Where Have We Been? - 031

Welcome back to The Sauna Trail.In today's episode we tell the story of finally getting our own sauna!We shared this sauna with our dear friends Luke and Martha... who also created our theme music.

A quick update on what we've been up to.

We are doing a new mini-episode called a "Trail Report" where we share current happenings on the sauna trail and review new place.In this episode we review Sky Sauna in Chicago, which we visited January 2025.

Today on The Sauna Trail, we're diving deep into the story of community and connection that has come from our adventures in sauna culture. In this episode, we talk about our first face-to-face encounter with Jeff, an early member of the Wood-Burning Sauna Facebook group, whom we fondly call "Dr. Sauna." Jeff has been an inspiration in the sauna community with his passion for building and sharing sauna experiences, and he opened his home and his saunas—both wood-burning and electric—for us to enjoy. We'll share highlights from our time together, including our first time using his wood-burning sauna and enjoying his lakeside electric sauna, as well as the memorable Phil Keaggy concert we attended in Wisconsin. Jeff’s knowledge and welcoming spirit truly embody the essence of sauna culture, where strangers can feel like family. We also talk about the special customs we've learned along the way and the warmth of the sauna community, both online and in person. Join us as we explore these shared experiences and what it means to embrace sauna traditions together. And a big thank you to Jeff for his generous hospitality! For more on Jeff’s journey, check out his article on Sauna Digest, and take a look at the photos in the links below. Music Dirge of the Night by Tied With Twine Website https://www.thesaunatrail.com Social Media Instagram: /thesaunatrail Facebook: /thesaunatrail Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:38 Jeff's Sauna Journey 11:03 Sauna with Strangers 13:33 Wood-Burning Sauna 15:48 Electric Sauna at the Lake 17:52 Things We Learned 19:11 Outro

Episode 28 Today we travel Up North (in Minnesota) to use two unique saunas and jump through a hole in the ice! We also use an off the grid sauna cabin. And there are a few ACCIDENTS! along the way. 😯 Camp du Nord https://www.ymcanorth.org/adventure/l... Music Dirge of the Night by Tied With Twine Website https://www.thesaunatrail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesaunatrail Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thesaunatrail TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@thesaunatrail Locals https://thesaunatrail.locals.com CONTENT 00:00 Introduction 01:29 Off the grid sauna cabin on triangle lake 10:16 Camp du Nord 23:30 Accident! 37:42 Next episode

In this episode of The Sauna Trail, we explore the history of the Wood Burning Sauna Group, from its humble beginnings to a thriving community of sauna enthusiasts. You'll hear stories about unique sauna builds, including a special sauna in New Hampshire tied to a rich family history. We also share highlights from the group's calendar project, featuring beautiful saunas from around the world. Join us for this journey into the heart of the sauna community! (Apologies for the audio issues...) ONLINE SAUNA GROUPS Wood-Burning Sauna - https://www.facebook.com/groups/WoodBurningSaunaSauna Sub-Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/Sauna/Wood-Fired Sauna - https://www.facebook.com/groups/803801150047727Sauna Design, Construction, Use - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1023314014708398 CONTENT 00:00 Introduction 01:26 Why the group was called "Wood-Burning Sauna" 04:29 Connecting with and learning from members of the group 05:43 Highlights from the group 09:07 Sauna Calendar 10:09 Ted's sauna 13:24 Our favorite posts from the Wood-Burning Sauna group 25:26 Unique research in the group

We wrap up our episode series about our return to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This week we leave the Keweenaw and drive east to the central part of the Upper Peninsula near Republic Michigan which is in the Michigamme River Basin. We invited my family to join us in the U.P. again to see the beautiful and rocky region around Republic and, of course, to experience an excellent log sauna… My brother and his family took us up on the offer! And they are joining us on the podcast! Welcome to Greg, Clarissa, Norah and Everett.CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction01:49 Welcome to our guests03:58 The drive to Republic (log sauna on the side of the road and Carla's Inn)04:55 Dangerous Cave rental07:19 Exploring the area, Big Bay, Logging roads, Marquette08:38 Kayaking18:34 Log Sauna Review23:51 Greg and Clarissa's sauna journey and their home sauna29:52 Outro

Back to the Yoopers Part II - Episode 25We continue our adventures in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! We’ll be sharing about a second historical site we visited, a few more culinary gems we discovered, a beautiful walk we took at a nature sanctuary, and another sauna experience on the west side of the Keweenaw peninsula.Websitehttps://www.thesaunatrail.comInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/thesaunatrailFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/thesaunatrailLocalshttps://thesaunatrail.locals.comMusicDirge of the Night by Tied With TwineCHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:01:11 Yooper Pasty and the Wood-burning Sauna Facebook group00:02:02 Hanka Homestead00:06:22 Freda, Apple Cider and the Octagonal Sauna00:09:21 Chutes and Ladder Park00:10:05 Smoked Fish00:10:40 Calumet Brewery Ruins00:12:15 Haven Falls Park00:13:01 Jampot Monks Baked Goods00:14:30 Copper Harbor & Hunter’s Point Park00:15:48 Black Creek Nature Sanctuary00:20:24 Cedar Bay Sauna00:26:15 Outro

Today’s episode brings us back to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan! We had gone the previous year for the first time and knew we had to go back. We had so many adventures that we made this into a three part series. We start by visiting Old Victoria Restoration and saunaing at Big Traverse Bay.... and we visit TONS of interesting places along the way.Websitehttps://www.thesaunatrail.comInstagramhttps://www.instagram.com/thesaunatrailFacebookhttps://www.facebook.com/thesaunatrailLocalshttps://thesaunatrail.locals.comMusicDirge of the Night by Tied With TwineCHAPTERS00:00:00 Introduction00:02:05 Review of Episode 23, Sauna on an Island00:04:37 Old Victoria Restoration Sauna00:08:38 Finnish Oven Pancakes00:10:00 The Wood'n Spoon00:13:26 Calumet & Mary Hoffman Hunt 00:16:00 Artis Bookstore00:18:38 Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock00:20:00 Louis Point & Kangas Sauna00:21:18 ILO Sauna Heaters in Dollar Bay00:22:09 Sights: Brockway Mountain, Keweenaw Mountain Lodge, Quincy Mine, Brunette Park, Risto's Hardware, Cliff Mine00:25:25 Massage00:27:53 Skoog Camp & Sauna

We’re back… and we’re full of new and exciting stories to share with you all again. This week we recount our adventures in Canada, where we took sauna on a private island, jumped off a diving board, and tried making our own vihtas.  Link to the rental: https://www.vrbo.com/en-sg/p287369vb  Music Dirge of the Night by Tied With Twine Website https://www.thesaunatrail.com Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesaunatrail Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thesaunatrail TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@thesaunatrail Locals https://thesaunatrail.locals.com (00:00) Introduction (03:51) Finding the vacation rental  (05:01) Adventures on the island  (18:03) Sauna notes and pictures (28:36) Outro