Couple brings ‘sauna culture’ to 2 SLO County spots. Check out steamy experience
There’s a new way to relax in San Luis Obispo County — if you can handle the heat.
A cedar sauna on wheels is setting up shop at two locations in the county, inviting people to soak up the dry heat before resetting with a jolting cold plunge.
The mission of the new mobile business, California Sauna Club, is to bring sauna culture to the Central Coast, husband-and-wife co-owners Darren and Ari Leva told The Tribune.
“(Sauna) is something that’s been going on for hundreds of years and around the world, and we just don’t really have access to it here,” Darren Leva said.
With California Sauna Club, locals don’t have to visit a spa or join a gym to reap the benefits of sauna, according to the Levas.
“So much of sauna culture in America historically has been tied to fitness or weight loss, and we really want to be intentional that this is about connection and feeling good in your body,” Ari Leva said.
Their new mobile sauna splits its time between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, spending three days a week in each location.
Customers can book a seat in the sauna for an hour at a time, the Levas said.
Locals bring ancient Nordic tradition to the Central Coast
The origins of the sweaty sauna tradition date back 10,000 years ago when Nordic peoples would build pit saunas, according to the BBC.
Ancient communities piled hot stones heated over a campfire into the bottom of the pit. Then they would throw water on the stones to create steam, the BBC reported.
Ari Leva said her gateway into sauna started by soaking in California’s natural hot springs. She started to wonder how she could create her own spa experience.
Her husband, on the other hand, learned about sauna as a member of the Dolphin Club, a nearly 150-year-old open-water swimming and rowing club in San Francisco. After long, frigid swims in the ocean, he would warm up in a sauna and catch up with friends.
After the couple moved to San Luis Obispo a few years ago, they decided to build a sauna in their backyard. It soon became a community hub for their friends and family members, the Levas said.
“Parties, hangouts, good times, bad times — we meet in the sauna,” Ari Leva said. “It’s like a way to connect and share with our friends. So we wanted to give that to the whole community.”
The couple looked into brick-and-mortar saunas in SLO County, but quickly realized a mobile set-up was their most feasible option.
They bought a cedar-wood sauna on wheels that features a large half moon window on its back wall. It’s big enough to seat eight people.
Depending on where the sauna is parked, visitors either see views of the Pacific Ocean or acres of local farmland.
California Sauna Club opens in SLO County
In early March, California Sauna Club launched at Coleman Park in Morro Bay.
The following month in early April, the mobile sauna arrived at its other semi-permanent location, SLO Ranch Farms and Marketplace in San Luis Obispo, the Levas said.
The experience is similar at each site.
The temperature of the sauna is always set between 170 and 190 degrees — typical for a Finnish-style sauna. Only the views and the cold plunge experience differ, Ari Leva said.
At SLO Ranch Farms, the sauna space is cozied up against garden beds, greenhouses and “industrial ag,” she said. After exiting the sauna, visitors can sink into two 2-foot-deep tubs where the water is a chilly 50 degrees.
In Morro Bay, the sauna is parked in front of the bay so visitors can take a dip in the Pacific Ocean.
“You have this epic view of the bay, and you’re swimming in the water with otters, and you see (Morro) Rock,” Ari Leva said.
What is sauna and cold plunge experience like?
On a warm sunny morning in San Luis Obispo, Ari Leva stripped down to shorts and a sports bra and pulled on a pointy checkered cap over her head before entering the California Sauna Club’s mobile sauna.
Leva uses her “cute gnome” hat to keep her head cooler, helping her stay in the sauna longer, she explained as she stepped barefoot into the sweltering space.
Leva and her husband started by pouring water over the rocks, generating steam in the sauna, which heated to more than 170 degrees. Sweat started to accumulate on their faces as the minutes ticked by.
Sauna-goers typically exit the space after about 10 to 20 minutes, then dunk into the cold plunge for a few minutes, the Levas said.
It’s common for customers to move back and forth from sauna to cold plunge about three times over the course of an hour-long visit to the club.
Don’t expect to have the California Sauna Club space to yourself, unless you want to rent out all eight seats, Darren Leva said.
Since it’s a community sauna, people usually book a seat for one hour at a time.
For those concerned about sharing a sweaty space with strangers, the Levas argue the community aspect is one of the best parts of their operation.
In the past month or so, the Levas said they’ve watched several people enter the sauna as strangers and walk out chatting and exchanging phone numbers.
“it’s like this great equalizer,” Ari Leva said. “Everybody’s literally stripped down. There’s no hierarchy in the sauna.”
Visitors should bring a bathing suit or athletic attire to wear along with sandals, a towel and water, according to the sauna club’s website.
No phones are allowed in the sauna to ensure a relaxing experience for all, the Levas said.
The couple is around during open hours to provide any help or instruction throughout the sauna experience.
What are the health benefits of sauna?
According to health experts, the abrupt change in body temperature from hot sauna to icy water can have a positive effect on the body.
Research indicates that cold plunges reduce inflammation, enhance cognitive function and build resiliency, the Mayo Clinic Health System said.
Sauna not only offers people relaxation but can also lead to improved cardiovascular health and pain reduction, according to UCLA Health.
The face-to-face connections that people make in the sauna also improve their mental health, Darren Leva said.
“Every single person who saunas (here) and has the experience is elated after they’re done. We haven’t had anyone that has had a bad experience or that has not felt incredible after,” he said. “It feels a little unbelievable, but it’s really true.”
What are California Sauna Club open hours? Prices?
You can reserve an hour-long spot in the sauna on California Sauna Club’s website or over the phone by calling 805-457-2862.
A one-hour sauna session costs $30 for SLO County residents or $40 for out-of-towners, according to the club’s website.. Monthly memberships, which let you sauna up to an hour a day, cost $150.
You can rent out the entire sauna, which can fit up to eight people, for an hour for $200.
The mobile sauna can be found at Coleman Park, 101 Coleman Drive in Morro Bay, from 8 to 10 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday.
It’s open at SLO Ranch Farms and Marketplace, 865 Froom Ranch Way in San Luis Obispo, from 8 to 10 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday.
