Rochester Local

Where to Sauna in Southeastern Minnesota

The weather outside may be frightful, but a sauna feels so delightful! Although spending some time in a sauna does the mind and body good any time of the year, there is no better way to weather a Minnesota winter than by sweating it out with friends. Fortunately, if you’re in the Rochester area, you’ll find plenty of places to sauna in southeastern Minnesota, from waterfront hideaways and luxury retreats to private rental saunas you can have delivered to your home.

 

Where to Sauna Near Rochester, MN

Sauna culture is hot in the North Star State. Although Minnesota doesn’t come close to the person-to-sauna ratio of Finland, where there are around three million saunas in a country of 5.5 million, you can still find several places to sauna in the greater Rochester area and beyond.

If you like, you and your friends and family can even rent a sauna and have it delivered to your doorstep. Sounds like the perfect way to detox after the holidays and welcome in a period of “new year, new you,” if you ask us!

 

Rochester

SweetDrip Sauna

Sweet Drip Sauna @ Old Abe Coffe Co | photo by Rochester Local

SweetDrip Sauna offers a welcoming outdoor sauna experience built around heat, recovery, and connection. Guests book 60-minute sessions that move through intentional sauna rounds, alternating between deep warmth and a cool down of their choice, with access to a handcrafted mobile wood-fired sauna, an electric stove sauna, and an indoor hangout space serving beverages. Founded by Rochester local Jake Kuhn and inspired by his own health journey, SweetDrip was created to make sauna culture simple, social, and accessible in partnership with Old Abe Coffee Shop. Sessions are $24 per person and run seasonally from December through April, with additional pop-ups, mobile rentals, and residential consulting available.

Cost: $24 per person for a 60-minute session

Location: 832 7th St NW, Rochester, MN 55901

 

Infrared Sauna at Driftless Hydration

Driftless Hydration offers an infrared sauna experience in a cozy sauna cabin. Instead of using the traditional sauna heating elements, the infrared sauna heaters use the infrared spectrum to promote relaxation and other wellness benefits. Add in light therapy or salt therapy to maximize your wellness benefits.

Cost: $25 for 30 min session, $45 for 60 min session. Additional fees for add-on therapies and experiences

Location: 17 12th Street NE, Rochester, MN

 

Red Wing

The River Kiln

Gazing out over the Mississippi River, The River Kiln is the sauna equivalent of an Airbnb. This serene space offers a private igloo sauna, complete with a cold plunge pool and a fire pit with river-view seating. The sauna is booked in blocks with a coded entry, ensuring complete privacy for individuals or groups of up to six.

Cost: Per 90 minutes – $20 and up for individuals, $40 and up for couples, $80 and up for 3-4 people, $100 and up for 5-6 people

Location: 1716 Old W Main St, Red Wing, MN 55066

 

At Home

Med City Sauna

Med City Sauna rentable saunas serving the Rochester, MN, area

Based in Rochester, Med City Sauna offers three- and four-day tent sauna rentals. Tents range in size from small, with room for three to four people, to large, with space for eight to ten. Along with the tent, each rental comes with everything you need for your sauna experience, including a stove, bench, bucket, ladle, sauna rocks and firewood. Delivery and setup are available for an additional fee.

Cost: $85 and up for a small tent, $105 and up for a large tent

 

North Star Sauna rentable saunas serving the Rochester, MN, area
Rentable sauna from North Star Sauna, serving southeastern Minnesota  |  Image courtesy of North Star Sauna

 

North Star Sauna

For a Finnish-style sauna experience you can enjoy at home, reserve a rental with North Star Sauna. Wood-fired and crafted out of western red cedar, each barrel sauna is naturally aromatic and can comfortably fit up to six people. A water bucket and bundle of firewood are included with every rental, as is a 75-gallon tub for contrast therapy cold plunges. North Star Sauna will also be featured in LTS Brewing Company’s Hygge Fest on Saturday, January 25, 2025, with bookable 45-minute sessions for $25 per person.

Cost: $300 for 1 night, $450 for 2 nights, $600 for 3 nights

 

Sauna Life

Each mobile sauna rented through Sauna Life is wood-fired, just like in Finnish tradition, and freshly sanitized between deliveries. Rental packages are available for various durations and include all the sauna necessities, such as towels, sauna scent, a large tote of firewood, a water bucket, and a ladle. A cold-plunge tank is also provided seasonally between April and October. Add-ons like foldable chairs and a fire pit are also available.

Cost: $350 for single-day rental, $300 per day for multi-day rental, $850 for weekend rental, $1,200 for weeklong rental

 

 

Rochester

SweetDrip Sauna

SweetDrip Sauna offers a welcoming outdoor sauna experience built around heat, recovery, and connection. Guests book 60-minute sessions that move through intentional sauna rounds, alternating between deep warmth and a cool down of their choice, with access to a handcrafted mobile wood-fired sauna, an electric stove sauna, and an indoor hangout space serving beverages. Founded by Rochester local Jake Kuhn and inspired by his own health journey, SweetDrip was created to make sauna culture simple, social, and accessible in partnership with Old Abe Coffee Shop. Sessions are $24 per person and run seasonally from December through April, with additional pop-ups, mobile rentals, and residential consulting available.

Cost: $24 per person for a 60-minute session

Location: 832 7th St NW, Rochester, MN 55901

 

Infrared Sauna at Driftless Hydration

Driftless Hydration offers an infrared sauna experience in a cozy sauna cabin. Instead of using the traditional sauna heating elements, the infrared sauna heaters use the infrared spectrum to promote relaxation and other wellness benefits. Add in light therapy or salt therapy to maximize your wellness benefits.

Cost: $25 for 30 min session, $45 for 60 min session. Additional fees for add-on therapies and experiences

Location: 17 12th Street NE, Rochester, MN

 

Red Wing

The River Kiln

Gazing out over the Mississippi River, The River Kiln is the sauna equivalent of an Airbnb. This serene space offers a private igloo sauna, complete with a cold plunge pool and a fire pit with river-view seating. The sauna is booked in blocks with a coded entry, ensuring complete privacy for individuals or groups of up to six.

Cost: Per 90 minutes – $20 and up for individuals, $40 and up for couples, $80 and up for 3-4 people, $100 and up for 5-6 people

Location: 1716 Old W Main St, Red Wing, MN 55066

 

Twin Cities Area

Cedar and Stone

Cedar + Stone | photo by Elizabeth Pershing – Twin Cities Family

For a luxurious sauna experience with a view, book a session with Cedar and Stone in downtown Minneapolis. From its lofty perch atop the roof of the Four Seasons Hotel, the Cedar and Stone sauna offers both private and social Nordic-style thermic bathing. Offering a guided experience, as well as snow exfoliation, a bucket shower, cold plunge, herbal tea, aromatherapy, a robe, and towels, the social sauna session is perfect for beginners or those wanting to enjoy the ritual’s communal roots. Each session also comes with access to the spa facilities at Four Seasons Minneapolis, including the indoor pool, steam rooms, and showers. Heading to the North Shore? Don’t miss the flagship Cedar and Stone along the Duluth harbor, which features a floating sauna.

Cost: $99 per person for a 75-minute guided social sauna session, $175 per person for a 75-minute private sauna session

Location: Four Seasons Minneapolis, 245 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55401

 

Embrace North

This is fire and ice for the people. Embrace North is a Minneapolis sauna club that aims to make contrast therapy accessible to the masses. Inspired by public bathhouses, the club offers three saunas and a cold-plunge pool, as well as lockers, changing rooms and showers.

Cost: The first two sessions are free; unlimited access for $39.95 per month

Location: 811 SE 9th St Unit 3C, Minneapolis, MN 55414

 

Little Ember Co. Sauna at Cedar Lake

Nestled on the shore of Cedar Lake, Little Ember Co.’s Minneapolis sauna is open from Thursday to Sunday. Each session includes access to two wood-fired saunas, along with an array of aromatherapy options to scent the steam as desired. Small holes are cut in the ice of the lake, and buckets are provided for pour-over ice baths. Alternatively, you can also cool down by making a snow angel or frolicking in the cold winter air. Booking dates are released around the 15th for the following month.

Cost: $35 for a 75-minute community session, $119 for 4 sessions, $357 for a private sauna party for up to 12 people

Location: Cedar Lake Point Beach, 2101 Cedar Lake Pkwy, Minneapolis, MN 55416

 

Sauna Camp

Situated on the bank of Lake Minnewashta, Sauna Camp puts a cold-weather twist on the fun and community of summer camp. Strangers leave as friends after a two-hour session at this waterfront sauna and cold-plunge experience, which features eight wood-fired cedar barrel saunas, ice plunges into the frozen lake, bonfires and warming huts. Please note that, despite the name, no lodging is available for individuals or small groups of sauna bathers (just a 30-person cabin for large group events).

Cost: $55 for a day pass, $199 for a 1-month pass, $599 for a season pass; private saunas start at $449

Location: 3300 Tanadoona Dr, Excelsior, MN 55331

 

Cold plunge in the lake at Sauna Camp in Excelsior, MN
Natural lake cold plunge at Sauna Camp in Excelsior, MN  |  Image courtesy of True Medusa Pictures for Sauna Camp

 

St. Croix Sauna

Enjoy snow-swept views and temperatures of around 180 degrees at St. Croix Sauna in Stillwater, MN. Located right next door to Thor’s Hard Cider, this wood-fired sauna offers 75-minute private sessions and space for up to eight people. The cozy hideaway has everything you need to warm up and unwind, including a changing room with cubbies, Bluetooth speakers, aromatherapy essential oils, towels, complimentary water and tea, and a sauna attendant. St. Croix Sauna also occasionally hosts special events like a Sauna & Flow yoga class.

Cost: $69.99 per person for a 75-minute private sauna session

Location: Aamodt’s Apple Farm, 6428 Manning Ave N, Stillwater, MN 55082

 

Superior Sauna & Steam

Although you can certainly sweat it out alone, sauna is a social experience at its core—and that’s just what you’ll get at one of the sessions put on by Superior Sauna. Offered in a few different locations around the Twin Cities, these fire-and-ice events run the gamut from sauna meditation set to the hypnotic sounds of singing bowls at The Yard, Superior Sauna’s social venue and showroom, to community steam experiences in sauna cabanas situated along the riverside at Pryes Brewing Company. And for those who want to make sauna bathing a family affair, kid-friendly hours are also available during certain events.

Cost: $26 and up per person at The Yard, $41 and up per person at Pryes Brewing Company

Location:

 

Silvae Spiritus sauna and wellness retreat in Finlayson, MN
Sauna at Silvae Spiritus wellness retreat in Finlayson, MN  |  Image courtesy of Silvae Spiritus

 

And Beyond

Silvae Spiritus

Enjoying a sauna in any setting helps to nurture both the body and mind, but nowhere more so than Silvae Spiritus. Tucked away on 30 wooded acres, this idyllic nature retreat is for those looking to disconnect to reconnect. Along with a wood-fired sauna and hot tub, as well as icy plunge tubs and a water-bucket shower, visitors can also partake in the healing practice of forest bathing and unplug with meditative sound immersion, all with an experienced guide to accompany you throughout your journey of revitalization.

Cost: $39 per person for a 90-minute community sauna session, $69 per person for a 90-minute private sauna session

Location: 68441 Rhine Lake Rd, Finlayson, MN 55735

 

Sisu and Löyly

Two words have come to represent Finland’s sauna culture. Sisu, or “inner strength,” helps Finns to survive their harsh winters and keep their cool during trying times, and is said to be cultivated through regular sauna sessions. While löyly is the steam that wafts upward after dousing hot sauna stones with water. That is where Sisu and Löyly, a fitting name for a sauna in Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore,  draws its inspiration. Home to the first public floating sauna in the United States and another sauna on the shores of Lake Superior, Sisu and Löyly also host a wood-fired sauna at North Shore Winery in the nearby town of Lutsen.

Cost: $19.51 per person for an hour-long community sauna session, $86 per person for a 90-minute private sauna session

Location: 110 2nd Ave E, Grand Marais, MN 55604

 


Where do you like to sauna in Minnesota? Leave a comment below!

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