Wisconsin and Minnesota (especially Minneapolis) have a strong sauna culture. Here are the top ten places to visit a sauna and how to enjoy it.
In late January, Minneapolis was filled with people in bathing suits. Outside, people in hats and boots moved between rows of portable saunas. Some people watched saunas in barrel saunas, while others took tours in larger cedar structures. Many emerged from the saunas hot and jumped straight into an icy pool. The sauna village is part of The Great Northern, an annual arts and entertainment festival celebrating winter. But to some extent, it’s business as usual in Minnesota.
The Nordic sauna tradition has long been part of Minneapolis’s identity. (The oldest public sauna still in operation in the state is Erie Steam Sauna, which has been open since 1915.) Interest in the thermal baths has grown significantly in the past few years, as people have discovered their potential health benefits (lowering blood pressure, restoring muscles, improving circulation). And Minneapolis has recently developed its own spa culture, one that’s more social and active. The spark for this culture was likely ignited by John Pedersen, who founded community startup 612 Sauna Society and then Stokeyard Outfitters in 2017. That same year, Stokeyard launched a spa-culture project at the Hewing Hotel, including a rooftop sauna and cold plunge pool; the first Sauna Village will open at The Great Northern Hotel in 2023.
Pedersen is currently working with sauna supplier and showroom Superior Sauna and Steam, as well as the city, to obtain temporary and permanent sauna permits. Today, Minneapolis has more quality public saunas than any other city in the United States.
“The Twin Cities offer the perfect combination of traditional Nordic sauna culture with the curiosity and enthusiasm of urban newcomers,” Pedersen said. “It’s a uniquely positive, innovative, friendly and kind city, but at the same time very low-key and still little-known. In that sense, it embodies a unique Midwestern vibe.”
While Minnesota is leading the way, elements of the new sauna culture can be found in the Upper Midwest as well. Services such as organized heat therapy, home sauna companies, cold therapy seminars, and fancy sauna houses are popping up in some cities and states.
“Sauna culture has evolved significantly,” Pedersen said. “Like restaurant and microbrewery culture, people now understand that there are many ways to provide, enjoy, and enhance the experience. The quality of heat and steam is important, the space is important, and the hospitality is important. In Minneapolis, we’ve become a city full of sauna connoisseurs, experts, and enthusiasts — it’s really fun.”
Head to the annual Great North Sauna Village to get a taste of sauna culture. Try out this popular company’s mobile saunas, which come in a range of temperatures, designs and features. You can purchase a membership to enjoy the sauna at your own pace, or join a professional-led sauna session with a range of patterns and temperatures.
John Pederson hosts heat therapy sessions every Thursday evening at this North Loop hotel. Each session includes a gentle steam bath, aromatherapy, mindfulness meditation, and gentle breathing exercises. The 90-minute event is open to the public and requires a ticket. Hotel guests can use the heated rooftop pool and dry sauna at any time.
Imagine the camaraderie of a summer camp in the middle of winter. Located 30 minutes west of Minneapolis on Lake Minnewashta, Sauna Camp offers two-hour sauna classes that have you taking turns in eight wood-fired barrel saunas. The coolest part? Jumping straight into the icy water through a hole cut in the ice. One of the many benefits of cold therapy: It instantly improves your mood.
Enjoy the winter beauty of this Lake Superior wellness resort. Guided retreats are offered year-round; seasonal events include the New Year’s Eve Retreat, Dec. 27-29, and the Art of Rest and Renewal, Jan. 23-26, featuring yoga, sauna, outdoor hiking, and meditation.
Part of Superior Steam and Sauna, Yard is not your average showroom. Sure, there are products on display, but for $25 you can relax for an hour in the outdoor sauna, take a cold shower, relax in the mist pavilion, on the patio, and by the fireplace. The atmosphere is refreshing and calm, and there’s music playing. You can also purchase season passes for $200.
Cedar and Stone, a company that makes custom saunas for the home, also offers two options for public use. In Duluth, guests can board a barge in the harbor for a guided floating sauna experience. Two stylish rooftop saunas at the Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis are available for private and public events. Afterward, relax with a cup of herbal tea and enjoy the skyline.
The Watershed is a modern take on the old-fashioned public bathhouse. You start with a shower and salt bath, then cycle through a hot pool, steam room, sauna and cold plunge. The starry sky by the pool is muted, creating an atmosphere of peace, calm and relaxation.
This central Wisconsin resort hosts the annual Elemental Wellness Retreat, which focuses on contrast therapy—the combination of heat and cold. The four-day event (January 17–20) is based on the ideas of Dutch extreme athlete Wim Hof, a proponent of cold therapy. Yoga breathing exercises and a sauna will help guests prepare both physically and mentally for swimming in frozen lakes and skinny-dipping in the winter.
Sisu is a Finnish word meaning courage and tenacity, and it applies to Minnesotans, too. This red cabin on Lake Superior has a water sauna, fire pit, and a swimming area in the lake. Sisu and Löyly also have a floating sauna on Devil’s Track Lake (open during warmer months) and a mobile sauna in Lütsen in the winter.
Silvae Spiritus, 90 minutes north of Minneapolis, claims to be the first forest therapy center in the United States. (Its Latin name means “breath of the forest.”) With minimal human noise, you can soak in a wood-fired hot tub, meditate in a sauna, or take a cold plunge in a plunge pool—all surrounded by forest. Guests staying at the lodge can also take part in guided hikes and meditative sound immersions.
In the upper Midwest, you won’t have to look far to find a sauna. Some other great options include Takka Saunas (Eagle Harbor and Hancock, Michigan); Nordic Night (Stevens Point, Wisconsin); Ambik (Chicago); and Hot Spell (Milwaukee).