How a South Minneapolis Lot Became the Birthplace of a Sauna Movement

From The Yard to the Great Northern Sauna Village

In the summer of 2019, something quiet but remarkable began to take shape in a mostly forgotten corner of South Minneapolis. On a vacant lot previously occupied by a defunct power transformer station, a ragtag ensemble of mobile assets — a couple of food trucks, a curious solar-power contraption, and two mobile sauna pods — gave rise to a community experiment that would reshape the social and cultural landscape of the Twin Cities.

Nestled between the homes of Kingfield and Tangletown, an unlikely gathering place took shape—called The Sauna Village in winter and The Yard in the summer—created by saunapreneurs John Pederson and Rodney Buhrsmith in partnership with Glenn Auerbach of Sauna Times and Voyageur Mobile Saunas.

It was simple at first: a generator powered some speakers, a SnowTrekker sauna tent provided shelter, and an expedition tent held changing rooms and cubby boxes. As the long summer days waned into autumn and winter, The Yard began to feel like more than a project — it felt like a place. A tiny, radiant island of warmth and connection in the heart of the neighborhood.

Reservations in the winter of 2019–20 were typically sold out days in advance, the sauna pods humming and glowing night after night. The Yard was more than a sauna; it was a hub of atmosphere, laughter, community, and warmth — exactly what the team had hoped to cultivate.

A New “Hot Spot” in the Twin Cities

In November 2020, the Star Tribune took notice. The article, headlined “Sauna Village is the new hot spot, literally, in the Twin Cities”, captured how this spontaneous, neighborhood-centered phenomenon had become a draw for people across town. Locals lined up to step into those steam-filled cabins not just for heat, but for connection, curiosity, and community.

“People warmed up physically and socially… It was a place where strangers became friends just by stepping into the heat together.” — Star Tribune

The article highlighted the gentle alchemy happening in South Minneapolis: an urban space transformed into a village of warmth, laughter, ritual, and respite — where the defining feature wasn’t just saunas, but the people who showed up.

From Minneapolis to the Great Northern Sauna Village

The spirit of that early Sauna Village didn’t stay contained in South Minneapolis for long. It inspired others to imagine what mobile sauna culture could be at scale — and nowhere was that more visible than at the Great Northern Festival.

Rooted in the ethos of gathering people around heat, hospitality, and shared experience, one of the earliest champions to recognize the significance of the original Sauna Village was Kate Nordstrum, then Director of the Great Northern Festival:

“It was obvious to me their work was culture shaping; an art form that responds to the needs of a specific place and time; and builds community on top of it all.”

Nordstrum’s belief in the cultural power of what John Pederson and Rodney Buhrsmith had begun in Minneapolis led her to invite the Thermaculture team to design and produce the Sauna Village as a centerpiece for the festival. What began as a neighborhood gathering had become an inspiration for a larger celebration of the city’s booming sauna movement, which was quickly spreading to cities throughout the country.

The First Year of the Great Northern Sauna Village

When the Star Tribune circled back to the story with coverage of the first Great Northern Sauna Village, it was clear that the idea had grown into something that captured imaginations beyond Minnesota. The festival’s sauna village became a destination — a place where the magic of The Yard was amplified, where culture and community came together under the steam and stars.

That cultural impact was strong enough that the Great Northern Sauna Village and the broader Minnesota sauna scene were featured on the front page of the New York Times in its February 17, 2024 coverage of the state’s sauna boom — bringing national attention to this grassroots movement.

Participants described it as more than a gathering: it was a ritual, a reason to slow down, share stories, and relish the simple pleasure of communal warmth. People of all ages and backgrounds stepped into those steam-filled cabins not just to sweat, but to connect — echoing the fundamental ethos seeded in South Minneapolis years earlier.

A Movement Rooted in Place and People

Today, when we look at the broader mobile sauna phenomenon across the Midwest and beyond, it’s impossible not to trace its roots back to that humble lot in South Minneapolis. What started as a creative use of space — two sauna pods, a yard, and a vision — became a cultural touchstone, a template for how mobile saunas can foster community and connection.

At its heart, the Sauna Village movement celebrates warmth in every sense of the word — physical heat, yes — but also human warmth, shared experiences, and the stories that grow whenever people come together around fire and ice.

© 2025 John Pederson / Thermaculture
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