Sauna Talk

Four of us spent a rainy early June afternoon enjoying a sauna session at my cabin.  We road tripped together to experience National Sauna Day in Embarrass, MN.  What better way to get right into nature, and all get on the same page than a great sauna session? We start on the bench with Garrett Conover. 1,200 miles from Maine to Northern Minnesota. Cotton grass and tamarack sets my heart aflutter. Sauna and nature. Joined by John Pederson and Lee Sarkela. Us 4 characters as long tail sauna enthusiasts. Tracing the steps back to Pine Island as the island or origin for us being together. 612 Sauna Society parables behind the scenes.  Gas fire going out, trailer jack breaking. 2,100 visits to Little Box Sauna, 612 sauna society 2015/2016 this winter.  600 return visitors. A lake plunge, then Round 2: Sauna a Tick Removal Strategy after a hike. The universal feel of water being tossed on sauna rocks. Elements of sauna are basic:  a throwback to simplicity.  Stove, rocks, benches. Wood burning sauna stoves:  

It was a cold Minnesota winter's evening when we gathered in my backyard sauna.  We get started talking about the cold, sort out our beers for the night, talk about making nICE mugs, and Minnesota Wild apparel. Please stay with us as we settle onto the sauna bench. Though he grew up with sauna, Scott landed in Finland on his 20th birthday, and gets seasoned to sauna in the 'ole country. As commercial Sales Manager Tylo/Helo, Cokato MN.Scott has seen his fair share of sauna:  "If you don't have a good sauna heater, you don't have a good sauna." "I've walked away from sales because it wasn't done correctly." A kick ass sauna:  It's the price of a car.  What's the big deal? Rule of thumb:  At the lake, never lock your sauna building.  It's good karma to have a sauna ready in case someone runs into problems on the lake. The 2' wide sauna door. 612 Sauna Society - bringing sauna to unexpected places. The ultimate mobile sauna:  built on a trailer where the wheels can tuck up underneath, allowing the sauna to sit o

Music for the heat: Danny Sigelman reporting COULD BE SAID MID TEMPO IS THE WAY TO GO WHEN IT COMES TO A SAUNA. Every genre has some slow jams. even the most aggressive music, be it The Clash, Hold Steady or Fela Kuti can turn their angst or knack for protest into a groove that goes well with clearing the mind. In the end, a center is met when the two are mixed, just like a hot and cold rinse.  With The Clash it’s easy to find a more traditional approach to groove, be it a reggae infused rave up; “Guns of Brixton“, “Straight to Hell”, their luscious cover of “Armagideon Time” or the R&B influence in “Jimmy Jazz”. Ultimately The Hold Steady is a sound that bonds.  Reflections of High School, meeting friends and rocking out, or gallivanting about the celebration of something.  Sauna is a bonding thing too because there is a physical closure to the space you and your buddies are enjoying: the hot room.  Then you escape the heat by going outside, cooling down and feeling the expanse like the loud pressure C

We are joined on the bench with Brian Peterson, acclaimed photographer.  Honored nine times as Minnesota Press Photographer of the Year, Peterson has covered major stories including; Russia before and after the fall of the Soviet Union, the Exxon Valdez oil spill,  the 1987 and 91 Minnesota Twins World Series victories, Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan, Salt Lake City and Vancouver just to name a few. Recently Peterson has focused his camera on environmental issues, including a six-month study of the pollution in the Minnesota River.  The yearlong feature called “Voices for the Land”, explored the issues surrounding land use and urban sprawl in the state. On the bench, we discuss his latest book project “State of Wonders”.  A fabulous book illustrating the four corners of Minnesota during the four distinct seasons of the year.  

I couldn't be happier to share this inaugural episode of Sauna Talk.  We are joined on the bench today with Tom Rolando.  Tom is best known as Chief Operating Officer for Wisdom Adhesives. During this episode we Sauna Talk about topics including: How to manage 2,000 customers in your Iphone.  "Get with it, get on with the task." The Iron Range:  218 natural history and culture.  Sauna is what you did. International Falls:  Frostbite Falls. Pooner:  Tom's father and example of "Do what you love, and you'll be great at it." Daryl Lamppa and the Kuuma Stove. The magic of Lake Superior.  "The body of water is like non other." Building the Lake Superior Sauna.   Tom's sauna build was the foundation for the Saunatimes' Build your own sauna ebook.   Documenting and focusing on the complete process, start to Finnish, about building your own sauna. As we talk about Tom's sauna build we uncover how we talking sauna building in phases: I built from the hot room out.  Everything was a feel.  A number of phases, always