Heat, Craft, and Community — Expanded for 2026
Each winter, as the city settles into its coldest months, something remarkable happens along the river in downtown Minneapolis.
Steam rises. Strangers gather. Time slows.
The Great Northern Sauna Village returns January 28 – February 1, 2026, inviting you into a shared ritual of warmth, design, and connection—an expansive public wellness experience brought to life by Superior Saunas + Sauna Villages in collaboration with a growing community of builders, practitioners, and cultural partners.
This year’s Sauna Village is our most ambitious yet.
A Living Showcase of Modern Sauna Culture
At its heart, the Sauna Village is a living showcase — of design, craftsmanship, and community.
Across 20+ mobile, modular, and architectural saunas, guests are invited to experience the full spectrum of modern heat culture. From traditional wood-fired builds to bespoke designs seen nowhere else, the Village brings together diverse approaches to sauna under one open, welcoming roof.
Guests can:
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Move freely through Open Steam sessions
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Join immersive guided experiences
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Or simply settle into a quiet rhythm of heat, rest, and conversation
There’s no single way to experience the Village. You choose your own pace.
When & Where
📍 Where: Riverplace Courtyard
1 SE Main St., Minneapolis, MN
🗓 When: January 28 – February 1, 2026
Weekdays: 4–10 PM
Weekends: 10 AM–10 PM
Choose Your Experience
🔥 Open Steam Session — $30
Relax, move between saunas, and experience the Village at your own pace.
Perfect for first-timers and seasoned sauna-goers alike.
→ Book Your Open Steam Session
🌿 Sauna + Saturday All Access Pass — $80
Includes:
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Full festival access
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1 Open Steam ticket
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1 drink ticket
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VIP Lounge entry
💧 Festival Supporter Pass — $133
Includes:
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Full festival access
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2 sauna sessions
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2 drink tickets
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VIP Lounge access
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Tote bag
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Annual membership
Community-Centered Programming
One of the defining features of the Great Northern Sauna Village is its commitment to inclusion, accessibility, and cultural care. This year’s programming includes dedicated sessions designed to create welcoming spaces for many communities.
🔥 Senior Steam Hour — Jan 28, 4–5 PM
A slower-paced, welcoming sauna evening rooted in Finnish tradition, gentle heat, and shared conversation. Designed for guests ages 55+.
→ Book Senior Steam Hour
🔥 Family Day — Feb 1, 10 AM–1 PM
For the fourth consecutive year, we’re proud to offer Family-Friendly programming.
This relaxed Open Steam session invites families to connect with the restorative rhythm of Nordic sauna culture through age-appropriate programming, games, and kid-friendly activities.
Make it a full day: Stay after your sauna session for Northern Family Day—a free winter playground presented by Target, featuring activities across the festival grounds.
→ Book Family Day Sauna Session
🔥 Ladies Night — Jan 28, 8–9 PM
A restorative, sensory-rich gathering featuring:
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Floral steam
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Sound and spoken word
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Herbal immersion
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@drinksaunawater flights & tea samplers
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Guided meditation, poetry, and “Soft Wild” Aufguss
🔥 Gentlemen’s Night — Jan 29, 9–10 PM
A focused hour of heat, camaraderie, and learning. Includes venik treatments, guided breathwork, Aufguss performance, electrolyte samplers, and a discussion on the physiology and physics of heat exposure.
🔥 BIPOC Community Steam — Jan 30, 8–10 PM
Back for the fourth year, this session is reserved for People of Color to gather in warmth, rest, shared culture, and ritual—featuring guided experiences and a live DJ set.
🔥 LGBTQ+ Community Steam — Jan 29, 7–8 PM
An affirming, inclusive sauna experience centered on joy, belonging, and collective care—for LGBTQ+ community members and allies.
Guided & One-on-One Experiences
In addition to open sessions, the Village hosts reserved guided experiences—from private rituals to group Aufguss ceremonies—led by experienced practitioners.
Highlights include:
Each experience offers a deeper, slower, more intentional way to engage with sauna tradition.
Meet the Saunapreneurs
This year’s Village features an incredible lineup of independent builders and mobile sauna operators, including:
Forest Floor Wellness • Tatanka Sauna (Nomad build) • Ox Builders • Overland Sauna • Sisu Nordic Sauna • Nordic Spruce Sauna Co • North Shore Sauna • Nightjar Sauna • New Moon Sauna • Howl & The Moon • Hot Island Sauna • Firefly Sauna • Bliss Mobile Wellness • BW Sauna Co • Altaer Sauna • 612 Sauna Society • Soluna Sauna
Each brings their own craft, story, and approach to heat.
Sauna Brand Partners
We’re grateful for the brands helping bring this Village to life, including:
Thermory • Sauna Water • Saunamekko • Saint Lucie • Iki • Harvia • HUUM • Rento • Aromen • AITO Sauna • Coccinella
Calling Practitioners & Guides
Are you a sauna guide, facilitator, or practitioner interested in offering a session—now or in future Villages?
We’d love to hear from you.
📧 events@superiorsaunas.com
You can also join our Sauna Guide Intensive Training, designed for those looking to guide responsibly in public sauna environments.
From Concept to Construction
From initial design to final steam, Superior Sauna & Steam proudly brings the Great Northern Sauna Village to life—building, producing, and stewarding one of the largest public sauna experiences in North America.
Featured in The New York Times and now expanded for 2026, the Sauna Village continues to grow as a national model for accessible, design-forward public wellness.
Experience the warmth. Join the movement.
