Walker’s Point will soon get a taste of Finnish culture when Jaime Meyer opens a pop-up, urban sauna at Zócalo Food Park, 636 S. 6th St.

Hot Spell Sauna, a Nordic-inspired cedar barrel sauna, will open to the public on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Reservations for a 1-6-person session are now available here. It’s cheaper to do with friends, as a one-person session the cost is $75, but for a group of 6 it’s $125 ($21 per person).

Guests will move between the sauna to a heated greenhouse or outdoor seating.

“You will spend about 10 minutes in the sauna, then 5-10 minutes outside cooling off. Then you repeat this about three or four times,” says Meyer. “Zócalo is already promoting a great outdoor experience with the heated greenhouses, so we feel this will perfectly complement what they are already doing.”

Bathing suits or T-shirts and shorts are required in the sauna. Some guests also bring robes for sitting outside between sauna sessions. Robes will be available to rent for $5 and towels for $2. All guests receive water and a small towel to sit on.

Alcohol is not allowed before going into or while in the sauna. People can order non-alcoholic drinks from the Zócalo CashDrop app and have them delivered to the greenhouse.

“After your last time in the sauna, you can feel free to order alcoholic beverages while you are doing your final cool off. There’s never been a better time for a cold beer,” says Meyer. "Then you can go visit the food trucks and chill out at the bar. You will have an appetite."

Meyer fell in love with the sauna experience in 2017 while visiting the Ribersborgs cold bathhouse in Malmö, Sweden. In early 2020, she traveled to Finland and Estonia to continue her exploration of sauna culture.

"This trip convinced me that sauna culture is something that Milwaukeeans would embrace, especially in the winter," says Meyer.

The sauna experience is intended to promote both relaxation and human interaction at the same time.

“If you ask a Finn why their country has such a strong sauna culture, it’s more about the social aspect. This is definitely a wellness experience, but more so it’s about spending time with friends and getting outside, especially in the winter,” says Meyer.