Aaron Vainikka from Finnbilt joins the show to discuss his Finnish-American sauna heritage and share his thoughtful but unorthodox takes on the Finnish steam bath.

LINKShttps://www.theupperbench.com

https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/

https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

https://www.finnbilt.co

https://www.instagram.com/finnbilt/

CONTENTS

00:00 Intro

07:09 Aaron's Sauna Days visit

20:31 Aaron's first sauna build and his construction philosophy

21:31 Starting his company: Finnbilt

22:09 Unique sauna builds (shipping container, etc)

24:06 Building a shop sauna in less than a week

33:33 Two-by-four sauna build

40:56 The beauty and benefits of log saunas

53:37 "You don't need permission to build a sauna on a budget"

Episode 73 - Sam is building a new sauna, so we take a look!

James and Dan join us to share their stories of growing up Finnish-American in Maine, saunaing as kids, and building their own saunas.

The Sauna: A Gift from the Finns bookhttp://www.finnheritage.org/FHH/styled-5/FHH/book_ordertwo.html

CONTENT

00:00 Introductions

03:00 Finns in Maine

11:38 Sharing sauna with others... one person at a time

14:03 The sauna they grew up with

19:09 Water heaters, buckets, washing in the sauna

25:33 Dan's sauna build

29:30 Changing rooms

31:41 James' sauna build

35:45 What to do about HOT benches

38:37 Propane outdoor shower

39:38 Cold plunges and Sam's big fan

41:59 Drainage

44:46 The beauty of DIY saunas

47:04 Ventilation

51:31 Dan's trip to the U.P.

54:59 James and Dan's normal sauna proceedure

Sam and Glenn chat about sauna construction during Finlandia Foundation's Sauna Week 2026.

Finlandia's Sauna Week playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgbPg6jjsQ3R2NrV6j00TpqWyq1BVYzlX&si=IRzTXHpZ60A-9OyJ

Lassi answers audience questions and discusses with Risto and Minea during Finlandia Foundation's Sauna Week 2026.

Full talk: https://youtu.be/LwFL7pdK-T0

https://saunologia.fi

CONTENT00:00 Ventilation

04:59 How does sauna process affect our design?

11:37 Are rocks essential for sauna?

14:35 Breaking the Law of Löyly

16:28 How to light a sauna?

Charts and graphs!Risto, Eero, and Sam are joined by Walker, Minea, and Ruut for Finlandia's Sauna Week 2026. We discuss Sauna Culture, Infrared, McSauna, and Ugly Saunas. And, of course, there are tons of graphs!Check out other Sauna Week talks on Finlandia's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgbPg6jjsQ3R2NrV6j00TpqWyq1BVYzlX

Sam, Eero, and Risto catch up after National Sauna Week and swap notes on public saunas, especially the big question of whether you can throw water on the rocks and how good the rest/cool-down setup is. Sam tells a cautionary story about fainting at a Russian banya in Dallas and breaking his jaw, stressing hydration, food, electrolytes, and listening to your body instead of a timer. They finish by discussing pricing and time limits at new bathhouses and answering build questions (wood choice, stoves, ventilation, pass-through heaters) while teasing future episodes.

PODCAST LINKS

https://www.theupperbench.com

https://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/

https://www.facebook.com/theupperbench

CONTENTS00:00 Intro & National Sauna Week recap

02:01 Risto's Wisconsin mobile sauna story (bucket control / “no splashing”)

06:51 “Sauna Village” / Brooklyn notes

09:18 Sam’s fainting & broken jaw

18:39 Risk management + rest between rounds (business vs real sauna needs)

23:22 Pricing discussion: day passes, memberships, and time limits

33:15 Brian Johnson “Longevity hacking” critique (timers/stopwatches vs listening to body)

42:56 Q&A + gear/build talk (woods, stoves, pass-through, DIY)

Selection from Eero's final speech as Finlandia Foundation National's lecturer of the year. Given January 20th at Scandinavia House in NYC. See their website and youtube channel for the full presentation. https://www.scandinaviahouse.org/

https://finlandiafoundation.org