There are so many interesting sauna door handles out there. As we build our own saunas, by the time we get around to making our own sauna doors, we are usually well on a roll. All our tools are laid out and being used to cut in paneling around windows, ripping trim, boxing in windows. It is quite rewarding to be building our own saunas! After mounting our sauna doors, we may be caught a bit off guard. "Geeze, what should I do for a door handle?" Some cut out a handle from 2x8 stock. Some use the wooden handle from a $10.00 leveling trough at Home Depot, and others go to lengths to craft their own custom sauna door handles. Here are a few photos of the several dozens sent to us at saunatimes: … [Read more...]
HotLog is the brand new go-to smart phone app to help track your sauna sessions
Sauna is becoming quite the buzz lately, thanks in great part to the work of Dr. Jari Laukkanen and media reports on his 25 year ongoing studies on the health benefits of sauna. With this reporting, many people are regulating their vitals with increasing regularity.: heart rate, pulse, blood pressure, and it's never been easier thanks to technology in our pockets. Many years ago we got "1,000 songs in your pocket" and today we have a "sauna doctor on our sauna bench" thanks to Thomas Dori and his new App HotLog Sauna Session Tracker. We had the pleasure visiting with Thomas about his new creation. Welcome Thomas to Saunatimes. Hi Thomas, where are you from and when did you first start getting into sauna? I am from Vienna, Austria. I tried sauna multiple times but never got hooked. It just happened earlier this year that I really started to enjoy it. Tell us about the HotLog app. how does it work? You enter sauna type, date, temperature, humidity and duration after each … [Read more...]
Minnesota Lake Time Magazine article recognizes that sauna can be a noun and a verb
"Sauna provides a true escape from reality, if only for a few hours" says author Tom Rolando, from page 60 of the Winter 2018 edition of Lake Time Magazine, link here. "Sauna brings simplicity to the forefront" he goes on to observe. As example, the minimal materials and craftsmanship within the sauna building (wood), to what is needed to enjoy a fabulous sauna session (water), to the wardrobe required for taking a sauna (none). "The cool down is the time to feel the endorphin rush to the body and mind where an 'all is right with the world' attitude comes into being." Amen, Tom. … [Read more...]
Mobile Anglerfish sauna bends the rules of conventional sauna building
We warmly welcome back Travis Skinner to Saunatimes. We first learned about his unique sauna building projects with is Snail Shell Sauna, detailed here. Since then, Travis has been involved with multiple projects, and we are happy to revisit Travis' sauna building work with you: Hi Travis, so when and where did you first get attracted to Sauna? I started participating in sweats with my friends Joseph Becker and Tibor Breur. There was a regularly scheduled men's sweat once a month in Olympia, Washington. We would get together and have a ceremony, lead by Tibor at his house. Where are you are living and building saunas now? I spent time building at SunRay Kelley's homestead a few years ago and got connected with a small sauna on his property. Several years later, I have relocated my shop and home (the Leafspring) to his property in Sedro Woolley, Washington. Now we have the option to sauna in SunRay's yurt sauna or the Anglerfish Sauna. I am hoping to … [Read more...]
The Forgotten Sanctity of Sauna, Pentti Tuohimaa, Finnish in Sauna Magazine
The Forgotten Sanctity of Sauna article was shared with me by my friend Jarmo Lehtola, current or former CEO, Finnish Sauna Society. In the article, Pentti Tuohimaa, Honorary President of the International Smoke Sauna Club, leads the reader down a deep, resonating analysis of the holiness and sanctity of sauna. Tuochimaa begins by laying out a perception of harsh reality: "During the past hundred years, we Finns have forgotten about the sanctity of sauna. Modern people don’t bother to address anything as ostentatious as sanctitude." "Man is a hedonistic consumer, an exploiter of natural resources. Holiness, sanctity, is not recognized because it cannot be exploited. If one tries to exploit holiness, it hides itself." Then, we are presented with clear examples of what sauna sanctity is, for example: "The third sign of sanctity is throwing water on the sauna stones to make steam. This is buried deep in being Finnish. We get annoyed when making steam is not allowed in … [Read more...]
Aufguss sauna sessions gaining steam in Minneapolis, MN USA
Some say Aufguss started in Berlin by a bunch of disenfranchised Kraftwerk fans looking for more structure while the group was on hiatus in the 1990s. Others think Aufguss originated in Finland, where German exchange students had become exceedingly uncomfortable with the "free form" approach of tossing water on sauna rocks, without regard to how much water exactly and which rocks specifically. Origins aside, Aufguss is gaining lots of steam Sauna, especially in the public domain (spas, resorts, community centers) is very popular in Germany. Alongside, is great appreciation Aufguss: "the pouring of water mixed with essential oils on the hot stones of the sauna stove. The water, containing particles of essential oil, vaporizes once in contact with the stones and spreads throughout the sauna. The Aufgussmeister directs the hot and scented steam towards the bathers, using the different rhythmical movements of a towel and sometimes accompanied by music background, creating an intense … [Read more...]
What does Mayo Clinic’s recent report on sauna bathing mean for AUTHENTIC sauna ?
August 1, 2018 Three cheers to Jari A. Laukkanen, MD, PhD, Tanjaniina Laukkanen, MSc, and Setor K. Kunutsor, MD, PhD for their exhaustive paper about sauna benefits, recently published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. "The results were culled from more than 70 sauna studies published up through February 2018" per Time Magazine, A few important observations: Both Dr. Laukkanen and Laukkanen are Finnish, living and practicing in Eastern Finland. (Dr. Kunnutsor may Finnish as well, but he is currently practicing in England). Therefore, we are looking at analysis of studies based on AUTHENTIC sauna (something of which Saunatimes has been vehemently promoting). Many people newly gravitating towards sauna may NOT be gravitating towards AUTHENTIC sauna, and thus not achieving the benefits detailed in these studies. The paper is very clear to define what the practice of AUTHENTIC sauna is: "The typical Finnish sauna is characterized by dry air and relatively high … [Read more...]
Owen Wilson, famous actor, visits Minneapolis, discovers the 612 Sauna Society, and saunas again, and again, and again
May 27, 2018, Minneapolis, MN. The story starts atop the rooftop bar at the Hewing Hotel, where Rod Buhrsmith and John Pederson, find themselves sitting alongside Owen Wilson, actor famous for such films as Midnight in Paris, Meet the Parents, and Wedding Crashers. It’s a quiet, sunny, mid Saturday morning with a few guests scattered about around the rooftop bar are taking in the Real Madrid v. Liverpool game. Not wanting to encroach on Owen, idle chit chat about the game ensued. JP left after a bit for reasons that come up later.. At half Rod strolls over and thanks Mr. Wilson for spending his Memorial Day weekend in our fair City and asks: “you present yourself on film as a laid back chill actor, and you’re probably like that in real life too, how do you feel about strangers coming up to you, wanting a piece of you, wanting to talk and possibly interrupting your peace?” “Oh, it’s fine, most people are very respectful and nice.” Rod and Owen Wilson strike up an … [Read more...]
Helsinki “guerrilla sauna” pops up, is enjoyed, suffers arson, and gets rebuilt all under the radar but appreciated by authorities
It all started when a couple guys found a discarded sauna stove in the woods outside Helsinki. They reclaimed the stove, brought it to an urban industrial location by the shores of the Baltic and built a sauna around it. There were no rules. Wait, there is one rule: "Don't be stupid" which was hand painted on the outside wall of the sauna. The sauna is available 24/7. Folks are asked to bring their own firewood and clean water. (no salty Baltic water on the stove, please: rust). Below is January 2018 article copied and pasted without permission from Nordic Business Insider. Since the article, the Sompasauna suffered a fire at the hands of an arsonist on April 21, 2018. The coolest part of the misfortune is that the sauna was rebuilt by volunteers, reportedly, within 24 hours, probably while the ashes were still smoldering. Info here, regarding the fire. What deserves note is that police and firefighters were dispatched. They put out the fire and investigated, … [Read more...]
City Pages article: The miracle of Finland: What a tiny northern Minnesota town can teach America
Jacob Steinberg heads up to Finland, Minnesota to report on David Abazs’s effort to expand local agriculture and sustainability solutions in this tough to farm climate in Northeast Minnesota. Technology is bringing us the opportunity to grow fresh produce on site. The roof to table movement, where restaurants are turning the barren landscape of their urban rooftops into fresh produce production centers for menu items down on the main floor, is similar to what Jacob is doing on his land. "The Finns earned a reputation as rabble-rousers. " This is the virtue behind Rebel sauna. and Guerilla sauna. (Sompasauna in Helsinki) Below is Jacob's article from City Pages. Link here. The miracle of Finland: What a tiny northern Minnesota town can teach America Wednesday, May 9, 2018 by Jacob Steinberg in News When the lingering snow from northern Minnesota’s long winter finally recedes, David Abazs’s idyllic homestead in the woods becomes a never-ending to-do … [Read more...]