Minnesota sauna culture goes social

A decade ago, happy hour at the local bar was the default setting to let loose after work and meet friends. Today, some people are instead opting to sweat — and shiver — while chatting about their jobs, love lives and weekend plans. That’s the idea behind All’s Well Sauna and Waterspa in Minneapolis’ Harrison neighborhood. The “social spa,” as its founders call it, brings together saunas, cold plunges, salt therapy and a plant-bathing room. Minnesota’s longstanding sauna culture has traditionally been viewed as an individual, meditative practice. Now, as young adults veer away from bar culture, the practice is evolving into a new form of social wellness that combines relaxation with a place to gather. Several similar businesses, including Bathhouse and Ember, have recently opened or are scheduled to open in the coming months. Advertisement The idea builds on growing interest in wellness across the U.S. Several factors have converged in recent years: the rise of the Make America Healthy Again movement, concerns about loneliness coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and interest in longevity and biohacking. For All’s Well co-founder Emileigh Barnes, the goal is to give people a place outside home and work where they can spend time together without feeling pressure to accomplish something. “We joke a lot about how Americans hate to rest, and we have tried to make it really hard to skip that part in our space,” Barnes said. Expanded image view Jesika Peterson, of Minneapolis, dips into the cold plunge between sauna sessions at All's Well Sauna and Waterspa in north Minneapolis on Thursday, Nov. 5. ( Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune ) American interest in wellness continues to rise Attention to personal wellness has steadily increased in recent years. Nearly 85% of Americans consider wellness a top priority, according to a survey by McKinsey & Co .