LINCOLN PARK — As the days get shorter, the skies darker and the temperatures cooler, a Chicago company is offering private sauna services at North Avenue Beach to help visitors warm up.
Thunder Domes, the company that built catering igloos during the pandemic, has launched a new business that allows people to rent a private sauna in a mobile wood-fired sauna on the shores of a lake.
Located at 1600 N. Dushaber Lakefront Drive, the Ice and Fire Sauna Experience is a collaboration between the Thunderdome and the park district to provide visitors with a winter experience with a focus on wellness. Private sauna sessions are available Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and can be reserved for 25 or 60 minutes.
A 25-minute private sauna session costs $25. A 60-minute group sauna session costs $80 and includes use of the sauna and ice bath for up to eight people.
Matt Obal, owner and lead designer of Thunder Domes, designed his first mobile sauna a few years ago. At the time, restaurants all over Chicago were booking his outdoor igloos, giving Chicago patios an “Appalachian farmhouse hippie pizza joint” vibe.
Over the next year, Obar modified the original design, reducing the size of the sauna so it could be transported by truck and adding a wood pellet stove.
“The stove we chose is something new,” Obar said. “It’s really efficient. Instead of bringing in a truckload of firewood every week, we only need an $8 bag of wood pellets, which lasts us at least three to four days.”
The sauna, which can reach temperatures of 200 degrees Fahrenheit, was built along with the restaurant in partnership with the Chicago Near West Side Industrial Council, a small business incubator.
Since the igloo restaurant boom began in 2020, Obal and Thunder Domes have built dozens of igloos, saunas, and other structures for restaurants, businesses, and individuals in several states. One project includes a self-contained dome home that’s available for rent on Airbnb near Wisconsin Dells.
Earlier this year, Obar pitched the idea of ​​building a lakeside sauna to the park district. He sees a promising market for cold-weather recreation, given that the city’s beaches are largely deserted in winter.
“The park district is very interested in this, and no one has ever proposed an idea like this in the winter,” O’Barr said. “After the second meeting in February, they selected us to run the first year of the pilot program, and we’re looking forward to seeing the results.”
To make the most of your sauna experience, visitors are encouraged to arrive a few minutes early, get comfortable and go through a brief orientation, Obar said.
The sauna has a changing room, with the option of using a pull-out changing room or the sauna itself. Visitors should also bring a swimsuit, at least two towels, sandals and drinking water.
O’Barr said parking is available at the North Avenue Beach parking lot, and free parking can sometimes be found near the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Obar said the plan is to initially offer sauna services on Fridays, targeting the morning crowd. If the results are positive, the company plans to add sauna services on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Fire and Ice Sauna will be available until March. More information can be found on the Thunder Dome website.
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