Healing Heroes: How Sauna Brings Veterans Together | Sauna Talk 91

Can a wood-fired sauna help veterans and first responders find connection, comfort, and a renewed sense of community?

Today on Sauna Talk, we welcome three military veterans with a shared passion for good heat and a mission to help those who have served.

Joining Glenn Auerbach on the sauna bench are Mike Lotzer and Josh Meisberger, co-founders of Healing Heroes Saunas, along with longtime 612 Sauna Society host and Air Force veteran Kirk Jensen.

Together, we're exploring how sauna and cold plunging can create a space for veterans, first responders, and their families to come together, share their experiences, and support one another.

The Story Behind Healing Heroes Saunas

Mike served eight years as an Army chaplain, including time in Iraq, where he helped soldiers and families navigate some of life's most difficult experiences. Today, he serves as lead pastor of Mercy Road Church in Burnsville, Minnesota.

Josh served 22 years in the military, including two combat tours in Iraq, before being medically retired. A construction business owner and passionate sauna enthusiast, Josh first discovered the profound personal meaning of sauna during a winter retreat in Ely, Minnesota.

That experience inspired him to convert his children's backyard playhouse into a wood-fired sauna. What began as a personal practice soon grew into something much bigger.

Together, Mike and Josh founded Healing Heroes Saunas, an initiative dedicated to making sauna and hot-cold experiences accessible to veterans, police officers, firefighters, first responders, and their families.

Finding Connection on the Sauna Bench

One of the most powerful parts of our conversation comes when Mike shares his experiences as a military casualty notification chaplain.

After years of supporting families through unimaginable loss, Mike describes how sitting in a sauna with trusted friends gave him space to express emotions he had spent much of his military career holding back.

We talk about how the sauna bench can become a place where barriers come down, conversations happen naturally, and people find comfort in simply being together.

Kirk Jensen brings another perspective from his 34 years of military service and his longtime involvement with 612 Sauna Society in Minneapolis.

For Kirk, the community surrounding sauna is every bit as important as the heat itself.

Building a Fleet of Mobile Saunas

Healing Heroes Saunas has an ambitious vision: build a fleet of mobile wood-fired saunas that can travel to military gatherings, veteran retreats, community events, and other places where people can benefit from the experience.

At the time of our conversation, Mike and Josh were working toward expanding their fleet, with a long-term goal of five to ten mobile units, along with opportunities to help veterans build permanent saunas at home.

We discuss the practical side of making this happen, from converting trailers into saunas to gathering volunteers, donated materials, and community support.

We also hear about their vision for Sweat to Remember, an event concept centered on bringing people together through sauna to remember those who have served and those they have lost.

More Than Heat and Cold

As our conversation unfolds, we explore the relationship between sauna, personal resilience, spirituality, family, and friendship.

There are stories of fathers connecting with their sons, veterans sharing difficult memories, and the simple pleasure of sitting around a wood-fired stove.

And throughout it all, one idea keeps coming back: sauna doesn't have to be complicated to be meaningful.

Sometimes all it takes is good heat, a little löyly, and someone willing to sit beside you.

This is a heartfelt conversation about service, sacrifice, friendship, and the healing possibilities of sauna.

Thank you to Mike, Josh, and Kirk for sharing their stories and for the work they're doing to bring more good heat into people's lives.

Learn more about sauna culture, sauna building, and the people moving it forward:

https://www.saunatimes.com

Until next time, I'll see you on the bench.

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