Bernhard Hillila's 1979 book The Sauna Is...

Week 1:

Chapter 1: A Part of My Heritage

Chapter 2: A Bath That's Different

Chapter 3: A Bathhouse with a History

Week 2:

Chapter 4: A Gift from the Finns

Chapter 5: A Bath That's Enjoyable

Chapter 6: A Means of Rejuvenation

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Bernhard Hillila's 1979 book The Sauna Is...Chapter 1: A Part of My HeritageSign Up: https://www.thesaunatrail.com/bookclub

In this episode of The Sauna Trail, Hudson and Daniel join Risto to look at a few unique saunas in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. They have a rich culture of sweat bathing, and most of the saunas are home-built and unique.

LINKS

Website

https://www.thesaunatrail.com

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/thesaunatrail

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/thesaunatrail

MUSIC

Dirge of the Night by Tied With Twine

CONTENTS

00:00 Intro

01:50 First sauna

02:58 Second sauna: Is it a sauna?

03:39 Third sauna

05:33 Fourth sauna

05:57 Fifth sauna

06:20 Sixth sauna

06:43 Seventh sauna

07:33 Eighth sauna

08:02 Ninth sauna

08:49 Tenth sauna

10:16 Eleventh sauna

12:00 Twelfth sauna

In this episode of The Sauna Trail, we follow the journey of the red barrel sauna after the Rices moved to Michigan. Luke and Martha share how they took ownership of the sauna, made it a part of their family life, and eventually built their own upgraded barrel sauna in the U.P. We also visit Sky Sauna in Chicago and reflect on public sauna culture, family traditions, and the warmth of deep friendships forged in löyly.

LINKS

Website

https://www.thesaunatrail.com

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/thesaunatrail

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/thesaunatrail

MUSIC

Dirge of the Night by Tied With Twine

CONTENTS

00:00 What happened to the red barrel after the Rices moved

06:47 Luke and Martha get their own sauna

15:33 Sauna community in the U.P.

17:47 Thoughts on Sky Sauna in Chicago

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