Last weekend we headed Northeast to check out Sisu + Löyly’s floating sauna on Devil’s Track Lake in Grand Marais, Minnesota. We had made reservations a month prior and the suspense was intense. Choosing which floating sauna to visit this fall was easy, there is only one public-access floating sauna in the United States and it belongs to Katie and her business. There are a few others in the works, but until they take their maiden voyages, this is the one!
The first step after making the reservation was to find four other sauna aficionados to go with us. Luckily, operating the majority of my life in Nordic-American communities, this was a simple challenge. Once the group was assembled, we planned to stay with our favorite Duluth host, Lyyli and her boyfriend Ahti and found accomodations for Ilmari at Risto’s in central Duluth. After work on Friday, we hit the road in the driving rain and quickly approaching darkness on the way to our weekend of adventure, friendship, and floating sauna!
Desperately seeking agates….
The Munch-esque painting in Sven and Ole’s.
After a respectable night’s sleep, we set out on Saturday morning to pick up Risto and Ilmari for coffee from Dunn Brothers. On the open road along incredibly scenic North Shore Drive we chatted in Finnish and English (Ilmari and Risto worked with me at Salolampi several years ago) and took the trip one stop at a time. Our first stop was in Two Harbors to watch a ship come in. We looked for rocks and walked along the tourist dock as Brian worked on getting a few pictures of the ship (Brian’s flickr portfolio). After Two Harbors, we continued NE to Silver Bay for fuel, a few more pictures, and a geocache from the overlook. From there we stopped at Fika in Lutsen for an Americano with maple syrup and added cream. After that it was one more quick stop along the shore to take in the view and then we completed the journey to Grand Marais. Driving into town to meet with Lyyli and Ahti at the World’s Best Doughnuts proved to be quite easy. They were located on the corner outside the red and white shop, looking cozy in their hats (a staple of North Shore gear). The doughnuts were delicious and up next was lunch at Sven and Ole’s pizzaria — also delicious. There we encountered a mysterious painting that we decided to call Edvard Munch’s Erik Koskinen — a Finnish-American musician whom we have all seen perform live a time or two in Minnesota.
Ahti and Lyyli’s best agate finds in Grand Marais.
Following that we had a few minutes to walk the shore a bit and find a few agates — because — Grand Marais. Then it was time to head onto the Gunflint Trail towards Devil’s Track Lake and the object of our adventure — Sisu + Löyly’s floating sauna! We arrived in the parking lot behind the main building and bar-restaurant at Skyport Lodge on Devil’s Track Lake. It reminded me of many of the most iconic supper club’s I have visited in NW Wisconsin, where our family cabin is located. Not over the top, but not underwhelming — like home in the best way possible. It was comfortable and the view to the lake where the sauna awaited us, was lovely.
After getting changed downstairs, we headed out to meet Katie on the dock as the last group wrapped up. Katie welcomed us cheerily and then let us do our thing. As a host, she was just what we more experienced sauna-goers had hoped for. At no point were we looking for her and she didn’t awkwardly linger or try to teach us about how to “properly” sauna. In the conversations I have had with my seasoned sauna friends, this is exactly what we hope to find in a sauna experience outside of our family homes. The hosting was perfect. She took pictures and got us water, but she wasn’t trying to entertain us. Katie and the best sauna hosts know that sauna is not about programatic, hyper-curated entertainment from start to finish, but rather allowing guests to be and to steer their sauna sessions in the directions they want.
Once in the sauna, we sat in silence taking it in for about 5 or so minutes and then we talked with one another the rest of the time. We had fun shifting weight and rebalancing the sturdy floating platform upon which the sauna was perched, while admiring the views from the windows to the lake. A delightful mix of Finnish and English was spoken (we all grew up attending and/or worked together at Finnish and Swedish camp). Our hour went quickly, but the heat of the stove and the space to make memories together, while feeling the gentle presence of the host was amazing. I have only felt that kind of feeling in a few other publicly-accessible sauna spaces in the US - very few.
Is it just me, or has it gotten quite steamy in here?
Walking to the plunge.
Happy sauna-goers. What a treat!
As time wound down, Katie grabbed a few pictures and we all jumped into the still and chilly lake. Everything felt relaxed, natural, and honestly the closest thing to the wonderful sauna memories I have had at Rauhaniemen sauna that I have ever experienced in the US. This kind of experience has proven to be so rare here that it is vital to mention it. It has been fascinating for my friends and I to ponder the rise of sauna culture in America and how it has tracked with the wellness industry and what seems to be the infinitely-sellable hyper-curated experiences. Sisu + Löyly defies the trends and in so doing offers something radical on this side of the Atlantic. This approach manifests as the ideal environment for seasoned sauna-goers of all stripes and I am delighted that we were able to catch it in its inaugural season.
Although Sisu + Löyly’s floating sauna season has drawn to a close, we hope to return to visit Katie’s original saunas located in Downtown Grand Marais on the shore of Lake Superior and would love to take the floating sauna for another spin, once the ice clears off the lake in 2024. The big weekend of adventure, friendship, and floating sauna was a success! Bravo! Thanks for hosting us, Katie and Sisu + Löyly!
