Helsinki (Finland), Mar. 12, 2018
An entrepreneur has created SuperShe Island, a private retreat off the coast of Finland where no men are allowed, the CNN has reported.
The female-only island of mythical Themyscira-like destination, which opens for business in July, aims to provide women space away from society’s pressures and embrace an all-female energy, the CNN quoted entrepreneur Kristina Roth as saying.
“We’re the average of the five people we surround ourselves with,” Roth said.
“My philosophy is if you surround yourself with amazing women, and if you can bring together amazing women globally then you’re going to be the average of that group.”
The island, which can house 10 people in four luxurious cabins, offers wellness activities and opportunities for bonding.
The founder of SuperShe — a lifestyle blog and networking group that encourages women to connect with, befriend and encourage other women — took inspiration from her own life for the resort.
“I really lived in, worked, lived, breathed in a man-dominated world,” explained the former CEO of a consultancy business.
“When I really started to travel more the last couple of years… I just met a lot of amazing women around the world.”
Roth bought the island — somewhat ironically — after her boyfriend introduced her to the beauty of Finland’s landscape.
“I fell in love with this area of the Finnish archipelago. My Finnish boyfriend introduced me to the archipelago and after I’d bought the island, we started renovating it.”
Women cannot automatically book a place on a SuperShe retreat as Roth, who picks the visitors herself, looks into many things before they can take pleasure in the landscapes of the island.
“The number one thing that’s important to me is that you have an amazing personality — like upbeat, cool personality — because you’re on [an] island,” Roth said. “That’s what’s going to make it fun and exciting for everyone.”
Not everyone is on board with Roth’s plans, with some women branding the idea elitist on social media — a claim Roth rejects.
“The retreat being a female-only space doesn’t make it inherently feminist,” critic Ruth Pearson, 24, told CNN Travel. “It is a space created by a rich, white woman for other women like her.”
Pearson is concerned by the vetting process and the price tag, which is likely to be pricey.
“These factors will disproportionately affect people of colour, with disabilities, trans women and those who are gender non-conforming, meaning this island is only for one very narrow type of woman,” Pearson said.
Roth, however, disagreed and said SuperShe welcomed all women, including those from the LGBT community.
According to Roth, the island is “a zone without sexual tension, meaning you just come and you just want to chill”.
The Finnish archipelago is known for its evergreen trees and their healing properties, rocky coast, warm sea water in the summer and beautiful sunrises.
“I love the Caribbean and I love Hawaii, but I was personally very surprised by how at home I felt here and how beautiful it was,” she said.
“Seeing how much positive feedback I received through the island, and it’s not even open yet, I’m very excited to take this global,” she said. “I know that I’m on the right track, that I really am craving something that’s needed and wanted.”
