Sweden
At the age of 26, the freedom-loving Tyrolean was drawn to faraway places. His destination: Sweden. Martin bought a 100-year-old house there – and of course renovated it himself, from the roof to the wooden floors. He also tackled the small guest house on the property. Even then, he lived according to his convictions: self-determined, close to nature and creating something new with his own hands.
But the dark, cold winters in Sweden, the few hours of sunshine and the loneliness far away from family and friends made things difficult for Martin. During this
Both were trained roofers – so they were experienced in working with metal. It made sense for them to use stainless steel rather than the usual wood or plastic. Robust, easy to clean and durable – perfect for the icy winters in the far north. This gave rise to the idea of making the inner tub of the hot tub from stainless steel.
They sawed, screwed and filed for a week until it was finished. The first bath in the self-built stainless steel hot tub became an unforgettable experience: winter, snow, steaming water – and two friends laughing in the hot tub and forgetting the cold around them. A moment of true friendship that is still remembered today.
The idea came while traveling
Eventually, Martin decided to go back. He sold the house in Sweden, broke away from his former idea of dropping out – and first went traveling to find himself again.
He rode his motorcycle along the Panamericana, visited his sister Marion in Guatemala and spent several months on the road. Freedom, adventure, warmth and sun, but also plenty of time to think. The sale of the house had given him the financial leeway he needed to travel without pressure.
One day he was lying in a hammock in Guatemala – between surfing, traveling and doing nothing – and asked himself the crucial question: What’s next? What comes next? Be self-employed? He had never actually imagined it. But the craftsman and inventor in him couldn’t let go of the idea of
So he started researching. He watched countless YouTube videos, listened to podcasts, made sketches and plans in his college notebook. At some point, it was clear: the dropout life in Central America was over. With the last 10,000 euros left over from the sale of his house as start-up capital, Martin Auer founded his own company, Feuerwasser, in Austria and went all in with the business idea.
About the author
Sophie Auer is the wife of Martin Auer, the founder of Feuerwasser. She has been with Feuerwasser since the early days. She loves the simple life in nature, bathing in the open air and the crackling of a real wood fire.
In her texts, she writes about natural self-care, real experiences without filters and the good life – away from the screen. As the provocative voice of the Own The Wild mission, she inspires people to get back in touch with themselves, with nature and with their own wildness.