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A North Shore Sauna on the shores of Lake Superior. Photo by Chad Lipka.

It is not uncommon in recent years to see pop-up saunas lining Duluth’s streets. Combining the mobility of a trailer vehicle with the comfort and cheerful vibes of a steam, portable saunas are all the rage—and for good reason. Until recently, these Finnish steam-baths have been an esoteric and expensive tradition. Making these bad boys portable removes such barriers to entry and is a fun way to share this Scandinavian tradition with anyone and everyone.            

Saunas require a significant amount of labor and capital to build: western red cedar wood, a quality metal stove, and hours upon hours of construction. Now, individuals without these privileged resources can share in this tradition that is not only fun, but, as studies continue to demonstrate, incredibly healthy for both body and mind. This tradition is known to benefit cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, and even reduce the chances of neurodegenerative disorders. 

For example, Megan Kress runs Sauna du Nord, a sauna-for-rent trailer on wheels. Inspired by the The Hiki Hut, a local mobile sauna business that closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Kress set about to make the sauna experience more accessible by offering an affordable rental and collaborating with other local businesses around town.

“If you book an hour community-sauna session, I’m charging $25 right now. I feel like that is a really accessible price point,” said Kress. “Wellness should be available to everybody. I think that’s a problem in our society.”

For Grand Rapids-centered sauna business Stonegrove Saunas, portable saunaing is a way to expand their business to Minnesotans all across the state. With reservable saunas-on-wheels available in Grand Rapids, Duluth, and Minneapolis, Stonegrove makes it easy for Minnesotans to find a sauna wherever, whenever.

“We try to keep it our philosophy with rentals in general is that we want to keep things as simple as possible for people to have access to a sauna, and experience it whenever and wherever they might want,” said Stonegrove owner Kai Stenlund. “So, on our website, the first thing that you can see is our calendars and a reservation button.” 

Both Kress and Stenlund see sauna as a tradition that they hope to bring to a wider audience through a portable rental experience. Saunaing may have originated in ancient Finnish tradition but these business-owners like to think of sauna as an activity that anyone can do, regardless of culture or heritage.

“I want to be welcoming to all,” said Kress. “I definitely have had people that know about sauna, but they might not have done it, they’ve only done it at their gym or they don’t like it. […] I try to let people know there’s really not a right or a wrong way to sauna.”

Similarly, Stenlund feels that the traditions associated with saunaing—of which there are many, including hitting one’s back with a bundle of cedar branches known as a viht—are less important than the simple act of having fun.

“Are you enjoying it? That’s what we’re really trying to do here,” said Kai Stenlund. “We want people to enjoy saunaing and not feel as though they have to do it the right way or they can’t do it at all.”

Other businesses like North Shore Sauna have found additional ways to make saunaing more accessible, especially in terms of location. North Shore Sauna’s main product, a de-constructible tent sauna, allows folks to enjoy a good steam without having to go through the labors of constructing one from basic materials. In recent years, Duluthians may have seen these dome-like structures set up along stretches of lakeshore or near other bodies of water. Such placement emphasizes the versatility of these structures, which work just as well in one’s backyard.

“The whole set-up is designed to be portable,” said North Shore Sauna owner Chad Lipka. “So, if you end up going to the lake for the day, or if you are a gym owner, if you want to do events in different locations, you can set it up and have a sauna going in a really short amount of time.”            

What these different forms of portable saunas have in common is the priority they give to bringing the activity of saunaing to Duluthians, in one form or another. For example, one can find the Sauna Du Nord trailer popping up at local events around town frequently, as Kress collaborates with businesses including Movo Studio, Ski Hut and the Lester-Amity Chalet. With such an emphasis on community participation, saunaing in Duluth has never been easier.  

Sauna du Nord is at Spirit Mountain for Mountain Bike Thursdays through the summer.