Forest saunas in the United States

Perry, United States

Buck Creek Outdoor Sauna is a wood-fired Finnish sauna in woodland near Lake Perry, a short drive from Lawrence. Each booking gives one group the sauna, the grounds and a fire pit for two hours. Towels, robes, slippers and water are provided, and the staff tend the fire.

Montville, United States

Cedar Grove Sauna keeps three wood-fired saunas on freshwater ponds in Montville, Maine. Burrow, Perch and a dovetailed Estonian-style log sauna are booked privately, or by the seat at public and silent sessions. Each one has its own way into the pond.

Redmond, United States

Fyre Sauna is a cedar-lined sauna with a Kuuma wood stove, set among the rows of The Homestead Orchard in Woodinville wine country. Community sessions are hosted by a sauna guide, with cold plunge tubs, an outdoor shower and a covered patio. Groups of up to 12 can hire the whole site.

Bend, United States

Gather Sauna House parks its wood-fired trailer saunas beside the Deschutes River in Bend's Riverbend Park. The river is the cold plunge. Hosted public sessions share the bench with up to five others, and groups can book a sauna privately.

Sharon, United States

Homestead Saunas runs a wood-fired trailer sauna on a homestead in Sharon, Wisconsin. Community sessions include a cold plunge between rounds, and groups can also hire the sauna privately. Herbal steam infusions, massage and bath rituals are offered alongside.

South Milwaukee, United States

Two wood-fired saunas in the woods above the Seven Bridges Trail at Grant Park, with cold showers and open-air lounging between rounds. Shared 75-minute sessions run alongside private bookings for groups. The operator also runs a lakefront site at McKinley Marina in the colder months.

Fraser, United States

Howling Moon is a wood-fired cedar sauna on wheels, parked at a basecamp on the rodeo grounds in Fraser, 8,500 feet up. Community sessions share the heat and an outdoor cool-down area. Small groups can also book the whole sauna.

Lawrence, United States

Jalu is a private bathhouse in woods and prairie north of Lawrence, built by hand by a Tibetan-American family. Each booking has the whole place to itself. A cedar sauna sits with a cedar hot tub, a seasonal herbal bath, a Himalayan salt cave and an outdoor cold plunge.

Oak Creek, United States

Lakeside Sauna Club runs wood-fired cedar saunas on the beach by the marina at Stagecoach Reservoir, south of Steamboat Springs. Sessions are communal or private, and the reservoir is the cold plunge, with a hole cut once it freezes. It operates through the winter season.

Hunter, United States

Liga Svikss leads traditional Latvian pirts rituals at Rota Lodge in Elka Park, in the Catskills. Each private session moves between heat, herbal steam and whisking with birch, oak or juniper. In summer she also runs residential pirts workshops at the lodge.

Black Hammer, United States

Little Dipper Sauna Co. parks two wood-fired trailer saunas on a working farm in the Driftless, outside Spring Grove. Community sessions run around a bonfire, a bucket shower and a cold plunge. One sauna has a clear roof panel for watching the stars.

Minneapolis, United States

Two wood-fired saunas parked at Cedar Lake Point Beach in Minneapolis, running 75-minute sessions with cool-downs in the winter air, the snow or the lake. Seats are sold singly or in packs of four, and both saunas can be taken together for a group of ten. The site runs Thursday to Sunday from November to March.

Stallion Springs, United States

M Ranch Sauna is a cedar-lined Finnish sauna built behind the owners' home on a ranch in Stallion Springs. A Kuuma wood stove heats it, and long windows look out over oak-covered hills. Each booking has the sauna, changing room and indoor and outdoor showers to itself.

Boulder, United States

Puffin Sauna Club runs a wood-fired sauna on Yellow Barn Farm, a regenerative farm in the foothills between Boulder and Lyons. Hour-long shared sessions alternate the sauna with Japanese-style cold plunges, an outdoor rain shower and a cold stream. Swimwear is required.

Monson, United States

A wood-fired sauna on the shore of Lake Hebron in Monson, Maine, at the edge of the 100-Mile Wilderness. It serves as Monson's public sauna, with private sessions by appointment. Public seatings and events are announced on its social channels.

Bowdoinham, United States

Riverview is a wood-fired sauna and outdoor hot tub set in eight acres of gardens near Merrymeeting Bay. Each booking is private, for up to six people, and massage can follow the heat. The cedar sauna has a cold shower, and in winter guests roll in the snow off the hot tub terrace.

Farmersville, United States

Banya Dallas is a family-run Russian banya on a rural property near Farmersville, with a wood-fired stove and oak brooms for steaming. Groups of up to six book the whole banya for at least four hours, with use of an outdoor pool. The Royal Retreat package adds a banya attendant.

Independence, United States

A winter sauna village on the shore of Lake Independence, at Camp Ihduhapi west of Minneapolis. Several wood-fired saunas sit by the water, with plunge holes cut into the lake ice once it freezes. Public tickets cover a two-hour communal session, and private saunas take groups of six to twenty.

Eagan, United States

A wood-fired sauna trailer parked on the beach at Schulze Lake in Lebanon Hills Regional Park, Eagan, through the cold months. A host runs the Kuuma stove and walks first-timers through heat, lake dips and time by the fire. Seats sell in shared sessions, or a group can book the sauna to itself.

Clallam County, United States

SeaTsu runs two wood-fired saunas built from vintage horse trailers on a forest site in Blyn, on the Olympic Peninsula. Between rounds there is a saltwater cold plunge, outdoor showers and a cedar dome for changing. Shared co-ed sessions and a women-only night sit alongside private bookings and overnight stays.

Lodi, United States

Sunrise Sauna Club runs a wood-fired redwood barrel sauna on a trailer at Lucky's Lodge on Lake Wisconsin. A full-height window looks over the water, and guests cool off in the lake between rounds. Shared sessions seat a dozen or so, and private bookings are taken on request.

Tacoma, United States

Svette parks a trailer sauna on Owen Beach in Point Defiance Park, looking across Commencement Bay. Guests throw löyly on the stones, then cool off in the Puget Sound itself. Sessions are co-ed and swimwear is worn.

Asheboro, United States

A massage and integrative therapy practice outside Asheboro, with a temazcal, a Mesoamerican steam lodge, in the woods. The temazcal is booked on its own as a guided ceremony with plant steam, body masks and herbal teas.

Buena Vista, United States

TerraForm is a wood-fired sauna on the banks of the Arkansas River in Buena Vista, by the lawn park off South Main Street. Hour-long shared sessions include a river cold plunge, cotton towels and hot tea. Groups can also book the whole sauna and outdoor lounge.

Montrose, United States

Tuli runs a wood-fired Finnish-style sauna with big windows on the bank of the Sugar River at Seven Acre Dairy Company in Paoli. Between rounds, guests take stairs down from a pier into the river. Shared social sessions and private bookings run all year, and the dairy's café sends food down to the sauna dome.

Midway, United States

Wasatch Mountain Sauna is a sauna cabin behind the visitor centre in Wasatch Mountain State Park, near Midway. Communal sessions seat six, with a cold plunge, an outdoor shower and chairs facing the mountains. Guests pick a mellow, classic or Finnish heat level when they book, and the whole sauna can be hired.

La Pine, United States

Woodland Sauna is a wood-fired Russian banya among the pines near La Pine, built by a family who grew up with the tradition. Small groups book two-hour sessions guided by the host, Nadia. Felt hats, birch and oak veniki, a cold bucket shower and a relaxation room are part of each visit.