About Us
How This Started
Back in 2020, in the middle of lockdown, Leslee and John kept coming back to the same daydream: what would social life look like once the world opened back up? Not just another night at the bar or a restaurant (although you'll find them there too) — something built around feeling good. A place to actually get to know your neighbors.
That daydream led them to contrast therapy, and they got a little obsessed. They looked for somewhere nearby to experience it properly and kept coming up short — and when they looked into building a sauna at home, the cost alone told them they weren't the only ones getting priced out of something that should feel more accessible. That gap is where The Rain Society came from.
Who They Are
Leslee and John are both artists at heart. Leslee has a BFA, and went back not long after for her MBA. She started her career in advertising, but found her calling helping nonprofit organizations harness technology to further their missions — including several years at AWS, work she continues today alongside building The Rain Society. She's always loved a social setting, bringing friends together, and a lifelong desire to give back — using what she knows to build something that actually serves people.
John has a degree in Electrical Engineering, and it shows in the way he thinks — precise, curious, always taking things apart to understand how they work. He started his design career at K2, went on to run his own product design company, and still designs for brands in the medical and sports equipment world today. He's also a life long passionate wood worker and builder who builds exquisite art and beautiful wood workings by hand. Every joint, every surface, every detail you'll touch here has passed through his hands — because that's exactly what he's spent his life doing.
Where They're From
Leslee grew up in Poulsbo, Washington with her mom, and spent summers and school breaks in Fairbanks, Alaska with her dad — she likes to call herself a part-time Alaskan. John's childhood took him everywhere from New Orleans to Germany before his family landed on Vashon when he was very young. He's kept traveling ever since, but Vashon has always been the place he comes back to — it's been his home this whole time, and now it's theirs.
Why They're Doing This
Leslee and John wanted to build something that gives back to the community that's given them so much — a place where people can genuinely connect, take care of themselves, and lift each other up in a healthy way. Not a spa, not a gym. A ritual, shared with neighbors, in every season Vashon throws at them — rain included.
They're building this by hand, for real, because they believe in it. If any of this resonates, they'd love to have you be a part of THE RAIN /// SOCIETY from the start.
