Guest post series continues. Please welcome Kate, founder of Kos Sauna, ready to welcome aboard guests to her new floating sauna on the northwest shore of Saratoga Lake in Saratoga Springs, New York. Welcome Kate!
Hi Kate, let’s start at the beginning. Tell us how you first got into sauna. And your passion within.
I grew up in central New Jersey, on the shore, where life year-round revolves around the beach. Before I could even drive, I was riding my bike to the beach to meet friends, where we would often dare each other to swim regardless of the season (well, maybe not in the dead of winter … that came later for me 😉 So my connection with water and swimming has always been core to who I am.
I have also always enjoyed and sought out opportunities to sweat wherever I go. I have visited hamams in Turkey and Morocco, onsens in Japan, smoke saunas in Finland, and thermal springs in the Azores, Hungary, Hawaii, and across the west coast of the US. Living in central California during my twenties was the first time I was able to enjoy hot springs on a regular basis … at Esalen, how lucky was I! Back when they had the “locals’ special” between 12-2 am for $25, I have no idea if they have that anymore. I remember sitting in that beautiful tub under the stars listening to the ocean crash on the cliffs below; it was transformative.
Fast forward to 2018, where through work I had an opportunity to move to Oslo. I knew no one and had never lived in such a harsh winter climate. In early 2019, I discovered the Oslo Badstuforening and started going 2-3 times per week. It not only was a chance for me to develop resilience against the climate and feel myself get stronger – it felt great, was something fun to do in the winter and offered a nice, low-key social interaction during a season when most people barely see one another. Over my seven years living in Oslo, visiting the floating sauna village regularly became a core part of my life, both for the mental boost and fun with friends. Watching the Badstuforening grow from 2 saunas (when I started going in 2019) to now over 25 has been exciting and huge inspiration for what we are doing with Kos.
When people would visit me in Oslo from the US, the sauna was the first place I would take them. The best part of sharing this with other people is watching people’s slight shock, then pure joy and exhilaration when they experience the feeling of going from the hot sauna into the cold water for the first time. I knew I had to bring this home with me when the time was right, and that time is now.
Norway. You’ve taken a bold step, including citizenship. How come? And what does dual citizenship mean for you?
I have always been drawn to explore other people, cultures, and ways of doing things. From 13 I started learning Spanish, which has been a red thread in my life and eventually what got me to London in 2012. Now, I have just returned to the US after what ended up 13 years in both the UK and Norway. And I am an infinitely richer person because of this experience. I am lucky to have friends around the world and can now call many different places home.
After having to leave London in 2018 on short notice with no possibility to extend my visa, I didn’t want that to happen again in Norway. When I discovered that I had the opportunity to work toward Norwegian citizenship, I jumped on it. I learned the basics of the language, completed a social studies course, and passed numerous tests. And, I am extremely proud to be a dual Norwegian-American citizen and take this responsibility very seriously. I consider it an honour to bring what I consider the best part of life in Norway home with me to America!
Kos’s Norwegian identity, manifested in a beautiful floating sauna in nature, is a core part of our origin story. Keeping connected with our Norwegian roots, including my business partners, sauna peers, and Norwegian/European associations, is very important to me as Kos grows.
We share several Norwegian friends in sauna. In your words, what is it about our friends that make them so special that you’d like others to know?
I am infinitely grateful to our wonderful Norwegian sauna friends, who incubated the idea for a floating sauna with me while I was living in Oslo, and also helped me make so many connections that have brought it to life. They have an incredible purity of “can-do,” trusting, and collaborative spirit which is not too tied to one tradition or another … they have a deep passion for nature and good architecture, and it is beautiful to see how those intersect. I also appreciate their openness to experimentation – many Norwegian saunas have now evolved into third spaces (a public space; not home or work) that are deeply rooted into the local culture and community. It will be interesting to see how Kos evolves in this aspect.
Another thing I appreciate about our Norwegian partners is that they don’t take themselves – or anyone, for that matter – too seriously. There is little hierarchy; people’s value is in what they contribute and doing what they say they will. This has made it really easy – and a lot of fun – to collaborate with my Norwegian partners! We keep each other accountable, everyone contributes, and we have a good time. Which is a great lead into the next question …
Collaboration: many Americans can get tripped up with partnerships, equity, and acknowledgement. Yet with your floating sauna, you’ve been able to navigate calm waters with working with others. Who are the top 2-3 people that have helped you along with your floating sauna journey and their contributions?
Eek, only 2-3! This journey has been full of incredible, magical people who have all shaped and influenced some direction, connection, thought, or decision along the way. It is difficult to choose only three people!!!
But if I have to, here are 5:
1. Kos would be nowhere without the collaboration, generosity, or vision of Bjørnar Skaar Haveland, our inspirational architect and community organizer from Bergen. From the first time we met in May 2024, we have always been quite aligned in both ambition and aesthetic.
Over the last year and a half, our work has blossomed into a beautiful creative partnership. We complement each other’s natural abilities, positively challenge each other, and support each other when the going is rough or there’s too much going on. Bjørnar has poured his heart and soul into Kos in ways I never even expected or anticipated. He has become a core part of our team and my right-hand person as we prepare for our launch!
2. Richard Sellers, my SCORE mentor who I have been working with since January of 2024. SCORE is a free business mentorship service offered by the federal government to US-based businesses (or business ideas).
I was lucky to connect with him early last year when I had just the seed of an idea, and he helped me take Kos from an idea to what is now almost a reality. He helped me write my business plan, create my financial projections, develop countless fundraising and marketing pitches, negotiate partnership agreements, connect into the local community, and, not least, introduce me to my small business loan lender. Richard has been absolutely invaluable along this journey and I am forever grateful for his support.
3. My dear friends, collaborators, and savants Kayla Sibilia, Founder of Altær Sauna, and Sefra Alexandra, The Seed Huntress. The winds of fate suddenly brought us together last April, during my first journey to Saratoga Springs. The sisterhood that we have formed during that time has given me a soft landing back in the US, insight into the evolving US sauna community, inspiration for interpreting our Nordic model into US culture, and roots in a new part of the country. Now that Kos is launching, I am excited to bring our missions and businesses together more strongly – more on that soon!
4. My Norwegian business partner Tom, originally from Stord in western Norway but now living in Brooklyn, has fundamentally shaped how Kos articulated our bold vision and mission and navigated the early waters (pun intended) with New York state and also the City of Saratoga Springs.
We were lucky to be introduced to each other pretty early in this journey, and I am so grateful to have had him by my side along the way. His legal and marketing background, combined with his experience working in policy roles within large social media companies, has proven to be extremely useful – especially to complement my non-existent legal skill set!
5. Ragna Marie Fjeld, General Secretary of the Oslo Badstuforening, has been an incredible mentor and connector for me along this journey. Having lived in NYC and worked as a Norwegian diplomat for a number of years, she has a soft spot in her heart for America, and especially for New York. Early on when I went public with this project, she took a keen interest in both me and our progress, and did everything possible to help me meet people, learn, and gain hands-on experience working at the Oslo Badstuforening (it was like “sauna operations boot camp.”)
Also, through her connections at the Norwegian Consulate, we were able to host an incredible event specifically about the new wave of floating saunas coming from Norway to the US. She is always there with an open ear or words of kind advice and encouragement when things get tough. Ragna is a powerful force for sauna diplomacy and raising the profile of Oslo’s sauna culture around the globe, and I respect her grit, determination, and calculated risk-taking tremendously. I am also grateful to call her a friend!
We’ve chatted about how when you’re on a lake, your eyes get wide from identifying places where a floating sauna would fit in to the landscape. What is it about floating saunas that appeal to you?
I deeply appreciate immersive experiences – especially in nature – that engage my senses and put me back in my body. In my opinion, there is nothing more beautiful or liberating than immersing oneself in natural water (ideally salt, but fresh works too 😉 and feeling all of your senses ALIVE and your blood rushing through your veins – looking around and being reminded how beautiful our planet is. As Lasse Eriksen told me once, “Sauna reminds us we are alive.” There is no better reminder of being alive than a session at a floating sauna in the middle of winter.
Tell us about your location for your flagship floating sauna. Where is it right now and how can people partake and jump in between rounds ?
Kos is located with a stunning view in the marina at Lago by Druthers, on the northwest shore of Saratoga Lake in Saratoga Springs, New York. We are open Wednesday-Sunday, 7am-10pm year-round. We are open for both 90-minute social sauna sessions shared with up to 15 people, or for private group bookings. People can book either social or private sauna at those links. Visits to Kos include access to the sauna, lake plunge, roof terrace, and drinking water, straight from Saratoga’s treasured mineral springs. We encourage guests to wear their bathing suit and bring two towels (one for sitting, one for drying off), flip-flops, and a water bottle. We will have both a ladder, as well as accessible stairs to access the water.
FYI, our first sauna boat is called Marka, after the eastern Norwegian word for “urban forests.” The architectural design is inspired by the stabbur building, endemic to south-central Norway for example the Telemark region.
Let’s shout out to a few others. David at Von Sauna in Seattle. And others. Is the floating sauna “tribe” have a secret handshake and does it extend across borders ?
Yessss a HUGE shout out to Dave at Von Sauna, Katie at Sisu + Löyly, Justin at Cedar and Stone, Zoë at Kiln, and the rest of the Seattle crew who I haven’t met in person yet. I’ve also met some cool people through the Insta grapevine who are also inspired by the floating sauna and working to get one of their own up and running. I appreciate the generosity that Dave and Zoe both showed me in my early days of establishing Kos, and I am always happy to pay it forward for those who will come next!
It was really cool to get some of the floating sauna “tribe” together for the first time in April at an event that Ragna, Bjørnar, and I hosted with the Royal Norwegian Consulate in NYC: “A New Age of Norwegian Influence: Floating Sauna Design, Culture, and Community.” Peter Boldt, who created his own iconic private floating sauna long ago in CT, attended, along with Molly Vandevander who is working to bring a floating sauna to Lake George, NY, and Dave from Von Sauna (who had just decided the day before to hop on a redeye and join the event)!!!! I look forward to more opportunities to meet more of the “people behind the Instagrams” this winter now that I live in the US!
… and the floating sauna “handshake” definitely extends across borders! Ragna, Bjørnar, and I have talked about a Sauna Ambassador program which gives employees/volunteers a chance to rotate across our different locations. More on that soon as well!
Thanks Glenn for the opportunity to more deeply share my story and inspiration for Kos. You are one of those truly magical people along this journey who came at the right time, with an open ear and the right information, and also reassurance it would all be OK – which in itself was hugely valuable.
You are one of the US pioneers of this thermal bathing “renaissance” happening around the world, and I appreciate how you document and share valuable information, especially with those of us doing this for the first time. That trend continues with the publication of your new Sauna Build book, congratulations!
As a newly forged dual Norwegian-American, I am grateful to bring the best part of Norway home to upstate New York. With the establishment of Kos, the US public floating sauna ranks now include the east coast. Building a floating sauna isn’t straightforward, especially when you are doing it for the first time. Each of us who have pursued a floating sauna model is motivated by a deep love and appreciation for water, nature, and community and has grit to see things through. It is cool to see how these visions and models manifest, what is unique and also what they have in common.
The great news is that there will definitely be more floating saunas to come! We look forward to welcoming you and your readers to Kos this autumn and please do get in touch if you’re coming over for a visit: hello@kossauna.com 🙂