The Upper Bench

The Radiant DebateEpisode 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/theupperbenchCONTENT00:00 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.LINKShttps://www.instagram.com/billgifford/https://lnk.to/Hotwiredhttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbenchCONTENTS00:00 Catching-up and news03:31 Introducing Bill Gifford & growth of sauna scene in Utah08:57 Hotwired book09:45 Why humans sweat and the orgins of sauna14:42 How Bill started writing about sauna 15:24 "Never a heat person" - how Bill got into sauna17:08 Why Eero sweats so quickly18:45 Heart health and other studies28:57 Sauna and Alzheimer's 36:16 Hydration and electrolytes41:34 Rest and cooling down44:26 Heat adaptation54:45 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.LINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbenchhttps://www.finnbilt.cohttps://www.instagram.com/finnbilt/CONTENTS00:00 Intro07:09 Aaron's Sauna Days visit20:31 Aaron's first sauna build and his construction philosophy21:31 Starting his company: Finnbilt22:09 Unique sauna builds (shipping container, etc)24:06 Building a shop sauna in less than a week33:33 Two-by-four sauna build40:56 The beauty and benefits of log saunas53:37 "You don't need permission to build a sauna on a budget"