If you’re driving around the Cape and happen to see a 12-foot-long barrel, with wheels, being pulled behind the truck in front of you, yes, that is a mobile sauna. And it’s probably Karl Maki’s.
Maki, from West Barnstable — also known as Finn Town — is the founder of Sweat, a mobile sauna business that he launched in November. While it may be the only mobile sauna on the Cape, it certainly isn’t the first sauna. A big part of the Finnish culture, saunas used to be found all over Cape Cod. Maki’s great grandparents moved from Finland, and so the tradition for him started at a young age.
“They had a whole outbuilding that was a big sauna and it fit like 12 people. And that was what they did after dinner before bed. Everyone hopped in there,” said Maki.
But the mobile sauna owner saw an opportunity to share this tradition again with the community. Since it’s built on wheels, Maki has been renting it out for private events and parties, at $485 for 24 hours. It even has its own “residency” at Altivitas Holistic Wellness Center in West Barnstable.
85-year-old rented Cape Cod’s mobile sauna for her birthday party
“There was one woman, it was her 85th birthday and she was Finnish. It was part of her nightly routine as a youth,” said Maki, “So she was so excited to hear about this business and wanted it for her 85th birthday party.”
So far, a large majority of his clients have been of Finnish descent, but Maki said he hopes it will catch on with the non-Finnish residents on the Cape too.
‘Put down their phones’
There are many benefits to using a sauna, according to Maki, such as circulation and boosting immunity. But of course, there’s the social aspect too.
“It forces people to put down their phones and be present in that environment, you’re just in there, connecting with each other. You’re sharing this unique experience and it just opens up people to be more social together,” he said.
Plus, it’s very low maintenance.
“You put a log in there and just walk away,” said Maki, and the cleanup is just as easy. Just close the door and airways, and let temperatures reach 250 degrees. “The cedar itself is antimicrobial, antibacterial properties in it,” said Maki, “It’s self-cleaning almost.”
At Altivitas, the sauna is available Monday to Thursday for $15 at 30 minute increments. If you want to truly partake in the tradition, you’ll also do a cold plunge: 15 minutes in the sauna, and three minutes submerged in cold water, repeated twice.
“The Nordic cycle, it’s all about your central nervous system, your blood flow,” Mandy Morell, studio manager at Altivitas, said.
On New Year’s Day, Maki donated his mobile sauna to a polar plunge hosted by Friends of Barnstable Harbor, and he’s planning to bring it to another polar plunge in February hosted by the National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay.
“It’s unique. It draws a crowd, so it’s just kind of fun for fundraising events,” said Maki. “You can’t have a bad day when you have a sauna.”
Desiree Nikfardjam is a reporter covering breaking and trending news. She graduated from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. You can reach her at DNikfardjam@gannett.com.
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