New wood-fired sauna retreat opens on east side
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Guests should bring a robe or towel, bathing suit, flip-flops and a water bottle. Photo: Courtesy of Islandview Sauna Club
A 4.5-acre stretch of woods on Detroit's east side is now home to Islandview Sauna Club — a wood-fired outdoor retreat that feels more like a Northern Michigan basecamp than a city spa.
Why it matters: The club taps into a nationwide sauna trend while turning an industrial pocket of Islandview into an outdoor gathering space.
State of play: The project was originally envisioned as a larger hospitality development with possibly a boutique hotel, restaurant and sauna on a sizable plot of land.
- Instead, co-owner Jacques Driscoll and Tamas von Staden, a Royal Oak-based architect who partnered on the project, pivoted after falling for handcrafted, wood-burning saunas they learned about at a Minneapolis event.
- "We unexpectedly bought these saunas," Driscoll tells Axios.
- The purchase forced them to get started and let the project grow organically. They've invested about $150,000 so far in three saunas, a canvas basecamp tent, fencing and a cold plunge setup.
What it's like: Guests rotate between saunas heated from about 160 degrees to 200-plus and a cold plunge that's hovered around 33 degrees in recent weeks.
- The recommended flow for beginners: 10-15 minutes in the sauna, a few minutes cooling off outdoors (or in the plunge), then repeat.
What they're saying: The outdoor experience is intentionally elemental — wood smoke in the air, a bonfire and people lingering in camp chairs between sessions.
- "If you're cold, you can always get in a container that's somewhere between 180 and 220 degrees," Driscoll says.
The intrigue: The site runs along an old rail corridor that has naturally reforested, creating a north-south green swath through an industrial stretch of the city.
- Much of Detroit's culture "is turned inward — you have to go through a door to get to it," says von Staden.
- "I really like the idea of Islandview being this neighborhood where culture is turned inside out and it's accessible to everybody."
What's next: Future plans could include cabins or A-frame lodging, a food component and outdoor programming — built gradually over five to 10 years.
If you go: 1000 Beaufait St.
- 4-8pm Friday, 1-5pm Saturday-Sunday.
- $25/hour; reservations required.
Pro tip: Friday nights are currently the easiest slots to book, and owners say the camp is especially magical after dark.