MAKING SOLARA LIVABLE: THE BATHHOUSE Solara Foundation 501c3

Solara Sanctuary is a magical healing farm community in East Tennessee where where families and communities come to reconnect with themselves, each other, and the earth.

We grow food. We raise animals. We build with our hands. We make art. We gather around fires. We heal together.

Solara meets you exactly where you are. You just have to come with an open mind and an open heart.

THE BATHHOUSE AT SOLARA SANCTUARY

Four full restrooms, each with a shower, sink and toilet, built with reclaimed materials, fairytale design, and that wonder that lives in every corner of this land.

And at the heart of it all an indoor sauna.

Because Solara isn't just about basic needs. It's about whole healing. The sauna is where muscles recover, where toxins release, where people sit together in warmth and actually breathe. We'll have homemade essential oils, because healing happens with all the senses. We are about health, community and creativity.

What your donation builds:

4 full restrooms with shower, sink and toilet
Indoor sauna for healing and community
Reclaimed and sustainable materials throughout
Fairytale and magical design because wonder belongs everywhere
A permanent foundation for volunteers, guests, and families this summer and for years to come

Campaign Goal: $6,000 — $12,000 Every reclaimed material donated, every barter trade made, every community contribution brings this number down.

Think about the last road trip you took.

What's the first thing you needed when you arrived? Yeah, you're right! A restroom! That basic human need that has you shifting in your seat waiting to stop.

I'm Melissa and my husband is Jesse. We sold our home February of 2025 and everything we owned, packed our trucks with 12 totes and set out on the road to find the right land and community. We traveled to 6 states, hiked hundreds of acres of land, and drove thousands of miles in 5 months. In July of 2025 we moved onto raw land on a mountaintop in East Tennessee after being divinely guided. (That's another whole story). Since then, we've been building Solara Sanctuary by hand for the past 8 months. We have been using reclaimed materials, community support, hundreds of miles of hustle picking up reclaimed materials, and more love than we can measure.

We are building the first cabin out of pallets and reclaimed materials that survived 15 inches of snow during one of the harshest winters this area has had in a while, and that's coming from the locals. We have 20 rabbits in our rabbitry and a waiting list. We have sheep coming. And the biggest, we have volunteers arriving in weeks, and we don't have a bathhouse yet.

Here's the honest truth:

We were quoted $3,500 per month for a temporary bathroom trailer.

That's $42,000 a year for something that solves nothing permanently.

So instead, we're building something permanent. Something meaningful. Something that sets the tone for everything the moment you walk through the door.

SOLARA SANCTUARY is a healing farm community focused on reconnection, creativity, and healing.

We create retreats, events, and experiences that guide healing processes. We grow food, raise animals, build with our hands, make art, tell stories, and gather around fires.

The entire point of Solara is to reconnect, with ourselves, with each other, and with the earth.

We're building this for:

THE CHILD who never felt like they belonged anywhere, who deserves a place that feels like pure magic, where nature wraps around you like a hug and animals remind you that you are worthy of love.

THE ADOPTIVE PARENT running on empty, who said yes with their whole heart and needs a place to exhale, reconnect, and remember why they did.

THE GRANDPARENT who never expected to start over, raising grandchildren with everything they have, who deserves a community that sees them and holds them up.

THE FOSTER FAMILY showing up every single day, who gives so much and deserves a place that gives back to them.

THE BURNED OUT WOMEN who has forgotten herself, who needs dirt under her feet, animals to love, and real humans around a fire to find her way back.

THE CHILD IN FOSTER SYSTEM right now, who deserves wonder. Who deserves magic. Who deserves a place built just for them.

THE VOLUNTEERS who wants their hands and heart to mean something, who wants to build something real alongside people who genuinely care.

THE FAMILY that just needs to find each other again, away from screens, away from noise, back to what actually matters.

EVERYONE who believes the world gets better when we take care of each other.

That's who Solara is for. That's who we're building this bathhouse for. I know what these families need because I was a foster child myself. I know what it feels like to need a place that feels safe, magical, and completely yours. That's exactly what we're building.

Donation Tiers

🌱 $25 - Plant a Seed

Every seed matters. Your gift helps purchase reclaimed materials that go directly into building the bathhouse.

🪵 $50 - Lay a Board

You're literally helping us build. This contribution goes toward the structure and framing of the bathhouse walls.

🚿 $100 - Turn on the Water

A powerful contribution toward the plumbing and water systems that make this bathhouse functional and real.

🌿 $250 - Build the Walls

You're a builder now. This significant gift moves us meaningfully closer to completion.

🔥 $500 - Light the Sauna

You're helping create the healing heart of the bathhouse , the place where people will breathe, recover, and connect for years to come.

✨ $1,000 - Founding Builder

You will be permanently honored on our Founders Wall at Solara Sanctuary. Your name becomes part of this land forever. You helped build something magical from the ground up.

💛 Any amount - You belong here

Every single dollar is tax deductible through the Solara Foundation, a registered 501c3. No gift is too small. Every contribution is received with deep gratitude from our mountaintop to your heart.

Volunteers are arriving in weeks.

This is urgent. This is real. And every single dollar you give is tax deductible through the Solara Foundation, a registered 501c3.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this project. You are the foundation and we couldn't do it without you.

You're not just funding a bathroom. You're building the AHHHHHH feeling when you finally have found your toilet. ;)

DONATE NOW — HELP US BUILD THE BATHHOUSE

Making Solara Livable: The Bathhouse Project

By Solara Foundation

Making Solara Livable: The Bathhouse Project

Building a magical healing community in East Tennessee!

Team Members