Wood-Fired Sauna + Cold Plunge
Wood-Fired Hot Tub
Thermic Bathing Cultures can be found around the world and throughout history. Finnish Sauna, Korean Jimjilbang, Native American Sweat Lodges, Mexican Temezcal, Turkish Hammam, Icelandic Spa, Japanese Sento, and Russian Banya all have one thing in common: people coming together in community to experience the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual healing that can occur with exposure to intense heat and steam.
Our wood-fired sauna nestled in the woods features high-quality heat from a wood-fired HUUM stove surrounded by heavy stones, fresh air ventilation, natural steam, and large windows to bring you into closer connection with nature. The exterior features a cold water bucket-shower and two cold plunge tubs, an optional Goodland wood-fired hot tub session add-on, as well as outdoor seating and a Solo Stove fire pit.
Custom-built to a pristine standard by Cedar + Stone and designed to be harmonious with the natural landscape, your time in our sauna will contrast in every way to the overused and underloved gym sauna you may be familiar with. We welcome you to an immersive wood-fired sauna experience nestled in the forest where Silvae Spiritus guides will lead you through the thermic cycle of hot, cold, rest, rehydrate, repeat. An antidote to the pace and distraction of modern life, these restorative sessions are an opportunity to refresh and revitalize while reconnecting us with ourselves, each other, and our living world.
All sessions are by appointment only – make your reservations online today!
Guided Private Sauna Session
A guided sauna session for just you and your party (up to 10 people total). Enjoy private, high quality sauna with your favorite people! Wood-fired hot tub available as optional add-on.
$69 per person, 90 minute session, sessions available Friday – Sunday
$139 per group for optional wood-fired hot tub add-on (available April through December)
Community Sauna Session
Join us for a guided social sauna session in the woods. In line with many cherished thermic bathing traditions, you will share this sauna session with other people in addition to your party. Enjoy high quality sauna in community. The wood-fired hot tub will made be available to all guests at no additional charge March through December if the Community Sauna Session reaches full capacity (8 guests), so bring your friends! Relax, connect, rejuvenate — together.
$39 per person, 90 minute session, sessions available Sundays at 2 pm
Community Sauna Sessions must meet a minimum of three people; cancellation notices and full refunds issued 24 hours prior to event start if minimum attendance is not met
Custom Sauna Session
We’re happy to schedule you for a by-appointment private session at times outside our standard hours of operation. Email us to request a custom session, and we’ll coordinate to ensure we’re available to stoke the fire, prepare the space, and host you! Wood-fired hot tub available as optional add-on.
$239 for up to two people, $69 per additional person (up to 10 total), 2.5 hour session
$139 per group for optional wood-fired hot tub add-on (available March through December)
“All are created equal; but nowhere more so than in a sauna”.
Finnish proverb
Health Benefits
Physiological benefits include:
- Decreased blood pressure
- Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease
- Reduced risk of neurocognitive diseases
- Pain reduction associated with rheumatic diseases
- Improvement of headache disorders
- Improvement of lung function
- Improvement of skin health
- Improvement of sleep quality
- Post workout muscle recovery
- Reduction of inflammation
- Cardiorespiratory fitness capacity improvement
- Cardio benefit comparable to a moderate workout
Psychological benefits include:
- Stress reduction
- Easing of depression
- Improved mood / overall sense of wellbeing
- Decrease in rumination
- Heightened sense of community
- Enhanced empathy
Want to take a deep-dive into the scientific evidence behind the experience? We’ve known for centuries that sauna makes us feel good, emerging data is starting to help us understand why: explore further in this research study from the Mayo Clinic.
What to expect
We believe that sauna is for everyone and all are welcome here, whether you’re new to the practice or an experienced enthusiast! Upon arrival, we invite you to first check-in at The Lounge, where you’ll find complimentary coffee, tea, and water, a changing room, and a restroom, as well as bathrobes and towels for use during your visit. A short wooded trail brings you from The Lounge to The Sauna. There you will be greeted and guided through your 75-minute sauna experience, cycling through heating, cooling, resting, and rehydrating rounds at the pace that feels right to you. Afterward, feel free to revisit The Lounge and hang out for a little recuperation time, or perhaps walk the woodland and meadow trails of Silvae Spiritus Nature Retreat’s 30 acres. We’re happy to provide recommendations of local attractions and small-town eateries if you’d like to further explore the area before heading home.
How to prepare
* Bring your swim suit, towel, water bottle, and sandals
* Arrive with a clean body
* Hydrate before, during, and after your session
* We will take care of the rest
Note: The health & safety of our guests is our top priority. If you are ill, or have recently been in close contact with someone who is ill, please reach out to reschedule your session for a later date. Please visit Our Response to Covid-19 for more information.
How to recover
* Continue to hydrate after your session – non-alcoholic beer is a recommended recovery beverage
* Enjoy a salty snack
* Blurred vision is a symptom of dehydration – eye drops are a quick remedy until you regain balanced hydration
“The sauna was not built for saving time but for spending it well.”
— Bernhard Hillila,
The Sauna Is