The New Party Sauna: Community, Cold Plunges & Sauna Days | Josh Leddy & Leif Kjorness | Sauna Talk 131

In this of Sauna Talk, Glenn Auerbach is joined bench-side by Josh Leddy of Get Sweaty with Leddy and sauna builder Leif Kjorness of Excelsior Saunas for a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation recorded after multiple sauna and cold plunge rounds on Lake Ann in Minnesota.

What unfolds is more than a discussion about sauna. It's a conversation about craftsmanship, friendship, healing, community, and the ways sauna culture continues to evolve while still holding onto its roots.

Josh shares how his lifelong connection to sauna eventually inspired him to launch Get Sweaty with Leddy, a YouTube channel and podcast focused on natural healing, pain management, and meaningful conversations that happen best on the sauna bench. He talks about his upcoming mobile sauna project, his vision for creating immersive wellness gatherings through movement and music, and why sauna creates a unique environment where people can truly connect without barriers.

Leif reflects on his journey from custom home building into the sauna world, and how building saunas became more than construction work — it became a calling. He discusses craftsmanship, quality building principles, the importance of slowing life down, and the fulfillment that comes from creating spaces where people gather, reflect, and reconnect with themselves and each other. The conversation also dives into the details behind the "party sauna" concept, including large panoramic windows, skylights, thoughtful ventilation, and building mobile saunas designed to foster memorable shared experiences.

Throughout the episode, Glenn shares stories from the early days of SaunaTimes, the origins of Sauna Days on the North Shore of Lake Superior, and his own formative sauna experiences hitchhiking through Finland and Sweden as a young traveler. Together, the three discuss the rise of mobile sauna culture in Minnesota, the power of hot-cold contrast therapy, the difference between manufactured cold plunges and natural bodies of water, and the emotional reset that happens when people gather around heat, steam, cold water, and conversation.

There are moments of humor, reflection, and philosophy woven throughout — from stories about cutting fresh ice holes by hand to discussions about social media fatigue, authentic community building, and the importance of finding your own operating system for life. Glenn closes by sharing the personal framework that grounds him today: Freedom, Enoughness, Nature, and Simplicity.

This episode captures what sauna culture is really about at its best: generosity, vulnerability, camaraderie, and the simple but profound experience of being fully present together.

Topics discussed include:

• Mobile sauna culture
• Sauna building and craftsmanship
• Sauna Days and grassroots sauna community
• Cold plunging and winter swimming
• Natural healing and pain management
• Lake Superior sauna culture
• Music, movement, and sauna gatherings
• The mental and physical benefits of contrast therapy
• Friendship, reflection, and slowing down
• The future of sauna culture in America

Guests:

• Josh Leddy — Get Sweaty with Leddy
• Leaf Kjorness — Excelsior Saunas