Visit Rochester’s First Ever Outdoor Sauna Experience

A new business opened up in Rochester, Minnesota, this winter that I just recently discovered. It's an outdoor sauna experience, the first one in Rochester!

Saunas are extremely popular in Finland. They claim that they have great health benefits, and it's also very much a social event.

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Rochester, MN's First Sauna Experience

The owner of Sweet Drip Sauna in Rochester agrees. His name is Jake, and on the Sweet Drip website, he talks briefly about his medical journey and how it led him to saunas:

SweetDrip Sauna was born from a love for heat, community, and recovery. For founder Jake Kuhn, that passion began when he was diagnosed with a rare muscle disease - a challenge that sparked his drive to improve his health in every possible way.

Saunas quickly became a cornerstone of that journey, offering lasting health benefits and an undeniable boost in mood and energy. The science backs it up and Jake believes everyone deserves to feel those same benefits.

He loves saunas so much that he wanted to build a whole business to share it with others.

After he and his wife moved to Rochester, he built Sweet Drip Saunas, and they opened for the first time this winter.

Sweet Drip Sauna in Rochester, MN

You can find them next to Old Abe (there's a sauna out front, you can't miss it). You go inside to check in, get changed, and take a sip of a traditional beverage that people in Scandinavia like to drink during their sauna sessions. Don't worry, it's non-alcoholic.

Then you go out back, and you walk into an adorable sauna space.

There are two saunas: one is electric, and the other is wood-burning. They each fit 6 people at a time.

It's recommended that you sit in the sauna for 15 minutes (there's a timer you can use in the sauna) and then do either a cold plunge for 2 minutes, or you could just stand outside in the cold if the cold plunge isn't for you. And then you do it all over again!

A session is 1 hour long and costs $24 per person. You need to make reservations in advance, too. There's still a little time to check out Sweet Drip this winter. They have appointments open through mid-March, but their website says they're open through April, so more appointments may be added later.

Some friends and I went the other week and had the best time. We would highly recommend!

Check out some other cool local businesses in town 👇