In a good sauna, heat and steam create something close to synesthesia: the neurological phenomenon where one sense triggers another. You don’t just feel heat; you absorb it like music. Good heat is a wall of heat,¹ a nod to
Today on the virtual bench we visit with longtime thermal enthusiast, friend, and SaunaTimes contributor Kev who takes us through the public bathhouses in and around Chicago for this Sauna Circuit. As you’ll hear in this episode, Kev is no
We welcome back SaunaTimes coorespondent Kev who brings us to Milwaukee for Hot Spell sauna. Welcome Kev! If Pabst Blue Ribbon is the beer that made Milwaukee famous, Hot Spell Sauna will be the sauna that makes Milwaukee famous! A
Welcome Kyle! So, when it came to building your own backyard sauna, why did you choose timber frame? In 2015, my wife and I stayed in a timber frame house while on our honeymoon. I immediately fell in love with
Today, on Sauna Talk, and almost on the sauna bench, I’m pleased to bring you the folks behind the three major American sauna stove makers. American manufacturing at work! We talk through what their company looks like, their community, and
Today on the bench, we bring you to Larsmont Cottages, Two Harbors. Minnesota for a special roundtable discussion with four sauna builders from four different countries as part of Sauna Days 2025. The weather was wonderful, the heat was resonating,
With sauna, we love tradition. The smell of cedar. The crackle of wood. The splash of water on hot rocks. We talk about authenticity a lot—and that’s a good thing. It’s part of what keeps sauna real. But every so
We’re seeing a real swing back to analog living. Our lives have gotten cluttered. With stuff, yes, but also with noise. Phones, apps, notifications, data, metrics… all of it claiming to make life simpler while somehow making it more complicated,
Today on Sauna Talk, we are joined by the dynamic duo of researcher from Emery University, Deanna Kaplan and Roman Palitsky. Deanna Kaplan Deanna Kaplan, PhD is a clinical psychologist with expertise in digital health technologies. She has more than
Fellow thermal enthusiasts all know, deep in our bones, that good heat knows no borders. When we travel, there’s nothing better than settling onto a sauna bench, making some löyly, and realizing that as sauna becomes more popular, sauna travel
Alcohol, cannabis, and psychedelics are a big part of gathering spaces like clubs and concerts, yet what about when it comes to social bathing? Take a look at recent articles on the bathing boom, and there’s one theme that crops
Guest post series continues, please welcome Mark from New England, USA. Mark has traveled the globe extensively, has no social media accounts, and has studied and practiced several centuries old Eastern meditative philosophies. Further, Mark has enjoyed sauna most of
I’ve had the pleasure of sitting on the sauna bench with well over a hundred guests for Sauna Talk. Whether you’re listening in your car, out for a walk, or sweating it out on your own bench, my goal as
In kitchens everywhere, the air fryer has earned its place as a weeknight hero—fast, efficient, and tidy. But for those who know the smoky satisfaction of the Green Egg, the story of cooking is about depth, rhythm, and harmony. Both
Welcome to this episode of Sauna Talk, where we head back to Farris Bad, resort spa and wellness retreat South of Oslo, Norway. We get to sit with Jerome, who is a long standing steam master at the resort. Here
Our guest post series continues! Today we welcome Hannah from TCA Insurance, who shares her journey into protecting and insuring mobile sauna businesses across North America. Alongside her story, four mobile sauna owners reveal their own roads to finding coverage.
Let’s check in with our in-the-field sauna troubadour, Kev, who’s here with a Michigan sauna review. You may know Kev as a frequent contributor to SaunaTimes. He loves sauna as much as anyone I know. And he carries his good
From pencil sketch to CAD, there are a few ways to get your sauna design down on paper (literal or digital). For that let’s review the well used options for sauna blueprints and beyond. Pencil Drawing There’s nothing like a
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
We started the SaunaTimes map in 2019 with about a dozen locations. Then Covid hit. Nobody was traveling or visiting public sweat bathing facilities, yet we and we had a World Sauna Moment. Now, Sauna Circuit is launching to help
Some summers on the lake are measured in fish caught or rounds of golf played. Mine this year was measured in sawdust and sweat equity. Three months, give or take, went into building a sauna for a fellow thermal enthusiast
Guest post series continues. Please welcome Dori from Saunamekko, maker of eco-friendly sauna wear. Hello Dori! Saunas have been around for centuries, but the way we enjoy them has evolved significantly in recent years. Public saunas are now more common
Today on Sauna Talk, we welcome a very special guest. Dr. Hans Hägglund. Who is Dr. Hans Hägglund? Hans Hägglund MD, PhD, is a medical doctor and professor at Uppsala University, in Northern Sweden. Professor Hägglund has a strong research
Traditional electric heaters rely on exposed elements or resistors (think of the glowing red wires inside a toaster). They’re simple, inexpensive, and with fewer moving parts, have served the sauna world well for decades. But the global sauna boom has
Guest Post series with continues. Please welcome David and Daphnee who take us through their Poolhouse Sauna build. Welcome David!: Introduction My name is David Dumas and we live in Quebec province, Canada, just 1 hour south east from Montreal
“More than anything, we need to ground ourselves in nature. All of the research. All of the data. All of the protocols. While academically important, they ultimately can become distracting noise. Those wanting everything distilled into a “magic protocol” simply
It’s that simple. Check out Rick’s recent Substack post, where he implores us to: Seek out and attune yourself to moments that pull you beyond the ordinary. These moments can come from nature, music, art, or small details in everyday
Guest post series continues. Today we head back to Sipoonjoki Heritage Sauna, outside Helsinki, Finland where Laura walks us through the deep essence of sauna through three elements: leaves, lores and löyly. Welcome Laura! Leaves, the touch of nature.Lores, the
My thirty years as a corporate foot soldier has left some indelible marks. Corporate travel, where the early morning seemed to be always announced by a loud door slam echoing down the hallway — the shower curtain salesman, up and
Today on the sauna bench, we head to Oslo, Norway, and visit with the folks at Oslo Badstuforening, (Oslo Sauna Association). This is my second trip to Norway in as many years. They say that you never step into the
SaunaTimes returned from Europe and went on a virtual trip down to New Zealand where we had the pleasure to connect with Sam, founder and lead tool driver for Sustainable Saunas. Sam chimes in: “Life is good! Sustainable Saunas is
June 27, 2025. Underwriter Laboratories published a new electric sauna heater standard today. The North American sauna industry has long been handcuffed by the restrictions dictated by the current UL 875 standard. Compared to the European EU standard (EN 60335-2-53),
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