Entrepreneurship Wellness Recreation
SWEAT IT OUT: Get In On the Sauna Action
two sauna businesses have brought the steamy buzz to the Chippewa Valley
The use of all kinds of saunas or steam baths can be traced back thousands of years and across the globe, from indigenous cultures, Japan, Russia, Nordic countries, and others. In the past few years, an uptick in sauna popularity has been seen in the U.S. as well, with users seeking out their purported health benefits. The Chippewa Valley has recently welcomed two sauna crafters, and they’re on the move – literally.
Bringing saunas for folks to try out at events like the 2023 Eau Claire Marathon and to The Yoga Plant in Chippewa Falls, No Boundaries Saunas and Steam Rock Saunas were both founded by folks who personally enjoyed saunaing.
No Boundaries Saunas is part of the No Boundaries Tiny Homes business, which won first place in the 2021 Idea Challenge contest for business start-ups. No Boundaries builds custom saunas with reclaimed materials as part of its eco-friendly approach, and the idea to start regularly building saunas came organically.
“While exhibiting one of our sheds at a trade show, we were approached by an attendee who owned a sauna and wanted to build one for a friend,” owner Graham Barnes recalled. “Our next build was a sauna for our shop and we were hooked. No Boundaries Saunas was born from there.”
Using reclaimed materials in some way, shape, or form in all of the business’s builds is crucial to the core of No Boundaries Tiny Homes and all of its projects. Crafting their sauna interiors with cedar wood, new lighting, and wood or electric stoves, the saunas can also be created to be mobile, which Eau Claire Marathon participants took advantage of at last year’s event.
“The feeling of knowing I’m continuing a practice that has been in existence for thousands of years throughout numerous cultures and locations across the world (is part of why I enjoy saunaing),” Barnes said.
Saunas are so popular, and ingrained in so many cultures, that there are various sauna organizations – including the International Sauna Association and the North American Sauna Society – and even a dedicated holiday: National Sauna Week, declared by the Finlandia Foundation, to take place during the last week of February.
While a variety of types of saunas – and its historical use for much more than self-care benefits like cooking and laundry, caring for the sick, integral spiritual practices, and more – can be found across the globe, and here in the Chippewa Valley, many are seeking them for health and relaxation benefits.
Steam Rock Saunas launched in October, specializing in Thermory barrel saunas. Owner Mike Holden and his wife moved back to the dairy state in late 2022 after living in Texas. “In Texas, we solved for the heat – we had a pool. In Wisconsin, we knew we needed a solution for the cold – and so the sauna search began,” Holden said. “After saunaing for a full year and personally feeling many physical and mental health benefits, we knew this was something we had to share with others.”
Thermory barrel saunas are made of spruce tree species, thermally modified – superheating and steaming processes are used to treat the wood – to create highly durable, lightweight, and chemical-free builds. Plus, Thermory barrels offer the largest diameter available to barrel saunas, creating a much larger feel inside.
“For us, the glass door and large window removed our concerns about being claustrophobic in the space. In contrast, Thermory glass is tinted so privacy remains intact,” Holden explained. “After saunaing for a full winter, it totally changed our attitude toward the cold. For us, our sauna is the best thing about winter!”
Four to six people can fit comfortably in Steam Rock’s saunas, and locals were able to try one out at The Yoga Plant from Dec. 26-Jan. 2.
Now that these custom saunas are more readily available in the area, their effectiveness is perhaps more at the forefront of conversation than ever before.
The New York Times dug into whether or not saunas were effective in 2023, noting their thousands-of-years-long utility in human history and mobile saunas’ rising popularity due to its motility and recreational use outdoors. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal focused on general internal medicine, has also reviewed evidence of sauna benefits, and a 2018 piece noted “emerging evidence suggests that sauna bathing has several health benefits” like reducing risk of vascular, cardiovascular, neurocognitive, and nonvascular diseases, when used correctly. However, there are also plenty of studies in progress and published works to challenge possible sauna benefits.
So you may simply have to try one out yourself. If you’re looking to experience a sauna locally, check out No Boundaries Tiny Saunas and Steam Rock Saunas for rental opportunities and to learn more.
