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Packing List: 10 Must-Haves for a Swedish Sauna

May 17, 2013 By Glenn Leave a Comment

With just a bar of soap, many are able to bathe just fine in the sauna.

The body self moisturizes, especially with wet hair to start.  Further, sauna enjoyed with a clean rinse after every sauna round will leave one cleaner and fresher than any combination of products purchased at Walgreen’s.

We love the thought of a good book whilst cooling down in the misty garden all wet with rain.  Free Falling as if in a Dream for sure.

Click here for the wonderfully simple list, albeit with a little product placement.

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Microbursts: sauna therapy explored on a cold windy day.

May 13, 2013 By Glenn Leave a Comment

There is a small yet enthusiastic faction of the Twin City Sauna Club that gathered this past week by the shores of a crystal clear lake outside Spooner, WI.

While experiencing an extra biting cold Northwest wind, the sauna flow evolved into microbursts:

  1. go in hot room.
  2. toss a generous shot of water on the sauna rocks.
  3. heat quick.
  4. go outside.
  5. cool down.
  6. do it again.

After 8 vigorous sauna rounds, one feels relaxed, liberated and free.

There are few rules to sauna.

wicked cold northwest winds and a slow ice out: great weather recipe for microbursts.

 

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Sauna firewood in unlikely places.

May 11, 2013 By Glenn Leave a Comment

Wood pile at Uncommon Gardens

I am building another sauna in the parking lot at Uncommon Gardens, Minneapolis, MN.  Initially, the owner was going to carve out an area within the garden area for me to build.  However, I was taken to this woodpile as an alternative area.

  1. I’d rather stay out of their way.
  2. I want to show how anyone can turn a neglected corner of their own property into a fabulous up north retreat.
  3. I enjoy helping the great folks at Uncommon Gardens.
  4. I ended up with a ton of scrap wood to fire up my own outdoor backyard sauna, vs. tossing in landfill.

Burning this scrap firewood, I can get my wood burning sauna to 150 degrees f. in 25 minutes. Insane.

 

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Finnish Sauna in Turku archipelago. Sauna Finlandesa.

May 8, 2013 By Glenn Leave a Comment


 

Wonderful three minute visual escape to experience the Finnish Archipelago outside Turku.

EDITORS NOTE:  Drinking plenty of water, absolutamente. Eating even snacks is best reserved for after sauna vs. before sauna.  We’ll chalk this off to Ruben Alonso being famished from hauling around his 4 liter water bottle.

The body exerts quite a bit of energy digesting food. Entering sauna after eating anything more than a light snack is not suggested. Give it a good hour or so, at least.

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Alert: Extreme Temperature Drops Ahead.

April 30, 2013 By Glenn Leave a Comment

Members of the Twin City Sauna Club will be gathering in the 5621 outdoor sauna to celebrate this May Arctic blast.

What is your crappy weather insurance policy?

Is it time for you to consider your own authentic Finnish sauna?  Life is short.  The  benefits are many. The enjoyment is extensive.  Come join our authentic sauna tribe.

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When life gives you April snow…

April 28, 2013 By Glenn Leave a Comment

Welcoming weather to fire up the sauna

… make sauna!

April in Minnesota has given us snow storm after snow storm.  Sauna has offered respite from this nonsense.  The final snow of the season (?) presented this beautiful blanket on the sauna deck.  April 24, 2013.

Instead of fighting the snow, we sauna owners know how fun it is to enjoy whatever nature throws our way.

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4×4 Sauna. What is it and how can I do it?

April 10, 2013 By Glenn 4 Comments

 

Guest post by loyal sauna enthusiast Tom:

A new concept in sauna took hold in Minnesota over the Easter Holiday, 4 consecutive days of sauna, with 4 rounds each day.  It’s been mentioned on this website previously, 4 is the new 3 when it comes to sauna rounds, but extending it to 4 consecutive days brought it to a new level.  One might imagine that by the 4th day the effects of sauna participation might be waning low, however, propped up with the help of a 4 X 4 caddie……the effects were properly neutralized.

4 x 4 was certainly an invigorating, motivating and spiritual sauna event unlike any that I’ve experienced before and I suggest you try it sometime!

 

Filed Under: Sauna how to

The solo sauna revisited.

April 3, 2013 By Glenn Leave a Comment

writing in the sauna with a little note pad

Whether an indoor sauna or outdoor sauna, backyard sauna or cabin sauna, one of the virtues of owning your own sauna is that you can take a solo sauna whenever you want.  A great time for a solo sauna is when one is feeling disconnected because of seemingly too many things going on or needing to get done.

Like approaching a box of tangled wires in your closet, it looks like a mess, but just needs a little focus time to organize.  Solo sauna time is a great time to mentally organize all the entangled loose ends.

This little 3×5 memo book, probably 59 cents at Walgreens, has been a wonderful addition to my sauna.  Prone to forgetting my own phone number, it is liberating to write down a few notes or ideas while sitting alone in my backyard sauna, free from distractions.  Then at the end of my solo sauna session, I tear off the sheet, and as long as I don’t lose the sheet, I can get after my notes in the morning.  We’ve talked about writing in the sauna before.

A solo sauna can be the best way to untangle the wires in your head.

Filed Under: Philosophy

Music in the sauna: try the sauna shuffle.

March 30, 2013 By Glenn 9 Comments

Jeff Tweedy, Wilco, during Bayfront Park show, Duluth Minnesota, Summer 2012. I'd think Jeff would surely enjoy a nice relaxing sauna session after his performances.

 

 

Whilst enjoying sauna, many enjoy solitude.

Perhaps interrupted by intermittent soft conversation, often times just one or two words.  Once, in Scandinavia, I went an entire sauna round, the only word spoken was “ya” in response to another pointing at the sauna rocks with the water ladle.

For many of Italian descent, this can be maddening.

Music, however, seems to be striking positive vibrations in sauna.  Especially the Friday Happy Hour sauna.  A good practice may be to encourage sauna guests to submit an album of their choice to be part of a sauna party playlist.  Thanks to Rhapsody, Spotify, and the ease of music streaming services, a few albums can be added to a sauna playlist, then shuffled, creating an eclectic, collaborative, fresh musical experience.

Music and sauna has been discussed here, here, and here.

The sauna shuffle just keeps on…. shuffling.

What sauna tunes can you recommend?

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Caring is contagious

March 19, 2013 By Glenn Leave a Comment

A subtle yet impressive thing happened to me today while picking up Chipotle for the family.  As I passed through the assembly line to the cash resister I announce “3 chicken burritos” to the cashier.

Without skipping a beat, he says “$20.11 please” and then reaches for the cash register to punch in my order.  As he scans my credit card, I begin quizzing him:

“one steak, one chicken?” He throws me back the price.

“four chicken, one steak?” He hesitates… “um… $34.80?  I’m still learning that one.”

“what’s the most popular order?”  “$6.80″ he answers, smiling.

“How long have you been working here?” I ask.  “2 months now.”

A cashier at Chipotle surely isn’t this young man’s dream job.  Yet to care enough to memorize prices sure rubbed off on me.

Caring is contagious.

 

Filed Under: Philosophy
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