Saunas are becoming the new hot spot – The Boston Globe

But unlike our Nordic counterparts, saunas have long been a supportive part of American lifestyles, usually reserved for “me time” in gyms or hotels.

“That’s what you want happen Peter Russell, founder of Timbre Thermal Retreat in Revere, said after the workout.” Moreover, “they are never that clean.

And while research shows that saunas can help reduce stress, improve heart health, and soothe sore muscles, local businesses like Moki and Timbre are trying to take saunas beyond health practices and turn them into social culture.

In this world, you don’t meet for drinks. You meet for a sauna (and leave your phone at the door).

“What you see in these other cultures is that the sauna is kind of the heart and soul of the community,” said Russell. In the United States, we’ve “been in bars and restaurants… and I think we’re finding that there’s this choice that everyone makes all over the world that’s really fun and a great way to connect.”

Our arrival behind the sauna party may be due to a perfect cultural storm: A wave of health care after COVID, new generations spending more money on health, and a noticeable retreat from drinking.

And until recently, most third-party sites didn’t make money unless you went with a back, Russell said.

Throw in some influencers who share their videos and dare, and you’re in business.

That change continues in places like Remedy Place, a new community health club in the Seaport that offers more equipment like IV drips, hyperbaric oxygen chambers and AI massages. Their 10-person spa, complete with sauna, ice bath studio and steam room, is advertised as a place to bring a friend or meet someone new.

“Ten years ago, people thought it was ‘too LA,'” said Remedy Place CEO and founder Jonathan Leary. “Today, it’s part of a larger cultural shift around the world. People need to be connected, they want it in ways that support their lives rather than endanger them.”

Leary said more visitors come to Remedy Place with a plus one than a single person. They have also seen an increase in group bookings, from birthdays to bachelorette parties to business trips.

Places like Moki, Timbre, and Remedy Place offer the kind of “cool” that helped launch saunaing in the greater Boston area. But public saunas like this are not new here.

Look north of Chelsea and you’ll find Dillon’s, the oldest steamboat in the country.

Look south of Pembroke and you’ll find the Uljas Koitto Temperance Society, home to a 100-year-old, volunteer-run, Finnish sauna located in the Furnace Pool – the ultimate winter chill. (A reader, almost everyone I spoke to for this story asked so you don’t spoil this site.)

Lest we forget, “sauna culture and bathing culture in general in America was a rarity,” said Moki founder Mark Peloquin. “It had the meaning of … it was very dangerous, and it was a form of resistance.” Blame it on our Puritan roots!

But take away the mood lighting, the “vibes,” and yes, the clothes, and what’s left is something much simpler:

“I think the magic of a sauna is that you’re doing this very difficult thing, maybe with strangers, maybe with friends, and there’s something about that,” said Paige Swanson, founder of Bathers, an upcoming bathhouse in Somerville. Besides, sitting in a hundred degree room is not good simple.

Even in moments of silence, there’s an unconscious sense that “we’re all doing this hard thing,” Swanson said.

“The sauna is like a giant scale,” Peloquin said. And I think it’s very refreshing for people to be in a place where you’re not judged, and you’re on the same level as everyone else. In some cases, even the CEO of a large company, he added.

Back in Moki’s sauna, it didn’t take long to break the ice.

“Do you want to add water to the rocks?” I asked the room.

The sauna exploded in a cloud of heat, followed by a flurry of “ahhhs” as we basked in the heat. His financial brothers lamented their summer of international marriages. Students were comparing dissertations. We were all dismayed in unison as everyone took their turn to fall into the cold.

Somewhere in Finland, they’re probably rolling their eyes – but maybe right now, they’re cracking a knowing smile: a room full of strangers, not just sweating, but mixing.