James Phelps joins us to get super geeky about sauna construction.We dive deep into sauna ventilation, CO₂ testing, and stove design. James shares insights from his hands-on experiments and discusses what he learned writing his book Fire & Ice. Along the way, we cover practical tips for building a better sauna, managing humidity, and creating a truly breathable space.

JAMES' BOOK

https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Ice-tradition-technology-balanced/dp/B0D2RPWZS2/

UPPER BENCH LINKS

https://www.theupperbench.com

https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/

https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

Theme Music: Conga Se Menne "Guess Who's Coming to Sauna"CONTENTS00:00 Introduction and meeting our guest James Phelps06:11 How he decided to build a sauna08:07 Exploring different sauna construction possibilities09:30 Getting ventilation right; comparing different strategies13:01 Prevailing winds and ventilation as seen with sweat lodge ventilation14:51 Cold plunge and winter experience16:47 Different stoves options and interior vs exterior feed20:00 Preheating the sauna: “Close your eyes and you can't tell where the stove is”22:20 High rock mass vs low rock mass32:37 Sharing his findings and writing a book36:00 CO₂ testing and results37:34 Will galvanized fasteners rust in a sauna?39:24 How should a sauna smell? Using essential oil and other scents48:04 Listener question about vent placement in garage sauna50:17 James’ cold plunge routine and preferred sauna temp52:41 Using sauna for recovery post-surgery54:34 Closing comments

On this episode of The Upper Bench, Sam and Risto welcome Finnish American sauna entrepreneur Dan Raisanen whose family sauna history is rooted in Cokato, Minnesota and is now running his own sauna company in Michigan.Sauna Bath Companyhttps://www.saunabath.coLINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbenchTheme Music: Conga Se Menne "Guess Who's Coming to Sauna"

Wade Litt - Sauna in Ohio and Other Adventures - 055On this episode of The Upper Bench, Eero and Risto welcome sauna entrepreneur Wade Litt to explore the sauna scene in Ohio and hear about his sauna adventures.LÖ-LU Saunahttps://lo-lu.comLINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbenchPhilly Steam with Bryonhttps://www.facebook.com/events/691959186507593Theme Music: Conga Se Menne "Guess Who's Coming to Sauna"CONTENT00:00 Introduction & Philly Steam-Up02:49 Wade Litt - first sauna experiences and parent's build10:23 Building his mobile sauna14:45 Mobile sauna use and location; running a business15:45 Sauna adventures and exploration21:41 Wade's favorite public saunas23:51 Banyas vs public "saunas"30:07 Saunas Wade would like to visit31:20 Future business plans34:25 Viewer Questions: Vegas sauna; safe for a single woman to visit Helsinki; Eero's savusauna38:37 Advice for starting a sauna business start-ups