Minnesota might be the only state where the sauna revival isn’t really a revival — it never stopped. Finnish immigrants built saunas before they built houses. The state has the first member-owned sauna co-op in the US. People cut holes in frozen lakes and jump in after sweating for fun. Glenn Auerbach, who founded the online Sauna Times, calls Minnesota the epicenter of the national sauna movement, thanks in part to the “land of 10,000 cold plunges.” He’s not wrong. The Twin Cities scene ranges from a wood-fired sauna co-op in Theodore Wirth Park to a guided rooftop experience at the Four Seasons. And the cold plunge? In a state where lakes freeze solid for months, you don’t need a tub. Here’s where to go.
Cedar & Stone Nordic Sauna
Four Seasons Hotel Rooftop (Downtown Minneapolis) & Duluth · cedarandstonesauna.com
What they’ve got: Guided Nordic sauna sessions (160-200°F), cold plunge, herbal tea and electrolytes, rooftop terrace (Minneapolis), floating sauna on Lake Superior harbor (Duluth)
The details: The premium sauna experience in Minnesota, run by Esko native Justin Juntunen whose family emigrated from Finland and who built his first sauna with his dad at age three. In Minneapolis, Cedar & Stone operates on the rooftop of the Four Seasons Hotel — guided 75-minute sessions that walk you through the full thermic cycle: hot, cold, rest, rehydrate, repeat. In Duluth, the flagship includes wood-fired saunas, a natural cold plunge, and a floating sauna on the Lake Superior harbor where your guide tends the fire while you soak in harbor views and step outside for a seasonal cold dip. They think about heat the way others think about fine wine — quality over everything. Private sessions hold up to 5-8 people; social sessions share the sauna with up to 10. They also design and build custom saunas for homes. The goal: introduce one million people to sauna over the next decade.
Temps & Pricing: Saunas 160-200°F. Social sessions from $99/person. Private sessions from $175/person. Duluth floating sauna $99/person for 90 minutes. Check their site for booking.
PORTAL° Thermaculture
West Bde Maka Ska · portalthermaculture.com
What they’ve got: Electric saunas, wood-fired saunas, communal cold plunge pool, social spaces, locker rooms
The details: A wellness social club on the shores of Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) that blends indoor and outdoor sauna experiences with community programming. Both electric and wood-fired saunas, a communal cold plunge pool, and social spaces for gathering between rounds. The typical protocol: 15 minutes in the heat, 3 minutes in the cold, repeat three times. Members get daily access to sessions and classes. Single-session credits are available and transferable. The location on the lake is ideal — on a warm day, the whole experience extends into the surrounding parkland. Sessions and classes book through an app. Adults only (18+). Think of it as the neighborhood sauna club that Minneapolis deserves.
Temps & Pricing: Check their site for current session pricing. Memberships available for daily access. Credits transferable between PORTAL° locations.
Embrace North
Northeast Minneapolis (St. Anthony Main) · embracenorth.com
What they’ve got: Wood-burning saunas, cold plunge tub, steam option
The details: Self-described as “the people’s bathhouse,” Embrace North’s mission is making sauna and cold water immersion accessible to everyone. Wood-burning saunas with a cold plunge tub, available all day, every day. The pricing backs up the mission — unlimited access for $39.95/month, which makes it the most affordable sauna membership in the Twin Cities by a wide margin. They also run “run and plunge” events: a 5-mile round trip that includes a stop for a cold plunge in the Mississippi River, which is both insane and very Minnesota. Located in Northeast Minneapolis just across the Stone Arch Bridge from downtown. No luxury positioning, no guided rituals — just consistent access to heat and cold for people who want to make it a daily practice.
Temps & Pricing: Wood-burning saunas. Cold plunge tub available. Unlimited membership $39.95/month. Located in St. Anthony Main area.
Watershed Spa and Baths
St. Anthony Main · Check their site for current info
What they’ve got: Communal bathhouse with sauna, cold plunge, steam room, soaking tubs, rest areas
The details: A communal bathing experience near the Mississippi River and the Alma Hotel that draws from multiple wellness traditions. Showers, soaking tubs, sauna and steam areas, cold plunge pool, and rest areas for hydrating between cycles. Self-guided — you move through the circuit at your own pace. The vibe leans quiet; guests are expected to minimize talking and keep noise down. The proximity to the river and the Stone Arch Bridge makes the setting feel like an escape from the city without leaving it. More polished than Embrace North, more accessible than Cedar & Stone — the middle ground for people who want a real bathhouse experience without the rooftop hotel price tag.
Temps & Pricing: Check their site for current admission and hours.
Sauna Camp
Excelsior (Lake Independence, ~30 min from Minneapolis) · saunacamps.com
What they’ve got: Multiple wood-fired saunas, Lake Independence cold plunge (natural lake, with ice-cut holes in winter), communal bonfire
The details: The quintessential Minnesota sauna experience. Open Thursday through Sunday all winter, Sauna Camp is a collection of wood-fired saunas set on the shores of Lake Independence, about 30 minutes from Minneapolis. The cold plunge is the lake itself — and when the lake freezes, they cut community cold plunge holes in the natural ice and move some saunas out onto the frozen surface. A communal bonfire anchors the social space between rounds. The Finnish word sisu — roughly translated as grit and tenacity — is the operating philosophy. Visitors call it transformational. Families, solo adventurers, and groups all mix together in a setting that feels closer to a Finnish village than a wellness studio. This is where sauna culture meets Minnesota winter head-on, and Minnesota winter blinks first.
Temps & Pricing: Saunas heated to traditional Finnish temperatures. Lake plunge at whatever Lake Independence is serving (frigid in winter, brisk in shoulder seasons). Check their site for session pricing and booking. Open Thurs-Sun in winter.
612 Sauna Society Co-op
Theodore Wirth Park · Find them on social media
What they’ve got: Community sauna in Theodore Wirth Park, natural lake cold plunge
The details: The first member-owned sauna cooperative in the United States, founded by Minneapolis sauna enthusiast John Pederson in 2016. Over 150 members strong. The co-op operates a sauna every winter in Theodore Wirth Park, one of the largest urban parks in the country. The cold plunge is the park’s natural water. The co-op model means this isn’t a business — it’s a community of people who pool resources to sauna together in the park. Membership gives you access to communal sessions where experienced sauna-goers and newcomers share the bench. This is the grassroots soul of Minneapolis sauna culture, and the template that inspired much of what’s followed.
Temps & Pricing: Member-owned cooperative. Check their social media for membership details and session schedules.
Little Ember Co.
Cedar Lake · Find them on social media
What they’ve got: Mobile wood-fired sauna, Cedar Lake cold plunge (natural lake)
The details: A mobile sauna operation hosting wood-fired sessions at Cedar Lake in the heart of Minneapolis’s Chain of Lakes. The setup is simple: a wood-fired sauna, a natural lake cold plunge, and the community that shows up. Public 75-minute sessions run $35 per person. The cedar-lake-in-winter setting — frozen lake, wood smoke, cold air — is about as close to a traditional Finnish experience as you’ll find inside a major US city. This is the affordable, no-membership-required entry point into Minneapolis sauna culture. Show up, sweat, plunge, repeat.
Temps & Pricing: Wood-fired sauna. Cedar Lake cold plunge at natural temperature. Public sessions $35 for 75 minutes.
Honorable Mentions
Hewing Hotel Rooftop — North Loop. Rooftop Nordic-style dry sauna and spa pool with skyline views. Open to registered guests daily. Superior Saunas & Events runs guided Saunameister sessions here with essential oils and breathwork.
Superior Saunas & Events — Three mobile saunas and five cold soak tubs at The Yard on Nicollet and 47th in Southwest Minneapolis. Private group reservations and guided sessions also available at the Hewing Hotel.
Stonegrove Saunas — Mobile sauna rental: a wood-fired barrel sauna and cold plunge tub delivered to your driveway. Setup instructions included.
Sisu & Löyly (Grand Marais) — Two electric saunas on Lake Superior’s North Shore. 90-minute private session $86, public sessions ~$20. Walk to the rocky beach for a Great Lake plunge. Expanding in 2026.
Natural Lake Plunges — Lake Harriet, Lake Nokomis, Cedar Lake. In winter, locals cut holes in the ice and plunge. Free. Bring a buddy and follow local protocols.
Dial In Your Session
Minneapolis has something no other city on this list can match: 10,000 natural cold plunges. The thermal scene runs from 200°F guided rooftop sessions to wood-fired saunas on frozen lakes, from $39.95/month unlimited access to $175 private Four Seasons experiences. The dose varies wildly.
Curious how a 180°F wood-fired sauna with a 35°F frozen lake plunge compares to a guided 200°F session with a controlled cold tub? Run your setup through the TempRx calculator and see.
Know a Twin Cities sauna or cold plunge spot we missed? Drop it in the comments and we’ll check it out.