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Mobile sauna delivered to Uncommon Gardens

November 19, 2010 By Glenn Leave a Comment

Breaking News

The mobile sauna was delivered today to Uncommon Gardens in South Minneapolis.

Owner with a vision

Peggy Poore, owner, has shown remarkable vision in helping her friends and customers realize the potential of a backyard ‘up north’ escape by bringing in the mobile sauna to her garden center.  While shopping for their holiday greenery, folks can get warm and get a feel of how an 8′x12′ sauna can fit into their own backyard.

Mobile sauna on idle

While an enthusiastic staff made quick work of decorating the mobile sauna (just like Linus’s Christmas tree on the Peanuts Christmas show) we were able to fire up the wood burning sauna stove, bringing up to 150 degrees in a matter of minutes.

All are welcome to check it out

The mobile sauna will be on display through the holiday season.  If you’re in the Twin Cities, come by Uncommon Gardens, 5750 Lyndale Avenue South.  If you’re not in the Twin Cities, there are many non stop flights from most major cities in North America.  Uncommon Gardens is a $25 cab ride from MSP Airport.

See you in the sauna!

Filed Under: Events, Sauna party

Mobile sauna to a party near you

October 19, 2010 By Glenn 1 Comment

If it’s possible, you do it.


Creating an ‘up north’ authentic sauna vibe where ever you need it, whenever you need it.

Filed Under: Events, Sauna party

Sauna for the ages

August 5, 2010 By Glenn Leave a Comment

Saunas are great for all ages.  In sauna, age doesn’t matter.

I opened the sauna door at my cabin sauna last evening to a full house.  Calling out our ages, we began to take inventory.  On the sauna bench ages included: 10, 11, 13, 15, 16, 17, 19, and me, standing,… 47.  Outside sat a 68 year old, and trudging up the path was 78.

At that moment, on an island in Northern MN we were all the same age.  Simple things for all:  loyly (steam from water being tossed on sauna rocks), jumping in the lake, idle chat on a sauna bench.  Sauna parties have no age restriction.

Besides sauna or a Harry Potter movie, where else is everybody happy and all ages melt into one?

Filed Under: Health and wellness, Philosophy, Sauna party

Wheeling around the mobile sauna

February 11, 2010 By Glenn 2 Comments

For a great 3D blueprint of an awesome mobile sauna or backyard stationary sauna design, click here.

mobile sauna on wheels

The intention is to get folks to try out a real sauna at some special events.  Plus the Mobile Authentic Finnish Sauna will be available for folks to try out in their own backyards (before committing to build a sauna or buy one for themselves).  Theory is, once friends and family get to experience an authentic Finnish sauna, they’ll be hooked!  And rightfully so, health and wellness, green, and escape with ‘staycation‘.  Mobile Authentic Finnish Sauna: cabin life right in your own backyard.

Here is a list of Minnesota special events where I’ve wheeled over my mobile sauna:

Let’s get a mobile sauna in your town!  I’ll help you wheel it around.  For a worldly view of mobile saunas, check out this site!!  saunasessions.ca has a wonderful posting of well organized photos and information on the craziest collection of mobile saunas… enjoy!  (one of my favorites is the firetruck sauna).

Maybe we can get over to Finland to check out the Mobile Sauna Festival.

Filed Under: Sauna party

The mobile sauna: January 1, 2010

December 29, 2009 By Glenn Leave a Comment

I am excited to announce that the first mobile Finnish sauna will be idling warmly as part of the annual New Year’s Day polar plunge on Lake Minnetonka.  Click here for more videos and photos. (This guy needs a sauna):

Date:

Friday, January 1, 2010 @ 9:30 AM local time

Address:

Bayview Event Center
687 Excelsior Blvd
Excelsior, MN

Filed Under: Events, Sauna party

Kids in the sauna

August 30, 2009 By Glenn 1 Comment

“Ummm.. I think I want to take another round.”

My 10 year old had a friend over.  My son is no stranger to the sauna, but it was his friend’s first authentic Finnish sauna experience.  I thought i’d sit quietly on the bench and see how he took to it.  After a good amount of time on the upper sauna bench, they escaped the hot room to prance around under the outdoor backyard shower.

After a bit of standing around steaming in the crisp air of an early fall night, my son asks.. “so, what do you want to do now?”  There was a whole list of things they could have chosen: TV, computer games, etc. etc. but a smile came to my face when I heard:   “Ummm.. I think I want to take another round.”

Taking a sauna with kids is a great way to reconnect: unplug from the screen, sit together and share an experience of simplistic therapy.  A virtual escape to a vintage cabin without electricty and distractions: share stories, or just sit quietly.  It’s the simple moments of parenting that count.  Family psychologists talk about the importance of eating a meal as a family, as a time when parents and their children can reconnect, and i’ll offer that a sauna presents the same opportunity.  If you’ve ever heard your child, or your child’s friend say , “Ummm.. I think I want to take another round” you’ll know what I mean.

Filed Under: Sauna Culture, Sauna party

Rainy day sauna at the cabin

June 28, 2009 By Glenn

Not sure where it came from, but hanging on our cabin wall is a little sign that reads:

cabin (ka ben) n. 1. a place where Minnesotans go every weekend to spend two days waiting for the fish to bite, the bugs to go away, and the sun to come out.  written by Lori Olson c. 1985

rain

Now, i’m not about to start picking away at her glass half empty typical Minnesotan style, Garrison Keillor would be proud.  What I will take to task, however, is that one need not sit looking out the window wishing for the sun to come out.  Weather happens whether we wish, will, or whine about it.  With a sauna, a rainy day is a WONDERFUL day.

Every cabin/cottage should have a sauna, an insurance policy against cabin fever and Murphy’s Law.  Chances are a family reunion will fall on a weekend when a misty morning builds into a downpour by dinner.  We’ve turned a long rainy day into a wild fun party, speakers turned out the windows, floaty toys bobbing around the dock, and even an awesome game of Bocce Ball, all in the rain, thanks to the sauna, humming along, providing warmth and joy and a new outlook on a rainy day.

rainy day sauna at the lake

Does your cabin/cottage have a sauna?  If not, what is your weather insurance policy?

Filed Under: Sauna Culture, Sauna party, Weather

Food: What do you eat after a sauna?

June 3, 2009 By Glenn 7 Comments

We have the drinking water issue covered in this post here, but what do you like to eat after a long sauna party?  I have experienced folks who dive enthusiastically into a candy bar (very American) and Finn’s traditionally break bread and slice up salty makkara sausage, but for me, I’ve refined my after sauna food to:

  1. Pretzels – little sodium replenishment and no oily fats.
  2. Cheese – dairy protein jives much better at night than meat protein.
  3. Fruit – natural vitamins and fiber via Granny Smith apples or any fresh fruit.

These three foods work well together, without any red dye #5 or poly-splenda-msg-benzoate.

I sleep great after this light snack… Any other suggestions?

Filed Under: Health and wellness, Sauna Culture, Sauna how to, Sauna party

Sauna Party: April 2nd 2009, Minneapolis, MN USA

April 6, 2009 By Glenn 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:

  1. Set your sauna party date far in advance, so folks can get it on their calendars.
  2. 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.
  3. Remind your invitees personally of the upcoming sauna party with a phone call or two and a personal email.
  4. 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:

  1. take the number of people at your sauna party
  2. multiply by 3 (avg. number of rounds for a good sauna session)
  3. multiply by 1/3  (avg. sauna round is about 20 minutes or 1/3 hr.)
  4. divided by total hours of your sauna party (my sauna parties usually run from 9 pm – midnight)
  5. equal average number in your sauna at one time.

marzo-cumple-sauna_3-party01

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.

Filed Under: Events, Sauna Culture, Sauna party Tagged With: , ,

Saunas: the power of the number three

April 4, 2009 By Glenn 2 Comments

There are so many “threes” relating to saunas:

1514472-sauna_view-joensuu

Three major attributes of saunas.

  1. Health and Wellness
  2. Escape
  3. Fun

Three sauna rounds make for a complete sauna.

  1. Round 1: heat up and cold rinse
  2. Round 2: induce loyly (steam), sweat heavy, and cold rinse
  3. 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

  1. sauna room: 7′ high ceiling max.  optimize your cubic footage, consider bench height.
  2. changing room: lots of hooks, music and small fridge for cold water and beverages, good flow.
  3. 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.

Filed Under: Building a sauna, Health and wellness, Philosophy, Sauna Culture, Sauna how to, Sauna party
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