Why Heat Makes You Stronger (Backed by Science) | A Conversation with Bill Gifford, author of "Hotwired: How the Hidden Power of Heat Makes Us Stronger" | Sauna Talk Episode 129
Sauna Talk
In this episode of Sauna Talk, Glenn sits down with Bill Gifford, author of Hotwired: How the Hidden Power of Heat Makes Us Stronger, for a wide-ranging conversation on sauna, heat adaptation, and the connection between physical challenge and mental well-being. Bill shares how his journey into heat began through personal stress, scientific curiosity, and his reporting on the powerful effects of sauna and thermal exposure. Together, Glenn and Bill explore the famous Finnish sauna research of Dr. Jari Laukkanen, the role of heat in cardiovascular and mental health, and the way sauna can act as...
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Doctors Who Sauna: What the Science Says About Heat, Health, Sleep, Stress & Sauna Culture | Sauna Talk Episode 128
Sauna Talk
Recorded live at Sauna Days 2025, this episode of Sauna Talk brings together a thoughtful panel of doctors who sauna for a grounded conversation on heat, health, and the real role of sauna in modern life. Glenn is joined by Dr. Jeremiah Eisenchenk, Dr. Brandon Dotson, Dr. Brittany Kimball, and Dr. Ashley Mason for a lively discussion on what we know, what we don’t know, and why sauna continues to matter for both personal well-being and community connection. This conversation explores: cardiovascular health and the most-cited sauna studies sleep, mood, depression, stress reduction, and...
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Four Sauna Authors Talk Heat, Community, and the Global Sauna Revival | Recorded at the 2026 Culture of Bathing Sauna Village in New York City | Sauna Talk Episode 127
Sauna Talk
In this special episode of Sauna Talk, I’m joined inside one of the Culture of Bathing Sauna Village saunas in New York City by three fellow authors whose work explores heat bathing culture from very different perspectives. This conversation was recorded on the sauna bench during the 2026 Culture of Bathing Festival in New York City. Recorded during Culture of Bathing 2.0 gathering on the East River, this conversation brings together authors Yuval Zohar (Towards a Nude Architecture), (Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat and Wild Sauna), Bill Gifford (Hotwired: How Heat Makes...
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The Rise of Public Sauna in America | Finnish Sauna, DIY Building & Sauna Culture Revival | Recorded at the 2026 Culture of Bathing Sauna Village in New York City
Sauna Talk
In this special episode of Sauna Talk, the tables are turned as Adam Pambatanaka, COO of Therme Group U.S., steps into the interviewer’s role and puts Glenn on the bench. Recorded live at Sauna Village in New York City in February 2026, this conversation dives into Glenn’s own sauna origin story, from getting hooked in the Baltic archipelago to helping champion mobile saunas, sauna building, and public sauna culture across North America. Adam guides the discussion through the big themes that have shaped Glenn’s work with SaunaTimes: the rise of sauna in the public domain, the DIY sauna...
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Vancouver Sauna Circuit + West Coast Sauna Summit | Valtteri Rantala | Sauna Talk #125
Sauna Talk
Today on the bench, we sit withValtteri Rantala, A Finn living in Vancouver BC since 2016. Val started a Sauna company in Vancouver in 2019. And in the shadows of Western Red Cedars, we'll hear the origin stories of the budding West Coast Sauna Summit at Loon Lake Lodge and Retreat center, one of the pins on Val's Vancouver Sauna Circuit. We just returned from the second West Coast Sauna Summit here in 2026. And I was able to attend last year's inaugural Summit in 2025. The Vibes at the West Coast Sauna Summit are quite familiar to me, as founder and lead contributor for...
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New York City’s First Sauna Village | Culture of Bathing Gathering | Sauna Talk #124
Sauna Talk
Welcome to this episode of Sauna Talk recorded on multiple sauna benches at the Culture of Bathing Sauna Village in New York City. I'll keep this introduction brief as we turn the microphone over to four pillars behind the second annual Culture of Bathing gathering. This year, the gathering was layered adjacent to the opening of New York Cities first sauna village. A village of 15 architecturally-distinct saunas set along the Williamsburg waterfront. Featuring: Mikkel Aaland: The Godfather of Sweat Cosmin-Nicolae Cîrîc: King of the Sauna Experience Robert Hammond: President and Chief...
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Mikkel Aaland: Sauna Aid, Sustainability & The Future of Bathing | Sauna Talk #123
Sauna Talk
Today’s episode comes to you from the recent West Coast Sauna Summit, outside Vancouver BC Canada, where I had the honour of interviewing Mikkel Aaland, the Godfather of Sweat, live in front of a packed room of thermal enthusiasts. It’s no secret that Mikkel has been a mentor to me, in sweat, in sauna, and in life. What I’ve always admired is his refusal to stay inside the box. Instead, he works the edges of it, where things are more interesting, more impactful, and where real change actually happens. In this conversation, we dig into three ideas that are front and center for him right...
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Sauna Ventilation Explained: The Lazy River & Deep Wave Heat with Keegan Kittock of Deep Wave Sauna | Sauna Talk #122
Sauna Talk
Today on the bench, we sit together with Keegan Kittock, co-founder of Deep Wave Sauna. With the rising tide of sauna also comes marketing talk, pedantic chatter, and graphs and charts about how air supposedly moves in the hot room. So it’s extra special and refreshing to visit with someone like Keegan. In this episode, we start at the beginning—picturing Keegan after elementary school, dragging a magnet around a building site, earning bubble-gum money working for his father’s contracting company. And like many of us, catching the sauna bug at a young, impressionable age up north at...
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Chicago Sauna Circuit: Banyas, Bathhouses & Lake Michigan Plunges | Sauna Talk #121
Sauna Talk
Today on the virtual bench we visit with longtime thermal enthusiast, friend, and SaunaTimes contributor Kev who takes us through the public bathhouses in and around Chicago for this Sauna Circuit. As you’ll hear in this episode, Kev is no stranger to the saunas, banyas, and bathhouses in his hometown. What’s cool about Chicago is that the banya culture is well developed.. and also quite historic thanks to aptly entitled Chicago Bathhouse, a traditional bathhouse at 1914 W. Division Street in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, which has operated since 1906. Formerly Red...
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American-Made Sauna Stoves: Inside the Top U.S. Manufacturers | Sauna Talk #120
Sauna Talk
Today, on Sauna Talk, and almost on the sauna bench, I’m pleased to bring you the folks behind the three major American sauna stove makers. American manufacturing at work! Garrett, , Tower, Minnesota, Population 421 Philip, , Beulah, MI, Population 303 Lynn,, Dollar Bay, Michigan, Population 1,070 We talk through what their company looks like, their community, and what their opinions are on the North American sauna industry. Small town manufacturing. Direct to consumer, factory direct. Products Made with quality with longevity in mind. A couple of terms: Cost...
info_outlineToday on Sauna Talk, we welcome back Mika Meskanen and Wendy Liu.
Mika, originally from Finland, and Wendy, with roots in China, now call London home. We recorded this conversation together on the sauna bench in my backyard sauna in Minneapolis—just the way Sauna Talk is meant to happen.
This is our second conversation, following Episode #54, and as always, something special happens when we settle into the heat and let the discussion unfold naturally.
Mika and Wendy are a dynamic duo in the sauna world.
They lead sauna travel experiences to Finland, helping others connect with authentic sauna culture at its source. Along the way, they’ve become thoughtful observers—and contributors—to how sauna is evolving beyond Finland, particularly in the UK.
In this episode, we talk about:
- Their origin story and how sauna became central to their lives
- What makes Finnish sauna culture distinct—and how it translates abroad
- The growing sauna scene in Britain
- The philosophy that “the stove should always win”
- Wendy’s role as a connector and advocate through Sauna Aid
This is a relaxed, honest conversation—less about conclusions, more about shared experience, perspective, and the subtle things that make sauna meaningful.
From the backyard sauna bench in Minneapolis, please welcome Mika and Wendy.