The Upper Bench

Risto revisits his presentation from the Upper Peninsula History Conference in Marquette, Michigan: “Adventures in Researching the History of Finnish Sauna in North America.”From rare books and university archives to remote smoke saunas and unusual online discoveries, he shares more than a decade of exploring Finnish-American sauna culture. Along the way, he highlights historic public saunas, nota...

Aaron Vainikka from Finnbilt joins the show to discuss his Finnish-American sauna heritage and share his thoughtful but unorthodox takes on the Finnish steam bath. LINKS https://www.theupperbench.com https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/ https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench https://www.finnbilt.co https://www.instagram.com/finnbilt/ CONTENTS 00:00 Intro 07:09 Aaron's Sauna Days visi...

Episode 73 - Sam is building a new sauna, so we take a look!

James and Dan join us to share their stories of growing up Finnish-American in Maine, saunaing as kids, and building their own saunas. The Sauna: A Gift from the Finns bookhttp://www.finnheritage.org/FHH/styled-5/FHH/book_ordertwo.html CONTENT 00:00 Introductions 03:00 Finns in Maine 11:38 Sharing sauna with others... one person at a time 14:03 The sauna they grew up with 19:09 Water heaters, buck...

Sam and Glenn chat about sauna construction during Finlandia Foundation's Sauna Week 2026. Finlandia's Sauna Week playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgbPg6jjsQ3R2NrV6j00TpqWyq1BVYzlX&si=IRzTXHpZ60A-9OyJ

Lassi answers audience questions and discusses with Risto and Minea during Finlandia Foundation's Sauna Week 2026. Full talk: https://youtu.be/LwFL7pdK-T0 https://saunologia.fi CONTENT00:00 Ventilation 04:59 How does sauna process affect our design? 11:37 Are rocks essential for sauna? 14:35 Breaking the Law of Löyly 16:28 How to light a sauna?

Charts and graphs! Risto, Eero, and Sam are joined by Walker, Minea, and Ruut for Finlandia's Sauna Week 2026. We discuss Sauna Culture, Infrared, McSauna, and Ugly Saunas. And, of course, there are tons of graphs! Check out other Sauna Week talks on Finlandia's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgbPg6jjsQ3R2NrV6j00TpqWyq1BVYzlX

Sam, Eero, and Risto catch up after National Sauna Week and swap notes on public saunas, especially the big question of whether you can throw water on the rocks and how good the rest/cool-down setup is. Sam tells a cautionary story about fainting at a Russian banya in Dallas and breaking his jaw, stressing hydration, food, electrolytes, and listening to your body instead of a timer. They finish by...

Selection from Eero's final speech as Finlandia Foundation National's lecturer of the year. Given January 20th at Scandinavia House in NYC. See their website and youtube channel for the full presentation. https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/ https://finlandiafoundation.org

Risto shows Sam and Eero even more Yooper saunas! National Sauna Week Schedule https://www.nationalsaunaweek.com/sessions-and-registration CHAPTERS 00:00 Our news 07:54 Sauna 1 17:17 Sauna 2 22:56 Sauna 3 26:52 Sauna 4 30:55 Sauna 5 34:46 Sauna 6 41:41 Sauna 7 46:00 Sauna 8

We first met Todd Shearer at our 2024 Toronto meet-up. His enthusiasm for sauna was apparent from the start. We had a great time exploring the Canadian banya scene with him. But that isn't the end of his story. He went home to Alaska and built an epic sauna. He is also part of a growing sauna community that is rooted in culture. CONTENT 00:00 Intro and catching up 03:01 Sam's Dallas banya...

Episode 64 - David Kosins and Joshua Womack join the Upper Bench to talk schvitzing in general and the Cleveland Schvitz in specific. We learn how they discovered sauna and what their current practices are like today. And we also compare the Schvitz to Banya and Sauna. PODCAST LINKS https://www.theupperbench.com https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/ GUEST LINKS https://joshuawomack.com CO...

Have we oversimplified sauna? A brief history of sauna marketing in North America. Episode debuted at the Seattle Sauna Festival 2025

Nathan's Journey from Infrared to Real Sauna. A candid journey from infrared hype to authentic Finnish sauna, highlighting why real heat, löyly, and hot–cold contrast are so compelling. We discuss practice over marketing—ventilation, simple rituals, and family-friendly routines that deliver presence and stress relief. And we learn about Nathan's eye toward a future wood-fired sauna. PODCAS...

Episode 61 - Risto, Eero, and Sam return to the Upper Bench to dig into public vs. private sauna, heater tech (smoke, wood, flip-lid electric), masonry vs. metal, a simple rating framework for public saunas—and Sam’s upcoming move to Texas. PODCAST LINKS https://www.theupperbench.com https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/ https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench CONTENTS 00:00 Introduction 0...

Episode 060 - Eero and Risto brainstorm about the NASS ambassador program and how to categorize different saunas in North America. If you have ideas, please leave them in the comments!

Episode 59 - Michael Nordskog, author of The Opposite of Cold, joins the Upper Bench podcast to discuss his book and details about his two wonderful saunas. GUEST LINKShttps://www.facebook.com/TheOppositeofColdhttps://www.upress.umn.edu/9780816656820/the-opposite-of-cold/UPPER BENCH LINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperben...

Catching up after a few weeks on the road... and talking about Eero's visit to the sauna village in Finland where he used a pit sauna and a two-story sauna. And Risto shows some photos of the NY savusauna he visited. Thank you Bryon MacWilliams, Catskill Weather, and Zach for the warm hospitality at Southampton Spa. CONTENT 00:00 Intro 01:57 Eero's visit to Finn Camp 09:20 Savusauna in the...

James Phelps joins us to get super geeky about sauna construction. We dive deep into sauna ventilation, CO₂ testing, and stove design. James shares insights from his hands-on experiments and discusses what he learned writing his book Fire & Ice. Along the way, we cover practical tips for building a better sauna, managing humidity, and creating a truly breathable space. JAMES' BOOK https://www....

On this episode of The Upper Bench, Sam and Risto welcome Finnish American sauna entrepreneur Dan Raisanen whose family sauna history is rooted in Cokato, Minnesota and is now running his own sauna company in Michigan. Sauna Bath Companyhttps://www.saunabath.coLINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbenchTheme Music: Conga Se...

Wade Litt - Sauna in Ohio and Other Adventures - 055On this episode of The Upper Bench, Eero and Risto welcome sauna entrepreneur Wade Litt to explore the sauna scene in Ohio and hear about his sauna adventures. LÖ-LU Saunahttps://lo-lu.comLINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbenchPhilly Steam with Bryonhttps://www.faceboo...

On this episode of The Upper Bench, Eero and Risto welcome Finnish American sauna entrepreneur Larry Anderson to explore the deep-rooted sauna traditions of Michigan’s Copper Country. They discuss how homemade wood‑burning stoves packed with heavy rocks create a uniquely soft, steam‑driven heat and trace the evolution from childhood basement saunas to modern barrel and mobile builds. We also previ...

Sam, Eero, and Risto discuss different types of online negativity in the sauna world. Risto rants a fair bit as he makes the case for why culture is always somewhat negative (and should be). They also field questions from the audience about wood-burning vs electric and UL restrictions in North America. Stay tuned for an East Coast meet-up in May! LINKS https://www.theupperbench.com https://www.fac...

Eero chats with Mikkel Aaland for Finlandia Foundation's National Sauna Week. https://www.nationalsaunaweek.com http://www.mikkelaaland.com

February 23 Livestream Replay Modern Sauna vs Ancient, Always Ready Heaters CONTENT0:00 Intro & Welcome 1:09 Eero’s Sauna Travels & National Sauna Week 4:49 Weekend Sauna Recap & Heater Struggles 7:47 Sauna Heating: Time, Public Sauna & Regulations 17:07 Sauna Heater Standards: U.S. vs. Canada 22:49 Traditional vs. Modern Sauna Heating & Smoke Saunas 29:42 “Always Ready” Sauna...