It’s so hot right now: sitting in a small, steamy room, sweating out the aches of life.
It’s also very, very cool: submerging your overheated self into a tub of near-freezing water complete with tiny icebergs.
Welcome to the world of sauna, an ancient practice that’s resurging as a wellness tool and workout-recovery technique. Thanks to the fast-moving trend factory that is social media, new generations are starting to catch on to the old customs.
Native American sweat lodges, Turkish hammams and Finnish saunas all serve as health-focused community spaces, steeped in ritual. Modern “sauna studios,” like CYL Sauna and Perspire, use infrared light to get sweat going. But the classic methods — fire, hot coals and stones, dousings of water — persist.
In Boulder, PORTAL Thermaculture started as a pop-up Finnish-style sauna expected to close in April; it’s still going strong in June, however, and now looking at permanent spots in Boulder and Denver.
“I, personally, have always had saunas in my life, being from the northern Midwest,” said PORTAL founder and Minnesotan Will Drescher. “I think the old-school banya” — the Russian version of a sauna — “existed in a different time and place, so what we’re trying to do is offer an update.”
PORTAL features two stove-heated saunas and three cold-plunge tubs. Guests get heated in a sauna at around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, then lower themselves into a cold tub, then repeat.
“I think it’s a powerful tool for healing,” Drescher said.
Denver Mobile Sauna, owned and towed by another Minnesotan, Micah Mitlyng, offers a similar experience, on the go. Mitlyng said he discovered the benefits of sauna after the death of his father and birth of his child.
“I felt that my body was able to process that grief better, and the things that I was holding in,” said Mitlyng, who relocated to Colorado in 2022 and found the sauna scene lacking.
Mobile saunas were already tooling around the Minneapolis metro, so Mitlyng built two to share with his new home state. He rents the trailer-mounted saunas to running events, yoga meetups, meditation gatherings and day-after wedding festivities. (The cold-plunge tub is an optional add-on.)
“People need more connection,” Mitlyng said. “They need to take a break from looking at their phones. … The community aspect is what really excites me.”
TikTok videos with millions of views tout an impressive array of supposed health benefits: Reduced risks of cardiovascular disease; weight loss; age-fighting properties; and the ever-popular “detox” appear over and over again.
One frequently cited 2018 study, published by a group of researchers from Finland (one of sauna’s original hotspots), did show fewer fatal cardiovascular events among habitual sauna users. But those researchers acknowledged that one study among one population isn’t a definitive conclusion.
Internal medicine physician and University of Colorado associate professor Dr. Adam Gilden is also a tad skeptical of the more extreme health claims among sauna superfans.
“It’s a nice thing to do socially and is relaxing and maybe lowers blood pressure for a day or two,” Gilden said. “it’s not a real intervention we do, though. … I can’t think of a purely medical reason why I’d recommend someone go to a spa.”
For Drescher and Mitlyng, possible health advantages are just one part of a sauna’s appeal. Both see the practice as a social outlet, a “third space” that’s often missing in the Internet age.
“It’s part of (people’s) wellness life, but also how they refill their social battery,” said Drescher.
“People talk differently in saunas,” Mitlyng said. “People are more direct. Going into a sauna and cold plunging is almost like hitting a reset button.”
Indeed, Drescher’s PORTAL hosts parties, workshop series and yoga classes. But even a regular session at the pop-up is aimed at making connections.
On a recent visit, people almost couldn’t help but engage in friendly banter as they poured sweat in the saunas. Topics ranged from Conan O’Brien’s new travel show, to life in Washington, D.C., to the exact mileage of a 50K race.
When folks hit the cold plunge, however, the chatter turned to gasps and tiny screams. Friends offered words of encouragement to each other, pushing themselves to make a full 3 minutes in the icy tubs.
The occasional hardcore enthusiast hopped into the tub and dunked their head with nary a screech.
After a few rotations of extreme hot and extreme cold, bathers gathered in PORTAL’s “clubhouse” area, a small setup of comfortable chairs and tables. People discussed their weekend plans, said cheerful goodbyes and headed out into the sunny day.
Feeling a bit giddy, I was ready to follow the advice of PORTAL’s front-desk clerk and bliss out in a grassy field somewhere. Instead, I basked in rays shining through the trees and into PORTAL, chugging water and noticing my body felt pleasantly depleted, like I’d gone on a long run.
“They call that ‘sauna brain,’” Mitlyng quipped when I described the experience. “Sauna and cold plunges ground me and remind me that I’m in my physical body.”
My body told me it needed a burger and a beer, so I floated away to a nearby restaurant, then home to a beautiful nap.
“It’s one of those life enhancers,” Mitlyng said. “I can’t get everybody to take LSD, but I can get everybody in a sauna.”
Tips for newbies
Drescher of PORTAL and Mitlyng of Denver Mobile Sauna shared a few quick tips for newbies on the sauna scene:
- If you have health conditions or concerns, check with your doctor before visiting a sauna.
- Get and stay hydrated, ideally with electrolytes on board.
- Take off any jewelry that will heat up in the sauna.
- Listen to your body. If you start to feel stressed or lightheaded, step out of the sauna.
- Don’t force anything or pressure yourself. The cold plunge is miserable? Get on out. You can always try again later.
- If you’re looking for solitude instead of a chat, Mitlyng suggests an early or late visit.
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