Oak St. Sauna is Chicago's new winter wellness escape
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Oak St. Sauna and cold plunge. Photo: Moyo Adeolu/Axios
Chicago winters are icy and dark, but this new outdoor wellness experience offers a brief escape from that bitter cold.
The big picture: Oak St. Sauna and cold plunge is curing the winter blues in a healthy way that you can experience solo or with friends. It's part of the trend of creating experiences to chase away the winter blues.
- Their viral video definitely piqued my interest!
Context: Owner Paul Mokrzan was inspired to start the business after Jeremy Allen White told GQ a bathhouse was one of the 10 things he couldn't live without.
- After moving to Chicago from New York and taking his own cold plunges in Lake Michigan, Mokrzan wanted to bring the experience to others.
- He says it was an "extremely long process" working with the city to open, taking roughly a year.
How it works: Early morning appointments start at 7am and are available until 8pm.
- Mokrzan recommends beginning with 10–15 minutes in the 200°F wood-fire sauna, followed by 3 minutes in the cold plunge.
- Allow your body 1–2 minutes to return to its normal temperature before repeating the process.
- For the cold plunge, the water is drawn daily from Lake Michigan using a 100-foot hose, maintaining the lake's natural temperature (around 42°F on the day of my visit).
Price: Range from $45 for 1 hour 15 minutes ($45) to $440 for a group of 12 for a 2-hour session.
What they're saying: "There's huge benefits that come with hot and cold emergence, but it's really a good place to relax, recharge and be social," Mokrzan told Axios.
- "I just wanted to make winter as fun as the summer in the city of Chicago," Mokrzan said.
💭 My thought bubble: I've done a lot of cold plunging and saunas around town, but to be just steps from the lakefront path, gazing at the beautiful skyline, was so unique. The sauna is extremely relaxing.
What's next: Mokrzan plans on hosting dating and networking events.
If you go: Oak St. Sauna is open every day until Mar. 31 at 1001 N. Lake Shore Dr.
- Peak hours are sunset sessions around 4-5:30pm.