We first met Todd Shearer at our 2024 Toronto meet-up. His enthusiasm for sauna was apparent from the start. We had a great time exploring the Canadian banya scene with him. But that isn't the end of his story. He went home to Alaska and built an epic sauna. He is also part of a growing sauna community that is rooted in culture.

CONTENT

00:00 Intro and catching up

03:01 Sam's Dallas banya review

12:10 Reviewing Chipotle's sauna marketing

15:13 Todd's background with sauna

19:10 Toronto 2024

21:04 Todd's sauna build

1:20:06 Sauna practice with friends and family

Episode 64 - David Kosins and Joshua Womack join the Upper Bench to talk schvitzing in general and the Cleveland Schvitz in specific. We learn how they discovered sauna and what their current practices are like today. And we also compare the Schvitz to Banya and Sauna.

PODCAST LINKS

https://www.theupperbench.com

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

GUEST LINKS

https://joshuawomack.com

CONTENTS

00:00 Intro and catching up

04:23 David's sauna story (Detroit schvitzs, LA schvitz, trip to Finland, Banya5 in Seattle, etc.)

22:01 Josh sauna story and book (Cleveland Schvitz and Soul Space)

29:09 Eero: NYC bathhouse, growing up with public sauna

30:48 David's sauna build

38:04 Josh's regular sauna location (Soul Space)

42:39 Schvitz vs Sauna vs Banya: Differences and Similarities

Have we oversimplified sauna? A brief history of sauna marketing in North America.

Episode debuted at the Seattle Sauna Festival 2025

Nathan's Journey from Infrared to Real Sauna.

A candid journey from infrared hype to authentic Finnish sauna, highlighting why real heat, löyly, and hot–cold contrast are so compelling. We discuss practice over marketing—ventilation, simple rituals, and family-friendly routines that deliver presence and stress relief. And we learn about Nathan's eye toward a future wood-fired sauna.

PODCAST LINKS

https://www.theupperbench.com

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

https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

CONTENTS

00:00 Introduction and how Risto and Nathan became friends

03:56 Nathan's first hot cold experiences

05:24 Selecting and buying and infrared "sauna"

07:45 Scientology and niacin

14:03 Experience with his IR

16:03 Getting a real sauna

17:59 Stress relief and mental health benefits

20:23 Saunaing with a young child

25:24 Nathan's sauna practice

37:58 Why IR doesn't cut it

39:00 The aim of sauna: sweat or something more?

42:35 Another lackluster IR experience

46:38 How financial motivations skew sauna opinions

50:36 Any plans for a wood-burning sauna?

Episode 61 - Risto, Eero, and Sam return to the Upper Bench to dig into public vs. private sauna, heater tech (smoke, wood, flip-lid electric), masonry vs. metal, a simple rating framework for public saunas—and Sam’s upcoming move to Texas.

PODCAST LINKS

https://www.theupperbench.com

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

https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

CONTENTS

00:00 Introduction

06:59 Updates + Risto's lofted build

08:18 Flip-lid heater & heat prefs

12:47 Eero's Finland heater rebuild & boiling water tanks

19:18 Stoves, rocks, masonry

27:20 Public vs. private, ratings, utility vs. social, travel + Sam moves to TX

Episode 060 - Eero and Risto brainstorm about the NASS ambassador program and how to categorize different saunas in North America.If you have ideas, please leave them in the comments!

Episode 59 - Michael Nordskog, author of The Opposite of Cold, joins the Upper Bench podcast to discuss his book and details about his two wonderful saunas.GUEST LINKShttps://www.facebook.com/TheOppositeofColdhttps://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816656820/the-opposite-of-cold/UPPER BENCH LINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbenchCONTENTS00:00 Introduction02:19 Writing the Opposite of Cold07:11 Michael's cedar log sauna16:01 How many savusaunas are there in North America27:07 Matti Kaups archive29:43 Michael's sauna practice34:22 His sauna build42:52 Sauna dogma and guidelines44:20 Oslo sauna visit with Mikkel Aaland50:38 Did Norwegian immigrants bring badstue (sauna) with them?52:51 Predictions for the future of sauna

Catching up after a few weeks on the road... and talking about Eero's visit to the sauna village in Finland where he used a pit sauna and a two-story sauna. And Risto shows some photos of the NY savusauna he visited.

Thank you Bryon MacWilliams, Catskill Weather, and Zach for the warm hospitality at Southampton Spa.

CONTENT

00:00 Intro

01:57 Eero's visit to Finn Camp

09:20 Savusauna in the Catskills

17:50 Pit sauna at the sauna village

21:36 Two-story sauna at the sauna village

24:15 Why you should burn aspen for your final round

25:38 Southampton spa review

30:23 Eero's summer plans

33:11 Listener question about sauna windows