In this episode of Sauna Talk, I am joined bench-side by Josh Letty of Get Sweaty with Letty and sauna builder Leif Kjorness of Excelsior Saunas for a wide-ranging conversation recorded after multiple sauna rounds and lake ice hole plunges into Lake Ann in Minnesota.
What unfolds is more than a discussion about sauna. It’s a conversation about craftsmanship, friendship, healing, community, and the ways sauna culture continues to evolve while still holding onto its roots.
Josh shares how his lifelong connection to sauna inspired him to launch Get Sweaty with Letty, a YouTube channel and podcast focused on natural healing, pain management, and meaningful conversations that happen best on the sauna bench. He talks about his upcoming mobile sauna project, immersive wellness gatherings through movement and music, and why sauna creates an environment where people truly connect.
Leif reflects on his path from custom home building into the sauna world, and how building saunas became more than construction work — it became a calling. He discusses craftsmanship, slowing life down, and the fulfillment that comes from creating spaces where people gather, reflect, and reconnect. The conversation also explores the “party sauna” concept, including panoramic windows, skylights, ventilation, and mobile saunas designed for memorable shared experiences.
Throughout the episode, I shares stories from the early days of SaunaTimes, the origins of Sauna Days on Lake Superior’s North Shore, and formative sauna experiences hitchhiking through Finland and Sweden. Together, we three discuss mobile sauna culture in Minnesota, hot-cold contrast therapy, natural cold plunges versus manufactured tubs, and the emotional reset that happens around heat, steam, cold water, and conversation.
There are moments of humor, reflection, and philosophy woven throughout — from cutting fresh ice holes by hand to discussions about social media fatigue, authentic community, and finding your own operating system for life. I close by sharing the personal framework that grounds me today: Freedom, Enoughness, Nature, and Simplicity.
This episode captures what sauna culture is really about at its best: generosity, vulnerability, camaraderie, and the profound experience of being fully present together.
Guests:
Josh Letty — Get Sweaty with Letty
Leif Kjorness — Excelsior Saunas
