'Sauna-preneurs' take over the Twin Cities
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A sauna village is open through Feb. 4 at The Market at Malcolm Yards for The Great Northern festival. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
For years, the best place to find a sauna in Minnesota was in a backyard or at the cabin. Not anymore.
Driving the news: In the past decade, more than a dozen open-to-the-public sauna options have sprouted all over the Twin Cities.
- There are mobile rental companies, stand-alone spaces, hotel and spa options, and sauna pop-ups in parking lots, parks and breweries.
- Public saunas can be as cheap as $22 per session, which means they're much more accessible than a full home setup, which costs thousands.
State of play: Behind these options are "sauna-preneurs" who want to democratize — and tap into growing demand for — the "authentic" sauna experience.
- "Up until I started, there were crappy saunas in hotels," said John Pederson, who opened his first project in 2012. "What's totally new is the public sauna scene."
What they're saying: Now, "you have this groundswell of interest," said Glenn Auerbach, the Minneapolis guru behind the Sauna Times website and podcast. "You can book a time slot, show up with a towel and a drinking water bottle, get on the bench and experience sauna."
Context: Pederson credits influencers like Joe Rogan and Tim Ferriss, who started touting sauna's wellness virtues before the pandemic.
- "Then COVID hit, and people got really excited about at-home wellness experiences. Saunas are right in there," said Pederson, who started his own company, Stokeyard Outfitters, and also founded a mobile co-op — 612 Sauna Society, often found at the Theodore Wirth Regional Park trailhead.
Flashback: Gathering in a hot room is an ancient tradition in many cultures. "Sauna" is a Finnish word, but the Dakota consider pouring steam on heated rocks in a sweat lodge to be an act of prayer.
- In the '70s and '80s, saunas became associated with the AIDS crisis as public health officials imposed new regulations on places where gay men would gather to have sex.
- Even today, the same city codes that apply to sexually oriented businesses like strip clubs and adult video stores still regulate saunas. Current Minneapolis zoning code limits where establishments "primarily in the business of providing steam bath" can operate.
Yes, but: Overall, the stigma has faded as society's "body politics" become less conservative, said Pederson, who has found city officials to be supportive of his projects.
Massage therapist Margaret Selva was an early volunteer at the Wirth Park trailhead for 612 Sauna Society.
- From watching the response there, "I knew that sauna was going to explode," Selva said.
Driving the news: Selva added a mobile sauna to her massage therapy practice. Her clients would spend a half-hour in the outdoor sauna trailer before coming inside for a massage.
- "I provide sauna to people who have busy lives," she said. "They need to refill their cup … [Sauna] immediately gets you back into your body."
What's next: A chance to try it yourself.
- Selva is one of several "sauna-preneurs" who have set up their mobile units at The Great Northern festival's "sauna village." They'll be outside The Market at Malcolm Yards through Feb. 4.
Worthy of your time: If you're beyond sauna-curious — and ready for a costlier commitment — you have a few options:
- You can rent a mobile sauna to park outside your home for a few days, which will set you back a few hundred bucks.
- Or, you can aim for a permanent home sauna. Auerbach, who wrote an eBook on DIY sauna construction, estimates a custom build can cost as little as $8,000 — if you're able to do most of the work yourself. Hiring out the work would cost more like $35,000, he said.
What we're watching: Where the industry is headed next. Market analysts predict steady growth for sauna businesses in the next five years.