I will leave my comments to a minimum.
This is beyond funny, and it’s all true.
Sauna in the garden misty wet with rain
April 13, 2009 By 4 Comments
Someone asked me to summarize what the big deal is with Saunas, and I simply replied:
“No guru, no method, no teacher. Just you and I in nature.”
I’ve heard folks say that their sauna is their church. Sauna is a spiritual experience in Finland. Van Morrison surely wasn’t speaking directly about the sauna experience when he wrote this masterpiece, In The Garden, yet with any masterpiece, lyrics can be applied in multiple context:
I wish I had a live link for you to experience the richness of this song, especially between rounds:
but a nice outdoor sauna is surely a Sweet Thing:
The fields are always wet with rain
After a summer shower
When I saw you standin’
Standin’ in the garden
In the garden
Wet with rain
You wiped the teardrops from your eye in sorrow
And we watched the petals fall down to the ground
And as I sat beside you I felt the
Great sadness that day
In the garden
And then one day you came back home
You were a creature all in rapture
You had the key to your soul
And you did open
That day you came back
To the garden
The olden summer breeze was blowin’ gainst your face
Alright
The light of God was shinin’ on your countenance divine
And you were a violet colour as you
Sat beside your father and your mother
In the garden
The summer breeze was blowin’ on your face
Within your violet you treasure your summery words
And as the shiver from my neck down to my spine
Ignited me in daylight and nature in the garden
And you went into a trance
Your childlike vision became so fine
And we heard the bells within the church
We loved so much
And felt the presence of the youth of eternal summers
In the garden
Alright
And as it touched your cheeks so lightly
Born again you were and blushed
And we touched each other lightly
And we felt the presence of the Christ within our hearts
In the garden
And I turned to you and I said
No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the Father in the garden
Listen
No guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature
And the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost
In the garden
Wet with rain
No Guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature and the father and the holy ghost
In that garden, in the garden, wet with rain
Yeah. Alright.
No Guru, no method, no teacher
Just you and I and nature and the father In the garden
A nice foot mat for your oudoor backyard sauna
April 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Here’s a simple foot friendly outdoor sauna foot mat. I especially like standing barefoot on this cedar slat mat in winter time. The snow, ice, and cold water seep into the ground and my feet stay fairly dry. Nicer than plastic. Just rip some slats from a cedar board or maybe purchase some 1×1 or 2×2 cedar boards from a lumber yard, attach a couple cross supports underneath with a finish nailer, et voila.
Sauna Party: April 2nd 2009, Minneapolis, MN USA
April 6, 2009 By 6 Comments
Ever threw a party and nobody showed? Ever threw a party and everybody showed? Well we had 10 at this sauna party. Most sauna parties flow well with 4-5, but double the bodies, you’d think it would be log jam in the sauna. However, we had flow. If you want to have a big sauna party, I encourage you to:
- Set your sauna party date far in advance, so folks can get it on their calendars.
- Set your sauna party for a time and date that is easy for people. This sauna party was on a Thursday, and most folks had Friday off work.
- Remind your invitees personally of the upcoming sauna party with a phone call or two and a personal email.
- Keep your sauna stove hot. More bodies and more in and out traffic can cool your sauna faster.
My sauna in Minneapolis is NOT a big sauna (about 6′x7′). However, what works with my sauna is flow. A good sauna party is as much the vibe in other spaces as in the sauna room. I took a moment a couple times throughout the night to analyze the sauna party flow, and here is a typical snap shot:
- 4 people in the sauna room.
- 2 people talking outside by the shower after a sauna round.
- 2 people playing ping pong between sauna rounds. (I had set up my ping pong table in the garage).
- 1 person trying to talk to me, as I walked around and counted what everyone else was doing.
How can a 6×7 sauna keep up with 10 sauna enthusiasts? Well, I encourage you to do the sauna party math:
SAUNA PARTY EQUATION:
- take the number of people at your sauna party
- multiply by 3 (avg. number of rounds for a good sauna session)
- multiply by 1/3 (avg. sauna round is about 20 minutes or 1/3 hr.)
- divided by total hours of your sauna party (my sauna parties usually run from 9 pm – midnight)
- equal average number in your sauna at one time.
10 people x 3 rounds x 1/3 hour / 3 hours = 3.333 people in the sauna at one time. Perfect.
The great thing about a sauna party is that people are free to do what they want, when they want, and can mix conversation with others at the sauna party. It’s like one of those cocktail parties where the host puts numbers under the chairs and has people divide into odd and even and play charades. You don’t need such chenanigans with a sauna party. Like it says on the laundry detergent box: Heat up, rinse, cool down, visit, repeat.
The perfect size outdoor sauna
April 5, 2009 By 43 Comments
Here’s a 3-D picture of a pretty good mobile sauna.
- 8×12 structure
- 6×8 sauna room*
- 6×8 changing room
- dual benches on either side.
- stove centered along the back wall.
- 2×4 framed construction
- 5/12 roof pitch
- put a window in your sauna if you have a nice view.
I have been in over 100 saunas, and have sat in every one and have considered what’s good, bad and ugly with the design and construction of each sauna.
Some saunas are two man saunas, and don’t allow for a good sauna party. Some saunas are bigger than a four man sauna and take too long to heat up, use too much wood, or the loyly (steam rising from tossing water on the rocks) never reaches you. With divine proportion, according to the Greeks and confirmed by Da Vinci (thanks Matt), this is my ultimate sauna plan.
This design uses North American standard measurements, minimizing waste in construction and allowing for full cuts of material. This design gives you a changing room, a critical space for privacy, having a beer between rounds, and a buffer for temperature extremes in cold climates.
TIP: Frame the interior wall with 2×2′s vs. 2×4′s. It is non load bearing, and the extra 2″ sure is valuable!
EXTRA TIP: * The interior wall can be nudged slightly to allow for a slightly bigger sauna room (say 6’2″x7’4″ interior dimensions). Four people can fit nicely along a 6’2″ bench, and it’s nice to lay along your sauna bench. Remember, though, you’ll be having dual benches, a comfy sauna and ample changing room is the goal. Having a bunch of people over for a sauna party? don’t sweat it! click here for the sauna party equation.
Saunas: the power of the number three
April 4, 2009 By 2 Comments
There are so many “threes” relating to saunas:
Three major attributes of saunas.
- Health and Wellness
- Escape
- Fun
Three sauna rounds make for a complete sauna.
- Round 1: heat up and cold rinse
- Round 2: induce loyly (steam), sweat heavy, and cold rinse
- Round 3: sweat heavy, muscle stretch, skin cleanse and clean rinse
When you build your own sauna, consider the three zones for optimal sauna enjoyment
- sauna room: 7′ high ceiling max. optimize your cubic footage, consider bench height.
- changing room: lots of hooks, music and small fridge for cold water and beverages, good flow.
- outdoor patio: outdoor shower, nice sitting area to chill out and look at the stars, privacy, buffer.
Three beers make for a good sauna party.
Three guests make for a fun sauna party.
Three hours is about how long a good sauna party lasts.
Ever heard the one about fish and guests both start to stink after three days? 3 saunas a week can minimize this.
Top 10 ways you know you'll enjoy your own authentic Finnish sauna
April 1, 2009 By 1 Comment
- You secretly enjoy cold, crappy weather.
- When jumping in a pool or lake, you don’t bother dipping in your toe first to check the temp.
- Rinsing off after shaving, you use the coldest water possible.
- You have in your garage a working TV, radio, and or refrigerator.
- You prefer exercising outside vs. inside at a health club.
- At the office, you’ve been known to say: “wow, did you see the stars last night?”
- You smile at the fact that drinking 3 beers at home cost less than 1/2 of one at a bar.
- You like all aspects of firewood: cutting, chopping, stacking, burning.
- You consider such things as yoga, acupuncture, and meditation with an open mind.
- You love the ‘up north’ natural environment, but can’t always get there.
Please feel free to add to this list… good sauna!
