The Upper Bench

Episode 79 - Eero, Sam, and Risto grapple with the question of, "What is sauna?"LINKS

https://www.theupperbench.com

https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/

https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

Theme Music: Conga Se Menne "Guess Who's Coming to Sauna"CONTENTS

00:00 Catching up and troubleshooting Eero's sauna mystery

07:46 Previous episode on The Radiant Debate and how we define sauna

12:10 Sauna is a mindset?

15:56 Comparing attempts to define sauna (International Bath Academy, Aachen Sauna Congress)

38:17 Low temp savusaunas?

39:46 Sam and Eero choose IR over traditional sauna

47:59 Reviewing Trumpkin's Notes

The Radiant Debate

Episode 78 - Sam, Risto, and Eero tackle the radiant question. Is radiant heat bad in the sauna?LINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

CONTENT

00:00 Intro & Sauna Updates

11:21 What Is the Radiant Heat Debate?

13:50 How We Debate Matters

26:16 Radiant Heat: Good, Bad, or Personal Preference?

40:52 Rocks, Steel & Heater Design

50:09 Sharp vs. Intense Radiant Heat

Episode 77 - Dan Sarya of Michigan Sauna joins the Upper Bench crew. Dan's passion is to share the "smile" of his Finnish cultural heritage with the rest of North America. We hear how he started his mobile sauna business in Traverse City, Michigan and what his sauna trips to Finland are like.LINKShttps://www.michigansaunas.comhttps://www.saunaexperience.fihttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbenchEpisode photos from: https://visitjyvaskyla.fi/en/experiences/ and https://www.virtualtampere.com/rajaportin-saunaCONTENTS00:00 Intro02:16 Dan's Finnish heritage06:32 Traveling to Finland and the birth of Dan's sauna company09:55 A sauna FIRE!12:10 Sauna 2.0 and nuances that makes for a great sauna13:41 Trips to Finland37:25 Nature, the sauna boom, and sharing sauna culture42:25 Growing sauna culture slowly... the long game47:54 Sauna saves lives and a hyperthermic river accident51:58 Tradition and the seven generation rule53:36 Robust sauna and the importance of resting between rounds

Bill Gifford, author of Hotwired, and sauna fanatic joins us to discuss the science of sauna and how a trip to Finland totally transformed his perspective on health.

LINKS

https://www.instagram.com/billgifford/

https://lnk.to/Hotwired

https://www.theupperbench.com

https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/

https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

CONTENTS

00:00 Catching-up and news

03:31 Introducing Bill Gifford & growth of sauna scene in Utah

08:57 Hotwired book

09:45 Why humans sweat and the orgins of sauna

14:42 How Bill started writing about sauna

15:24 "Never a heat person" - how Bill got into sauna

17:08 Why Eero sweats so quickly

18:45 Heart health and other studies

28:57 Sauna and Alzheimer's

36:16 Hydration and electrolytes

41:34 Rest and cooling down

44:26 Heat adaptation

54:45 The importance of Finnish culture

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, notable researchers, 360-degree sauna photography, favorite sauna books, and practical ways anyone can begin researching sauna history.The journey takes us through Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New York, and beyond—and proves that sauna research can happen in a library, out in the field, or even from your couch.LINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

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 visit

20:31 Aaron's first sauna build and his construction philosophy

21:31 Starting his company: Finnbilt

22:09 Unique sauna builds (shipping container, etc)

24:06 Building a shop sauna in less than a week

33:33 Two-by-four sauna build

40:56 The beauty and benefits of log saunas

53:37 "You don't need permission to build a sauna on a budget"

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, buckets, washing in the sauna

25:33 Dan's sauna build

29:30 Changing rooms

31:41 James' sauna build

35:45 What to do about HOT benches

38:37 Propane outdoor shower

39:38 Cold plunges and Sam's big fan

41:59 Drainage

44:46 The beauty of DIY saunas

47:04 Ventilation

51:31 Dan's trip to the U.P.

54:59 James and Dan's normal sauna proceedure

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?