For several years, attendees at events at Duluth’s Pier B Resort have enjoyed saunas on the property, operated by Cedar + Stone Nordic Sauna. Beginning July 26, guests and conference visitors from venues across Duluth can get sweaty in Cedar + Stone’s new floating sauna, the first public barge sauna in the United States.
“Saunas are so intimately connected with water,” says Justin Juntunen, CEO and founder of Cedar + Stone. “Great saunas from the last hundreds and hundreds of years [always have] three ingredients: wood from the land, rocks from the soil, and fresh water from nearby. And when you put those ingredients together with heat, you have this really magical experience. … Our team will start the fire, provide the towels, make sure everything’s perfect for you, and have the tea and water ready for refreshment.”
The floating sauna will be docked at a slip between Pier B Resort and Bayfront Festival Park. After sitting in the sauna for a while, participants will be able to jump into the waters of Duluth Harbor to cool off. And then repeat. With water all around and cultural ties to Nordic countries, it makes sense that the first floating sauna is in Duluth.
“Duluth is the sauna capital of North America,” Juntunen asserts. “I think Lake Superior deserves for us to be the first ones to build a floating sauna [in the United States]. It’s going to be one of those things you just have to do when you’re in Duluth.”
