Copper Country Sauna Culture with Larry Anderson

On this episode of The Upper Bench, Eero and Risto welcome Finnish American sauna entrepreneur Larry Anderson to explore the deep-rooted sauna traditions of Michigan’s Copper Country. They discuss how homemade wood‑burning stoves packed with heavy rocks create a uniquely soft, steam‑driven heat and trace the evolution from childhood basement saunas to modern barrel and mobile builds. We also preview the upcoming Memorial Day sweat in Philadelphia with Bryon MacWilliams!Copper Country Saunahttps://coppercountrysauna.comLINKShttps://www.theupperbench.comhttps://www.instagram.com/upper.bench.podcast/https://www.facebook.com/theupperbenchPhilly Steam with Bryonhttps://www.facebook.com/events/691959186507593Theme Music: Conga Se Menne "Guess Who's Coming to Sauna"CONTENT00:00 Welcome and intro Larry03:16 What is copper country sauna?05:52 Larry's history with sauna10:04 Historic public and converted SAVUsaunas27:00 Old-school vs modern sauna practice31:02 Larry's SIX !! saunas36:15 Most interesting saunas Larry has been in40:23 Experience is the best teacher for students of traditional sauna41:51 favorite temperature in the sauna45:00 Risto's sales pitch for checking out the U.P. sauna scene46:46 Tips for building a sauna on a budget (don't rush and spread it out over a couple years)49:07 Digging to find the good saunas in North America (they are out there!)