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.

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.