As a child, Kayla Sibilia had the important role of fire-tender in the sauna at her parents house.
Not yet allowed to join the winter bathing, she would chop the wood and keep the flame alive.
They were sharing stories that they normally would never share.
Photographed by Deborah Turbeville,Vogue,May 1975
Everybody was at their truest form, she says.
Last year, Sibilia opened Altr, a community sauna on the beach in Little Compton, RI.
Despite the recent uptick of bathhouses and saunas in the U.S., this is not a new phenomenon.
Kindled Community Sauna in Madison, Wisconsin.
Kindled Community Sauna in Madison, Wisconsin.
At a community sauna, theres a concerted effort to foster space for collaboration.
I think of it as a generative space, says Crimmins.
Big Towel Spa in Hudson, New York.
Its not just: come, and sauna, and leave.
Many people have met here, and projects have started because of it.
I haven’t heard of any romances yet, but I hope!
Drip Sauna in Asheville, North Carolina.
I feel like it gives people a reason to come, Crimmins notes of the events.
Big Towel Spa in Hudson, New York.
I think people are yearning for something, an alternative to the drinking culture, Routzong observes.
612 Sauna Cooperative in Minneapolis.
How am I going to go and connect with people or meet new friends in this city?
Many have found the answer to that very question through their community saunas.
Its been a really beautiful community thats formed out of this, like a huge gathering space.
she notes, Its been a hot spot for newcomers to come and make friends, and it works.
Drip Sauna in Asheville, North Carolina.
It works partly because these saunas are smallmuch smaller than the bathhouses you might see in a city.
The scale of it dictates the experience, Says Big Towels Crimmins.
I dont think a sauna filled with 20 people is as intimate.
It doesnt create the possibility for new connections because there are just too many bodies.
Surrounded by 20 people, you could slip into anonymity.
And thats the point.
People have made long-term friends with people theyve met inside the sauna.
Its about creating community and bringing people together.
612 Sauna Cooperative in Minneapolis.
Lou is one-half of the architect duo behind Good Hot, the sauna operation in Richmond, CA.
Im all ears for my clientele and what people would want to make them feel comfortable, Stratton says.
So too does the location often instruct the experience, with floating saunas proving especially popular.
Everyone should have access to this kind of special experience.
You have a very primitive response to firewe all do, says Crimmins.
Its almost like a drug.
Devoid of technology, of clothes, of clocks, and of expectations, strangersdobehave differently.
They start out a little shy.
