What happens when an ancient wellness tradition meets a new wave of global enthusiasm?
Recorded at the International Sauna Congress in Oslo, Norway, Lisa Starr explores the rapidly evolving world of sauna and sweat culture with leaders, practitioners, and architects shaping its future. From preserving centuries-old traditions to the rise of Aufguss, sauna masters, thermal experiences, and more inclusive bathing environments, these conversations reveal why sauna is becoming an increasingly important part of the global wellness landscape. The Congress itself brought together 600 attendees from 30 countries, reflecting the extraordinary international interest in sauna culture.
What You’ll Learn
- Why the global growth of sauna creates both opportunity and responsibility to respect traditional sweat cultures
- How Aufguss combines heat, scent, movement, storytelling, and performance into an immersive sauna experience
- Why the role of the sauna master goes far beyond entertainment to include guest safety, heat management, facilitation, and holding space
- How emerging concepts such as thermal architecture, thermal dosing, human response, and human capacity could help create more thoughtful thermal experiences
- How architects are designing spa and bathing environments around the entire guest journey, including transitions, accessibility, privacy, social connection, and a sense of place International Sauna Congress
Episode Highlights
- 00:48 – Why the International Sauna Congress is like the “Olympics of Sauna”
- 03:04 – Bringing the global sauna community together
- 05:32 – The extraordinary growth of sauna and sweat culture
- 10:26 – Meet Chris Shenkle, an American who became a Norwegian sauna champion
- 20:46 – What is Show Aufguss and what makes the experience unique?
- 32:00 – The evolving and increasingly complex role of the sauna master
- 38:05 – Creating standards and a new framework for thermal architecture
- 41:07 – How Basalt Architects designs sauna, spa, and bathing experiences
- 48:29 – Designing the guest journey through a thermal facility
- 59:16 – Inclusivity, accessibility, mental well-being, and the future of bathing culture International Sauna Congress
Meet the Guests
Lasse Eriksen is Development Manager at Farris Bad and serves in leadership roles across the Norwegian and international sauna community. He discusses the importance of learning from different sweat cultures and approaching sauna’s rapid growth with curiosity, humility, and respect.
Chris Shenkle is an American performer turned sauna master whose unexpected career path took him from New York City to Norway and eventually to national and international Aufguss competition. His story demonstrates the skill involved in combining performance with the responsibilities of managing a thermal environment.
Anders Hage brings experience in performance, wellness, and sauna facilitation to his work with Denmark’s sauna community. He shares his perspective on facilitated sauna, sauna master education, professional standards, and his emerging framework of thermal architecture.
Perla Dís Kristinsdóttir and Hrólfur Karl Cela of Basalt Architects discuss Icelandic bathing culture and designing spa environments that are deeply connected to place, nature, culture, accessibility, and the guest journey. Their firm’s experience includes work connected with Iceland’s renowned Blue Lagoon.
Closing Insight
As sauna culture expands around the world, the opportunity is bigger than adding heat to a wellness facility. Thoughtful thermal experiences require an understanding of tradition, culture, human connection, guest safety, design, and the people who facilitate the experience.
As Lasse reminds us, there is still much to learn, making humility and listening especially important as the global sauna community evolves.
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