The Smaller Sauna: Why I Finally Said Yes Last week, we delivered a sauna that I'd been resisting for two years. Let me back up. Since starting Nightjar in March of 2023, I had a consistent answer whenever someone asked for a smaller sauna: No. I didn't say it to...
From Death to Life: Getting the Deal Done at 1175 Burton SE I was in the hunt for a bigger space. Nightjar had been doubling in size, and our current shop was at capacity. I spent weeks looking at different available buildings across Grand Rapids—scrolling through listings, driving past properties,...
Final Touches - Your Sauna Is Almost Ready Let's set up delivery for next week! We're in the final stretch. Your sauna is now in finishing stages—the team is installing lighting, mounting benches, placing the heater, completing trim work, and attending to all the small details that separate "good enough"...
Sometimes I Say Yes Before I Know How Six months ago, Jason from Coya was putting together an event for the Grand Rapids YPO at the Ada Hotel. Coya does serious work in life coaching and optimization—professional sports teams, business leaders, people building better lives through wellness tools and sustainable...
From Cold Fingers to Cold Confidence: How Thermal Therapy Transformed My Wife's Raynaud's My wife used to complain about being cold nearly every day in the winter. "My fingers are freezing," she'd announce, even when we were inside with the heat cranked to 72 degrees. "My toes are completely numb."...
Why We Build with Michigan White Cedar When I started building saunas, I wanted to understand everything—the heat, the steam, the materials. That curiosity took me to Finland, where I sat in century-old saunas and learned from people who've been doing this their whole lives. But here's something interesting: they...
Kids and the Sauna: A Family Guide When I traveled to Finland, one of the most striking things I noticed was how naturally kids were part of sauna culture. Toddlers running around the dock, jumping in the lake, then padding back into the warmth with their parents. It wasn't precious...
Some people just hop in cold water. Clean, quick, no hesitation. Other people scream and run away. Are these people physically different? Is there something in their biology that makes cold water tolerable for one person and torture for another? No. The difference isn't in their bodies. It's entirely in...
People ask me random questions about cold plunging and sauna all the time. It's similar to what happens with my wife—she's a nurse, and the moment someone finds out, they've got a question for her. I've literally watched strangers ask her to look at a rash at a barbecue. With...
There's been a lot of inconsistent messaging around infrared saunas lately, and some companies are being downright misleading. They're taking the health benefits documented in traditional sauna studies and implying you'll get the same results from infrared. That's just not how physiology works, and it's worth clearing up. What Your...
After years of building saunas and countless hours learning from Finnish masters, I've discovered that the heart of any great sauna isn't just the stove—it's how that stove works with the rocks surrounding it. Why Rock Coverage Matters The heating elements in electric sauna stoves reach scorching temperatures around 1500°F,...
Two Years In: A Customer's Daily Sauna Journey Ryan was one of the first customers, and nearly two years later, he's still firing up his Nightjar sauna nearly every day. I caught up with him to hear how this wellness routine has become an essential part of his life. The...
Whenever I tell people that I'm opening a Nordic-style sauna and cold plunge spa, one of the first questions I get is: "Are people going to be naked?" The question always comes with a mix of curiosity, concern, and sometimes nervous laughter. It's a perfect window into how deeply our...
The difference between a good sauna experience and an extraordinary one often comes down to what happens long before the first puff of steam rises from the stones. After years of building, installing, and using saunas—from my first gym experiences to traveling to Finland to understand authentic sauna culture—I've learned...
The Finland Revelation Tampere, Finland—the birthplace of the sauna and the sauna capital of the world. World-class saunas dot the entire city, each one a masterclass in what this ancient practice should really feel like. I was invited by Marti to his sauna down by the lake. Around 8 PM,...
How a nation built on thermal wellness rediscovered its roots The Golden Age We Forgot Long before people got back into health after COVID, America was a thermal therapy nation. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, thousands flocked to places like Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Saratoga Springs, New York....
