Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna Memory Tree Productions

During this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna, Alan and Elissa get to do more than just talk about sauna...

For this, our special season two finale, Alan takes Elissa to one of his favourite local sauna houses: KW Sauna in Kitchener for an afternoon of sweat bathing bliss.

KW Sauna describes itself as a place for visitors to "relax, rejuvenate and re-energize," and they deliver! Although unassuming from the outside, just wait until you walk through the doors! You'll find a beautiful, warm, and welcoming facility. Stepping out of the changing rooms is like stepping into a small village nestled in a faraway forest. Wooden doors, features and accent pieces bring a sense of the outdoors into the sauna house, delivering indescribable warmth and calm. In the communal area, just out of the splash range and near the cold barrel are numerous Adirondack chairs ready for bathers to rest & rehydrate post sauna.  Sweat bathers can alternate between the large steam room, dry sauna, Russian Banya and an infrared heat cabinet. The Banya and dry sauna are built with premium, knot-free cedar for even heat distribution. There are eucalyptus stems and stalks in the steam room, gently releasing their relaxing scent into the air. This sauna house is both decadent and down-to-earth at the same time.  It's no wonder why Alan loves this public sauna (and you will too)!
 
Join us as Alan and Elissa spend time exploring KW Sauna and find out if Elissa can take the literal plunge into the cold barrel. Our hope is that you learn more about what to expect when visiting public saunas like this one.
A big thank you to Victoria at KW Sauna for making special arrangements to host Alan and Elissa prior to regularly scheduled opening hours. To learn more about KW Sauna in Kitchener, please visit KWSauna.com, and follow them on Instagram @KW_Sauna.  Feel free to reach out at kwsauna@gmail.com.

Special Kivia Alert! We are taking a short break between seasons while Alan travels to Finland to attend the World Sauna Forum organized by Sauna from Finland.  You can bet he is going to be sauna-hopping and checking places off his sauna bucket list while there.  When he returns, he’ll be sharing all the experiences with us! Until then, please go back and listen to the episodes again, and take a moment to rate, review and share episodes with other heat-lovers, sweat-bathers, and those who may be curious to see what this sauna thing is all about.

As always, visit Kivia.ca for all of your sauna needs, and follow Alan's sauna adventures on Instagram @kiviasauna. Alan is always happy to answer any sauna related questions, so feel free to reach out directly at Alan@kivia.ca. 
 
Thank you for your ongoing support and please look for us this fall! In the meantime, happy sauna-ing!

During this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna, your hosts Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell are thrilled to take a virtual sauna with co-founders of Hamam: The Magazine of Letting Go, Editor-in-Chief Ekin Balcıoğlu and Steve Weiner.

Hamam: The Magazine of Letting Go, is dedicated to the "bathing obsessed," and is all about giving into the essence of what sweat bathing represents. Within its pages are stunning images, breathtaking artwork and beautifully written pieces including prose and poetry all of which offer a window into aligned practices, concepts and experiences sure to intrigue public bathing enthusiasts. At its core is the idea of 'letting go;' letting one's body relax, while the mind drifts away...

Each edition is its own work of art. Each one is a stand-alone publication, or you are welcome to collect them all sequentially.  The magazine exists only in physical, tangible form. It is meant to be held by the reader during their soak, sauna or steam. It is substantial in content, as it is meant to be enough.

A regular contributor is a photographer, artist, writer and the world's leading authority on sweat bathing cultures, Mikkel Aaland. If you missed Episode 22 of Kivia with Mikkel as our guest, please click here.

In this episode of the podcast, we'll learn more about the driving inspiration behind Hamam, and how a Russian banya in San Francisco brought Ekin & Steve together.

Please remember to rate and review our podcast and share widely! Visit Kivia.ca for all your sauna needs and reach out to Alan directly with any sauna-related questions at Alan@kivia.ca. You can also follow us on social media @kiviasauna on Instagram and Facebook.

To order your copies of Hamam: The Magazine of Letting Go, please visit HamamMag.com, and follow them on Instagram @hamammagazine.

#HamamMag
#LettingGo
#BathingObsessed

"Sauna satisfies the social, spiritual, and physical under one roof.  There aren't a lot of things that do that." - Mikkel Aaland

In this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna, your hosts Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell are taking a virtual sauna with a man who has traveled the world researching, experiencing, and learning about sweat bathing and bathing cultures.  He is known worldwide as a leading authority on the subject and is an advocate of public bathing practices. He is also an iconic photographer, artist, and author of numerous best-selling books, including & most notably for sauna and bathing enthusiasts, the 1978 classic: Sweat.

Your hosts are beyond excited to share a virtual sauna with the one and only, Mikkel Aaland.

Mikkel spent three years investigating and experiencing sweat bathing practices all around the world, which are documented in Sweat: The illustrated history and description of the Finnish Sauna, Russian Bania, Islamic Hammam, Japanese Mushi-bur, Mexican Temescal, and American Indian & Inuit Sweatlodge.  This work in particular has become iconic among sweat bathing enthusiasts, and it continues to inspire to this day!
 
Forty years later, Mikkel found himself retracing his global sweat bathing journey for an upcoming docu-series inspired by Sweat, entitled Perfect Sweat.  Please check out the trailer and watch for it!

Hear Mikkel's fascinating insights on sauna and sweat bathing, and what it means to him, learn why he believes that bathing culture can reveal a lot about a culture and its people.  Mikkel shares how the act of sweat bathing is enjoying a renaissance, and why that is so important.  Find out why Mikkel wants to see the idea of public bathing reframed and embraced.

Of course, Alan and Mikkel discuss the search for the perfect heat and what that means.

Try to keep up with Mikkel by following him on Instagram @Mikkel.Aaland and visit his website mikkelaaland.com to find out where you can get a digital copy of the iconic cook Sweat and his other publications, and keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming docu-series Perfect Sweat.

Follow us on Instagram @kiviaSauna and as always reach out to Alan with any and all of your sauna-related questions. You can DM him on Instagram, or you can reach out via email at Alan@kivia.ca.  Please check out the website Kivia.ca and take a moment to rate, review and share this podcast. 
 
#PerfectSweat
#MikkelAaland
#Sweat
#saunafulness
#SweatBathingIsLife

We are thrilled to take a virtual sauna with Lisa Jaster! A self-described Heat Seeker, and the founder of The Lost Faucet Sauna House located in Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada.

Join your hosts Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell as they learn more about Lisa's passion for sauna and how following this love of heat brought her to more than 80 spas and hot springs in 13 countries. Lisa's need for heat was the inspiration behind The Lost Faucet Sauna House. 

The Lost Faucet Sauna House is described as a contemporary bathhouse in an industrial area, offering a fusion of elements from Finnish and Eastern European public saunas.  There is also a complimentary Aufguss service where aroma-infused ice is placed on the rocks, while the Aufgussmeister expertly moves the heat and scents throughout the air. Plus, you can really treat yourself with facial masks, foot soaks, and body scrubs.  If you are looking for the perfect gift for the hard-to-shop-for sauna lover, the shop boasts various products and accessories including luxury flip flops.

The Lost Faucet Sauna House is high up on Alan's World Sauna Bucket List Tour, and we are certain hearing Lisa's passion for sauna will fuel your inner heat seeker to find the lost faucet...

Visit The Lost Faucet Sauna House website, and make sure you follow them on Instagram @thelostfaucet.

Remember to rate, review and share our podcast as we strive to grow a prosperous sauna community. Visit Kivia.ca for all of your sauna needs and feel free to reach out to Alan with sauna-related questions at Alan@kivia.ca. Follow us on social media @Kiviasauna. 

We are honoured to have the Sauna Superwoman joining us on this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna. 

Your hosts Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell take a virtual sauna with Carita Harju, the founder and Executive Director of Sauna from Finland. She is also the author of three books on the subject,  The Soul of Sauna, Sauna: The Way of Finnish Life, and most recently Saunafulness.

Join us as Carita shares some of her many efforts to promote the authentic Finish sauna experience around the globe. Learn more about the Finnish Sauna Experience Quality Handbook, and how saunas can become certified. Spoiler alert, an authentic sauna experience starts well before you step inside! As you'll hear, the best sauna experiences uphold the core values outlined in the guide to create a complete and perfect sauna... or what Carita has coined, "saunafulness."

Sauna from Finland is also behind the World Sauna Forum, an annual international networking event for companies and innovators to come together and talk sauna-shop.  Click here for more on why the World Sauna Forum calls itself "the most relaxing business event in the world," and to book your tickets.  If you're wondering, yes, Alan will be there.

Please take a moment to rate, review and share our podcast as we strive to create a robust sauna community. Please check out our website at Kivia.ca for all of your sauna needs, and reach out to Alan at Alan@kivia.ca with any questions. 

Follow Sauna from Finland on Instagram @saunafromfinland, or find them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Linkedin.  You can also follow Carita Harju on Instagram @saunafulness.

#saunafulness
#saunafromfinland
#kiviasauna 
#thespiritofsauna

Dave Inglis and Tim Muza began Secret Sauna as a way to bring the authentic sauna experience to people in southwestern Ontario.

Secret Sauna was available for rent and delivery and was a great way for many to have their first sauna experience in the safety and privacy of their own backyard. 

At times, the beautiful barrel sauna would be ordered by couples who wanted a relaxing retreat delivered to them for an evening. Other times it would be ordered by housemates or bubbles of close friends celebrating a special occasion. In a time when the pandemic closed public saunas, this safe alternative was especially popular.  It couldn't replace the community aspect of a public sauna, but it did bring the heat.

Of course, something this special doesn't remain secret for long. 

Join us for this episode of Kivia: The Spirit of Sauna as your hosts, Alan Jalasjaa and Elissa Lansdell talk Secret Sauna with Dave Inglis and Tim Muza. Hear about how a secret sauna could have such a profound impact on those who experienced it and find out what Dave and Tim have in store for the sauna-loving community.

Please take a moment to rate, review and share our podcast. Follow us on our social media platforms @kiviasauna, check out Kivia.ca and reach out for all your sauna needs at Alan@kivia.ca. Follow Secret Sauna @thesecretsauna.