Quality, Luxury, Craftsmanship

SANDHILL SAUNAWORKS

A Brief History

A Winter’s Night in Wisconsin…

My first sauna was a rustic affair. It took place in Northern Wisconsin, several miles from the Brule River in flat, scrubby pine country. The earth was iron red and we counted deer by the dozen. The winter was only just beginning to wear off, snow clung to the shadows and the grass, still stubbled, was brown. The night air was clear as glass. Behind the house, a chimney puffed from a log cabin— old, weathered white, and capped by a slopping metal roof.

Inside was the sauna. An old water heater tank, torched in half held warm water. The concrete floor sloped to a side drain, and the cedar benches, worn smooth from years of use, rose against the back wall like rings in the Colosseum. The whole thing was new to me—the ritual, the etiquette, but most of all the heat. Within minutes it had penetrated into my core and everything I had ever stewed on or clung to vanished. There was nothing but the sweat, the howl of the wind, and the crackle of the cedar logs heating the river rocks. Outside, steam rolled off my body—the cold winter air meant nothing. The world slipped away.

I set to build my first sauna weeks later. I had been in the trades for well over a decade, but I hadn’t built a sauna before. It was as foreign as the place—Finland—it had come from. But I gathered cedar tongue and groove, insulation, and chimney pipe. My wife and I drove, on our honeymoon, to northern Wisconsin to by a Finnish sauna stove. Then I set about squaring and sawing and nailing the thing together. That first iteration is long gone, having been built and rebuilt many times as we worked to refine the structure. But to this day, there has hardly been a month I haven’t sat in a sauna.

And then I had the idea, why not build these for other people? I had framed houses and remodeled bathrooms and done work in many trades, but there seemed few builders who specialized (at least in our area) in saunas. So I gave it ago. That was over eight years ago. Today, I’ve been fortunate enough to have built many saunas, from the rustic to the luxurious.

Saunas, specifically the type we know, are centuries old. The Finnish sauna is the primary style of sauna found throughout the United States. It’s what most people picture when they picture a sauna. Reductively, a Finnish sauna is a wood clad room that gets really hot, up to 212 F. Yes, that’s the boiling point of water. But it’s a dry heat. The room is lined with benches at varying heights so the bathers can sit at the temperature they feel most comfortable. They need not boil if they don’t wish to. From floor to ceiling, the temperature might vary by one-hundred and fifty degrees.

If you’re here, reading this, odds are you are interested in a sauna of your own. In the past decade, I’ve worked to understand the building techniques of good saunas, pulling from the history of their construction and use. I’ve followed industry trends, worked with dozens of materials and products, testing and refining my process. Building a sauna is a big investment, and getting it right matters. Whether you have a clear idea for your space or whether you are just beginning the process, I can work with you to make your vision happen. We can work together to render drawings, giving you a clear vision for your space. I source materials from trusted and reliable sauna companies. Then I strap on the pouches and make it happen. I’m with you for the entire process, from design to punching out, making sure your sauna is exactly how you want it.

I love building and creating. At times it a lot of work, hard, dusty, gross work. But it’s also rewarding work, and filled with moments any artist who loves working their craft would envy. And while I really like building saunas, I also build out luxury baths, kitchens, decks, or any other space you might want to update or modify in your home. Take a look at my photo gallery to see some of the recent work I have done. My mission to provide well-constructed, honest saunas extends out to any room you might want to change in your house.

I’m a small business owner, and I understand how important it is to listen and work with you to get your project right, to respect your space, and to communicate openly about the project, it’s costs, and the inevitable hiccups. My reputation is my business, and without, well, I don’t have much.

So, if you are interested in a sauna, or you want to update that old bathroom, or add a sun-filled deck off your kitchen, reach out. I’d be happy to talk about your project and help you make it happen.