Electric, wood-fired or infrared, the enduring appeal of the sauna ritual is only growing.
by Maddie Johnson
Few sensations are as pleasing as the sun on your skin while you nap on the beach on a hot summer day. But in the dead of winter? A good sweat session in a sauna might do the trick.
When you step into a sauna, it’s like being enveloped in a warm, sunny hug. Body temperature rises, heart rate soars, blood vessels begin to dilate. Yes, it’s uncomfortable at first. But sit with it for a minute. Feel the heat sink into your bones, the smell of cedar filling your nostrils as beads of sweat roll down your skin. An incredible feeling of wellbeing washes over you.
When you exit, you feel cleansed and as light as air. Invigorated. Refreshed. Energetic. Focused.
Increasingly, science is telling us the post-sauna glow is more than just a healthy feeling.
Sweating helps eliminate toxins from the body. Increasing body temperature elevates heart rate and, in turn, stimulates circulation, which has a follow-on effect for your heart, blood pressure, joints, skin and immune system. So, it’s no surprise that sauna culture’s documented benefits include everything from detoxification to improved blood circulation, pain and stress reduction, skin rejuvenation and even better sleep.
As people become more mindful about their health and wellbeing, saunas are surging in popularity as a way to tap into these benefits. And new technologies and businesses are giving us appealing novel ways to introduce this ancient ritual to our daily lives, in the home and elsewhere.
Rodney Palmer co-founded SaunaRay
with his wife Patricia Naylor.
Mariya Garnet of Thornbury prioritizes use
of her sauna at least twice a week.
Just ask Rodney Palmer, founder of SaunaRay, a Collingwood-based company that hand-builds and installs infrared saunas in commercial and residential spaces.
A former CTV foreign correspondent, Palmer and his family spent several years abroad, often in countries that had issues with pollution and low air quality. Over the years, his wife became increasingly ill, but no doctor could pinpoint why or offer a way to fix it, until one prescribed a sauna.
Within weeks, she felt better.
Palmer has always had an interest in heat therapy, but when he discovered the newer technology of infrared energy—to gently heat the body directly, instead of super heating the surrounding air—he became passionate about the benefits of sweating in a safe and contained space and designed the first medical-grade sauna.
“Because our bodies are accustomed to absorb the sun’s warmth, the infrared heat penetrates the outer layer of our skin, triggering sweat and warming the soft connective tissues deep within instead of overheating our lungs and core temperature,” Palmer explains.
And while the technology behind infrared saunas isn’t new, the buzz around them is growing.
Made from Ontario basswood harvested outside Collingwood and hand-finished in beeswax, SaunaRay’s unique ceramic elements are designed to make it feel like you are lying on the beach. Palmer has since outfitted the Ottawa Senators physiotherapy room, Scandinave Spa, countless fire halls across the country and the homes of celebrities Cindy Crawford and Michael Douglas.
The sauna not only became his livelihood, but his way of life. Palmer aims to go into the sauna every night for an hour before bed. “To me, it’s quiet time,” he says. “It’s a time to reflect on the day and be thankful. It makes me feel happy and calm, and I sleep like a baby.”
Plus, he and his wife have become fierce advocates of the health benefits of infrared heat.
“It’s taken a few years but the hard science is finally trickling down to the messengers and reaching the mainstream,” he says. “This is the science that is advising people to sweat daily or every other day. Not to mention this technique has been used for thousands of years by almost every culture on earth.”
Collingwood-based human performance coaches Cole Martin (left) and Jake Burella (right) (@primitivepatterns) explore the mind-body-universe connection.
Ryan Markham builds custom residential saunas, and says the extreme temperatures help with both physical and mental recovery.
Ryan Markham, owner of Markham Works, specializes in custom residential saunas in Southern Georgian Bay. Unlike SaunaRay’s infrared technology, Markham sells wood-burning and electric saunas, and while each works a little differently, they both offer similar benefits.
Markham has two saunas of his own, one at his home in Collingwood and another at the cottage, and practises hot and cold exposure by pairing his saunas with a cold dip—another wellness modality that you may have noticed is having a scientific and cultural moment. The extreme temperatures force him to slow down and focus on his breath, which he says helps him “reign in the gremlins” and become more grounded.
Also a surfer, mountain biker and overall active man, Markham finds that this routine helps his physical recovery as well: “Regular use of sauna relieves pain in my muscles after a couple-hour winter surf session, a day of shredding at the slopes or a ride in the trails.”
Physical benefits aside, he is a firm believer in sharing the experience with others.
“Some folks think of a sauna as more of a solo meditation experience,” says Markham, “but I like to point out how therapeutic sharing the space among family and friends can be.”
Mariya Garnet agrees. For the shamanic coach based in Thornbury, the self-care ritual is rooted in her eastern European culture and life. When Garnet lived in Toronto, her friends would meet at the public sauna—called a Russian banya—every Wednesday night.
“It was our weekly girls night,” she says. “It’s a social activity that’s also good for you, it’s better than going to the bar.”
Going to the sauna was often more about socializing with her friends, talking about life and getting away from the busy day-to-day than it was about bathing. When Garnet moved to Southern Georgian Bay, she was worried about losing this tradition.
“One of the selling points of our house was that it had a sauna,” she says. Garnet now uses her sauna as a way to entertain guests at home, and prioritizes going in at least twice a week herself, which she says makes her feel “weightless.”
Building your own sauna from scratch is another option. Collingwood contractor Robbie McMillin was confident he had the knowledge and tools to build his own, and figured doing it himself would make it more special.
“I’m constantly building stuff for others. I wanted to do something for myself,” McMillin says.
When he purchased his home in 2020, there was an eyesore of a shed in the backyard, and he thought it was the perfect spot. The project is still in its early stages, but he envisions adding a sloped roof and black metal siding, a wraparound porch with an outdoor shower, and seating for six. When it’s finished, McMillin plans to use it daily as a way to prioritize his health and overall wellness. He also hopes it will lure friends from the city for weekend trips and says his local friends will have an open invite too.
“The health benefits are definitely a priority but I’m sure there will end up being some late nights spent in there too,” he laughs.
Not a contractor? No sweat! Sauna kits have become readily available for those who want to tackle construction themselves.
Natalie Frenkel and Louise Upperton opted to go this route, purchasing a kit through Dundalk Leisure Craft, a local company that specializes in cedar barrel saunas, to install at their Airbnb property. Avid sauna fans and users themselves, they were very clear when they purchased the property that one of their priorities was to have a barrel sauna for guests to use.
The property, fondly named Luna Log House, is nestled in over 10 acres of protected woodlands, and they thought it would be wonderful to have a sauna in that environment, especially during the colder winter months.
“It sets us apart and adds to the uniqueness of Luna Log House as a rental property,” says Frenkel.
Whether infrared, wood-burning or electric, at home or an establishment, alone or with friends, people in Southern Georgian Bay are sweating out the bad stuff and soaking up all of the sauna’s benefits.
