As of this writing, the 612 Society is in its second year of operation. Their primary asset is the Forge, a wood fired mobile sauna that is currently deployed outside the Trailhead building, Theodore Wirth, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Below is a sauna enthusiast's list as to why this sauna offers an excellent sauna experience. 1. Great heat A good sauna starts with the stove. Not just any stove but a stove that provides a massive amount of thermal mass. Good heat penetrates deep in the body. Good heat doesn't sting your ears as if you're sticking your head in a boiler oven. A good sauna stove holds a ton of rock (well, several hundreds of pounds of rock). A good sauna stove reflects the steam (Loyly) softly, yet intensely. Good … [Read more...]
Mobile saunas are a wonderful way to bring authentic sauna into your life
"The cool thing about a mobile sauna is that it goes where you go." We've got the Hiki Hut Sauna in Duluth, the 612 Society Sauna in Minneapolis, Custom Mobile Saunas, Sisu, the Traveling Sauna, the Stokeyard Mobile Sauna, Fortune Bay Mobile Sauna, and these are just the ones that Saunatimes has told you about! (so far, and there's more!). And check out this one from the archive: Saunatimes first mobile sauna from 2009, click here.Soon there may be a mobile sauna idling at many traffic lights around your town. Until that time, all we can say is: "more mobile saunas!"Are you ready? Mobile sauna in Nature Only in Minnesota can you go skate on smooth Minneapolis … [Read more...]
Backyard sauna inspector makes a surprise check in for an unsuspecting sauna builder
So, I wake up one recent morning with the following email: "I have a strange request. I realize you also live in South Minneapolis. Can you come over and sign your ebook for my husband?" I thought this was a great request! Even better, we came up with a scheme that I would show up in their backyard and pretend to be a city building inspector. Let's check out the surprise visit (with subtitles!): (video courtesy of Ceri's daughter Amelie): After the muse, we stepped into Ceri's family sauna which was still warm from a sauna session the night before. And once everything settled down, we got to meet the entire family and learn a bit more about their authentic backyard sauna build project: "You have created … [Read more...]
Hiki Hut mobile sauna brings the warmth to Duluth, Minnesota, alongside the largest freshwater lake in the World
Guest post series continues. Duluth, Minnesota is to North American Sauna as North Shore Hawaii is to surfing. And for good reason, Duluth, and Thunder Bay Ontario to the North, is home to many Finnish immigrants, attracted to the familiar chilly climate and mighty Lake Superior much like moths to nighttime camp fires. Lake Superior is briskly chilly year round, so the ice cold lake is perhaps the most intensely awesome cold plunge lake in the continental US. Yes, a bold statement, but once you stand on a rock ledge along Superior's shore, steam billowing after a sauna round, looking into the crystal clear water below, then plunging faithfully into the crisp, clear, clean water, taking it right to your bones, then working your way … [Read more...]
How I went on a wellness retreat without leaving my property
It rained all day Thursday, then turned bitter cold overnight. We awoke Friday morning to a hard covering of ice everywhere. Driveway, sidewalks, treacherous conditions, but some battled it by going to work or shopping. Never left the house, all day Not me. I stayed put. Turns out, I spent most of the day seated at my home office, working away. As the day wore on, looking outside, I realized that time had gotten away from me as it was now late afternoon, and starting to get dark. I had hardly moved more than 100 steps the entire day, as it is merely 10 steps or so to the kitchen and bathroom, an embarrassing showing for my Fitbit, for sure. Fired up the sauna Should I fire up the sauna? I was in one of those rare "take it or leave it" … [Read more...]
Surfing without wetsuits is being made possible thanks to the authentic mobile sauna movement
Is it me or are more and more surfers in So. Cal. hitting the waves without wetsuits? After all, compared to, say, Minnesota lakes, the Pacific Ocean temperatures are not that frigid. Many surfers are getting more into to the benefits of cold therapy through the work of Laird Hamilton and Wim Hof. Surfing without a wetsuit offers a deeper connection to nature, more mobility, and probably some thermogenesis built in. But after a certain amount of waves, we will get cold. So, what better way to warm up and relax between our surfing sessions than with a mobile sauna rolled up close to the shoreline? Many beaches, like Torrey Pines for example, have public parking very close to the shoreline. Is it time to wheel up our own authentic … [Read more...]
Results of USA vs Germany Preseason Aufguss Steam at Hewing Hotel announced
September 15, 2018 - Two saunameisters faced off at the rooftop sauna "preseason steam" at the Hewing Hotel this past Friday night. Being asked to be a judge for this Aufguss session between a German (Alex ) and American (John Peterson) is akin to being asked to judge a French poetry reading between, say, Serge Gainsburg and Snoop Dogg. As with the German (Alex ) there is just something about the pronunciation of phrases like: "in zee moment" and "let go of zee stress" that is, well, frankly, more resonating than his American competitor. JP, living up to American stereotypes of optimism and exuberance, prepped us for his aufguss session by having us gather around his clipboard, pre sauna, like a Texas football team, where he … [Read more...]
Mobile sauna at Fortune Bay Casino will be bringing the warmth to Northeastern Minnesota
Fortune Bay Resort and Casino sits along the shores of Lake Vermilion, arguably, and most agreeably, one of the top 10 most beautiful lakes in the Continental United States. Interestingly, the area is also home to many Finnish and Scandinavian immigrants. Nearby Embarrass, MN, as example is home to many native Finlanders, even to this day. The combination of great Nature and sauna cultural heritage is a great nesting ground for this exciting mobile sauna project. "We anticipate the sauna as being able to open up lots of exciting things for our guests" says Garrett Lamppa, Director of Hospitality at Fortune Bay. And Garrett knows plenty about AUTHENTIC sauna. In addition to his duties at Fortune Bay, Garrett is a 4th generation … [Read more...]
Ice fish house manufacturer transitions his business to building mobile saunas
Minneapolis, MN, July 24 2018 Maybe it started back in 2015, when Saunatimes visited Eric Bongard, founder of Custom Cottages. Always impressed with DIY manufacturing, we are even more impressed with folks who produce quality from the ground up. Fast forward to today, and we find Eric immersed in the production of quality mobile saunas. Key features of Eric's saunas include longevity of the unit light weight, all welded and glued, never fail, nothing to pull loose, no fasteners to fail, rock solid frame, epoxy to hold to the studs 1000 psi per inch pull off strength to the substrate siding to Studs. Everything is built in a jig to ensure perfection and squareness in each unit. More photos to follow. The AUTHENTIC … [Read more...]
A floating sauna (flauna) ready for crisp cool lake plunges three steps out the hot room door
Flauna [flaw-nuh]: noun, plural faunas, faunae 1. An individual's possessions strewn about for others to see in order to impress. 2. A sauna constructed on a floating structure such as a barge or pontoon boat to allow for immediate water access between sauna rounds. 70% of sauna enthusiasts take no part in definition #1, but 100% of us have great appreciation for this recently constructed floating sauna here in Minnesota, USA. "I wanted my sauna super friendly for my kids, and the whole family" explains Josh Howe, creator and visionary behind his "flauna", floating sauna. "The lake at our cabin is a cold, spring fed lake. I knew that building my sauna close to the lake would be a good thing, but building it ON the lake will allow us … [Read more...]