I get sauna inquiries well beyond Minnesota.
Estonia, Canada, Finland, even some guy named Apou from India, oh, wait, scratch that one, he was trying to sell me Viagara really cheap. What is exciting is how a centuries old tradition from a relatively small country, Finland, has spread and blossomed to far reaches of the world.
Minnesota has a big Finnish population. Daryl Lamppa is a third generation Finnish sauna stove maker. He personally welds and inspects EVERY sauna he makes in his Northern Minnesota factory. His craftsmanship is a jewel to Minnesota, and the sauna tradition. Here’s his website.
Minnesota shares a climate ideal for saunas. Saunas evolved out of necessity. In a climate below freezing 5 months of the year, with no running water, inventive Finns learned how to bathe and recreate, creating the sauna experience. Here in Minnesota, some think we have two seasons: winter and July 4th.
Minnesota has over 10,000 lakes to jump into after a sauna round. In the movie “Bucket List”, Jack Nicholson convinces Morgan Freeman to skydive. If Nicholson’s last name was Hankkennnen or similar, I think he’d have jumping through a hole in the ice on his bucket list.
If you live in Minnesota, a Finnish sauna is probably not too far away. This winter, 2009-10, click here for an up to date schedule of where you can experience my first mobile Finnish sauna at an event near you!
If you don’t live in Minnesota and want to experience an authentic Finnish sauna, I have a great idea for you: click here for how to build your own Finnish sauna.