Guest post series continues, please welcome SaunaTimes correspondent Sauna Sam who takes us on a 24 tour of Europe. Welcome Sauna Sam!
24 Hours with Sauna Sam
I have taken the Minneapolis to Amsterdam flight so many times that flight attendant staff know me as I board the plan. I am notorious for booking flights last minute. So, the only seats left are… in the back. More times than not landing in Amsterdam where I can take a plane or train anywhere in Europe pretty quick and cheap. These stop-overs leave an opportunity to kick jet lag once and for all. Of course there are emails to catch up on, but after years of trial and error. In the very odd case you do dip into that email box upon arriving on the other side of the ocean, you are only pushing yourself to burn out, if you aren’t already there. So, if you want to have a good trip, be successful in your business or enjoy the holiday you have been waiting for, here is what 15 years of trial and error has brought me.
Jet lag kick
I have identified the perfect Jet Lag kick. Here it is. Skip the wake up breakfast on the plane. Land at Schipol Airport at about 10:00 am from MSP or anywhere in USA it seems. Walk out of the airport directly into the train station. Use the kiosk to get a ticket on the next train to Amsterdam Centraal. It costs about $5.00 and takes about 20 minutes. (A taxi will cost you $100 and take 30 minutes)
When you get to Amsterdam Centraal go to the back, towards the water. You will find the Dutch Pancake House.
They have gluten free pancakes, fantastic coffee, good filtered tap water, and the service is sometimes mediocre. Ideally, you have a friend with you for this next part, but if you are hungry enough, you might have good left overs for later.
Pick a Savory and a Sweet pancake. Here you will see #9 and #20 with a side of ice cream and 2 fried eggs.
This is where that friend comes in handy. Split the pancakes down the middle and do a swap. 
You can thank me later. I promise you will not regret this comforting cheat meal. Honestly, you feel great after eating what feels like such clean ingredients. Welcome to Europe.
Get checked into your favorite hotel within eyesight of Centraal Station. Drop your bags. Grab 2 towels from your room, your bathing suit, and a crave for adventure.
If you wish to partake in the full experience, this is the time I would add in some of Amsterdam’s finest Super Silver Haze.
Kuuma.nl
And, because you read this post, you booked at least 24 hours in advance at www.kuuma.nl for a “drop in” session where you show up and drop into a hot sauna with a few strangers. Alternatively, you can book a “group” session, where the sauna is totally private for you. I have done both and really the drop in can be a good time, while the private session will allow you to throw as much water as you want on the stones.
This trip I went to drop in at the classic Kuuma Amsterdam Marineterrein which is located in central Amsterdam. My right hand man and I took an uber, but you could walk it from Centraal.
So, how this works for a “drop in” session is that you get a secrete door code by email to open a door to a pop up sauna in a somewhat mysterious place (remember that crave for adventure I mentioned). So when you get to the sauna, you punch in the door code and the door opens! There may or may not be others in the sauna. The changing space can be a little bit cramped and odd, but for changing into your bathing suit there is a changing area in the back and, ahhh well, just get on with it.
At the sauna you will find showers outside, a chain pull cool down dump bucket and, of course, jumping right into the canals that made Wim Hof famous. The water is actually clean and a fantastic temperature. Jump in.
Settling onto the bench
Now to the hot room. I have so much respect to the builders of these kumma saunas in the Netherlands. From my understanding some of them were actually crafted in Norway and hauled down. The quality and craftsmanship is better than any mobile or stationary sauna I have seen in America. They have it all right. Every centimeter of this sauna is though out.
In the changing room you will find some cubbies to cram your clothes and some photography that sets the mood for a good time hangin with what could be some lifelong great friends.
This picture of a few guys between rounds sitting on the side of a little 2 wheel utility truck and a makeshift canopy. I would love to know the story. Maybe it inspires a little idea for some art/ photos in your sauna’s changing room? I know it has for mine.
The hot room. Where to start? Where I always start. Top bench. Look down at the feet: toes above stones: Check. Two fists over head to ceiling: check. Ventilation? Small electric fans can be heard moving air. I am not sure where they all are or which direction they are going, but wow. At first, the heat makes you wonder if you are in a log sauna in Siberia that hasn’t gone cold since September.
The feel of this heat is the best electric heated sauna I have ever felt. It is soft, but bangin’. I was eyeing up these vents that do have some type of fans inside. They are certainly adding to the experience and I have a lot of respect for the team that put this amazing sauna together.
Room with a view
The view from the top bench? Can’t be beat in town.
The sauna features a large fan ready for you to take over as the sauna master at anytime! If you are dropping in… ask your new friends if it is OK. After the sweaty ones go out for a dip. Go ahead and give it a wave.
Cold water was something I never thought I wanted to do, but now I sauna so I can do more cold water and this is the best place below sea level I have found to do it 😉
When the best idea you have ever had is to jump off that deck, GO. It is an absolutely refreshing, slightly risky, and super rewarding.
As you come to the surface and look out catching your breath, take time to notice the old sail boat, the amazing bay you are floating in and just enjoy this moment. Your body is resetting.
After a few rounds of this you are going to be satisfied. Enjoy the time. Enjoy the adventure. I hope you made a friend, broke out of your comfort zone and found a better comfort zone.
This post is all about the sauna, but if you are really wanting go the extra mile for the ultimate zen I recommend pressing two hours of deep restorative rest into thirty minutes by walking up to the House of Rituals Spa and getting a “brain massage.”
I am no brain surgeon and I can’t tell you what they are doing in this therapeutic hypnotic meditation box, but when you add some guided breathing exercises coupled with a cozy chair that has been engineered to bring you to a different place that I am not able to describe. Just go.
Drink some water! A good meal! and go to sleep. You have a big week ahead. Hope you are able to enjoy more of it. No matter what, find a sauna when you land.
Sauna Sam