On this episode of The Upper Bench, Eero and Risto welcome Finnish American sauna entrepreneur Larry Anderson to explore the deep-rooted sauna traditions of Michigan’s Copper Country. They discuss how homemade wood‑burning stoves packed with heavy rocks create a uniquely soft, steam‑driven heat and trace the evolution from childhood basement saunas to modern barrel and mobile builds. We also preview the upcoming Memorial Day sweat in Philadelphia with Bryon MacWilliams!

Copper Country Saunahttps://coppercountrysauna.com

LINKShttps://www.theupperbench.com

https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/

https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

Philly Steam with Bryon

https://www.facebook.com/events/691959186507593

Theme Music: Conga Se Menne "Guess Who's Coming to Sauna"

CONTENT

00:00 Welcome and intro Larry

03:16 What is copper country sauna?

05:52 Larry's history with sauna

10:04 Historic public and converted SAVUsaunas

27:00 Old-school vs modern sauna practice

31:02 Larry's SIX !! saunas

36:15 Most interesting saunas Larry has been in

40:23 Experience is the best teacher for students of traditional sauna

41:51 favorite temperature in the sauna

45:00 Risto's sales pitch for checking out the U.P. sauna scene

46:46 Tips for building a sauna on a budget (don't rush and spread it out over a couple years)

49:07 Digging to find the good saunas in North America (they are out there!)

Sam, Eero, and Risto discuss different types of online negativity in the sauna world. Risto rants a fair bit as he makes the case for why culture is always somewhat negative (and should be). They also field questions from the audience about wood-burning vs electric and UL restrictions in North America.

Stay tuned for an East Coast meet-up in May!

LINKS

https://www.theupperbench.com

https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/

Eero chats with Mikkel Aaland for Finlandia Foundation's National Sauna Week.

https://www.nationalsaunaweek.com

http://www.mikkelaaland.com