There is a moment in a well-held sauna experience where nothing needs to be explained.
The heat, the rhythm, the pacing—it all feels understood without instruction. That kind of coherence is not accidental. It reflects a cultural foundation that has been shaped, refined, and carried forward over generations.
My work exists in a very different context in the United States—but it began from a deeply personal place…
Before founding Longevity Law LLC, I was working as a criminal defense attorney in the U.S. More specifically, I was a Public Defender. It was meaningful work, but also intense, all-consuming, and, at times, traumatizing. During that period, I found sauna.
What began as simple “treat yourself” moments quickly became something far more significant. A practice. It created a consistent point of return—a place where my nervous system could settle, where clarity could re-emerge, and where I could experience a sense of contentment and happiness that had been difficult to access elsewhere.
In many ways, sauna gave me the stability and perspective I needed to step back and re-evaluate the direction of my life and my work. It provided enough space—and enough steadiness—for me to find a way out of a professional path that was no longer sustainable.
I do not take that lightly. That experience is a large part of why I approach this work with such
care. Sauna, as I encountered it, was not a trend or a performance. It was a practice with depth—one that, in other parts of the world, is held with a level of cultural understanding and respect that does not yet fully exist in the United States.
Longevity Law LLC was founded at that intersection: between a practice that has long been understood elsewhere, and a U.S. market that is only beginning to discover it. In the United States, sauna is not yet a fully integrated cultural practice. It is something being rediscovered, reinterpreted, and in many cases, rapidly commercialized. That creates both opportunity and risk.
My work is not to define sauna, but to help ensure that, as it grows in the U.S., it is not reduced to a trend—but treated as a practice worthy of both reverence and trust.
The Current Situation in the United States
Over the past several years, interest in sauna and contrast therapy has expanded significantly across the U.S. New bathhouses, mobile sauna experiences, guided rituals, and hybrid wellness concepts are appearing in cities and rural areas alike.
Much of this growth is inspired—directly or indirectly—by established traditions abroad including, most notably, Finland.
At the same time, the underlying structure surrounding these experiences is still developing.
Operators are often building environments that feel compelling and meaningful, but without consistently defined standards around:
- how services are described,
- how guests are prepared,
- how sessions are structured,
- and how responsibility & roles are defined.
There is also increasing overlap with adjacent domains such as fitness, hospitality, and mental wellness, which introduces additional complexity in how these offerings are understood by customers, insurers, and regulators.
The result is a landscape that is creative and fast-moving—but not yet fully coherent.
Mission
My work is focused on helping bring that coherence into place.
At Longevity Law LLC, I advise sauna and contrast therapy businesses on the internal systems, public representations, and operational choices that shape their overall risk exposure.
The goal is not to standardize the experience itself, but to strengthen the conditions around it—so that these offerings can grow in a way that is both credible and sustainable.
Or, more simply put: to help ensure that meaningful experiences are supported by equally thoughtful structures.
Brand and Approach
The guiding principle behind my work is: Thermal bathing in the U.S. does not need to become sterile in order to be credible.
There is a tendency, particularly in emerging markets, to believe that safety and structure require overcorrection—rigid rules, excessive disclaimers, or the loss of atmosphere.
I do not see it that way.
Instead, I focus on aligning what is being offered with how it is delivered and understood:
- ensuring that language matches reality,
- that expectations are clear,
- and that operators are equipped to hold the experiences they are offering.
The aim is not to reduce the experience, but to make it more trustworthy.
The Role of Finnish Sauna
Finnish sauna culture is not something I approach as a template to replicate. It is something I approach as a reference point for coherence within the U.S. thermal bathing culture.
What stands out about the Finnish experience is not just the physical environment, but the shared understanding around it:
- how to enter,
- how to behave,
- how to pace the experience,
- and what the space represents.
In the United States, that shared understanding does not yet exist.
As a result, businesses are often required to do something different: they must actively communicate and structure what, in Finland, is already culturally understood.
My work helps operators think through how to do that responsibly—how to introduce sauna in a way that is clear, respectful, and grounded, rather than superficial or micro-managed.
Types of Projects and Clients
I work with:
- sauna and bathhouse operators,
- contrast therapy facilitators, and
- Thermal bathing retreat and event organizers.
The projects vary, but they often involve businesses that are combining multiple elements—sauna, cold exposure, guided programming, and social experience—into a single offering.
These models can be powerful, but they also require careful consideration of:
- roles and responsibilities,
- guest preparation,
- communication,
- and operational consistency.
My role is to evaluate how those pieces fit together—and where they may not.
Most Interesting Work
Some of the most interesting work I’ve encountered involves environments that are intentionally immersive—where the goal is not just physical exposure, but an emotional, spiritual, or psychological experience as well.
In these cases, the questions become more nuanced:
- What is being promised?
- How is the participant prepared?
- What happens if the experience does not go as expected?
- Who is responsible for holding that outcome?
Another area of growing complexity is mobile and pop-up sauna operations, which must adapt to different jurisdictions, physical environments, and levels of oversight.
In each scenario, the work is less about limiting the experience and more about ensuring that it is supported in a way that is coherent and defensible.
Looking Ahead: The Next Five Years
Sauna in the United States is entering a more serious phase. There is increasing attention from insurers, regulators, and industry organizations. At the same time, there is growing interest in developing more formal standards. From my perspective, this is a natural progression.
Established sauna cultures have long benefited from shared expectations and embedded knowledge. As the practice expands in the U.S., new forms of structure will emerge—whether intentionally designed or imposed externally.
My focus is on contributing to that process in a way that:
- supports operators,
- protects participants,
- and preserves the integrity of the experience.
Future Direction and the Finnish Influence
If there is one principle I return to often, it is this:
Growth does not require imitation—but it does require understanding. As sauna continues to expand in the United States, there is a responsibility to engage with its origins thoughtfully.
That means:
- recognizing what is cultural rather than purely functional,
- avoiding oversimplification,
- and resisting the urge to repackage something complex into something easily marketable yet incomplete.
At the same time, it also means acknowledging that the U.S. context is different—and that new structures will need to be developed to support how sauna is practiced there.
My role is to help shape those structures so that they do not undermine what makes the experience meaningful in the first place.
Closing Thought
The strength of sauna, in any context, comes from more than heat.
It comes from the conditions that allow people to enter, trust the experience and receive happiness. In Finland, those conditions are cultural. In the United States, they are still being built.
The article was written in collaboration with our member company Longevity Law LCC.
