New business will bring the sauna life to your door
Jan. 13—ROCHESTER — Two Med City entrepreneurs want to bring the traditional sauna experience and health benefits directly to customers at their homes, cabins and events like the Polar Plunge.
Jim and Terri Pitcher, who also own Pitcher Pest Control in Rochester, launched
Sauna Life
in late 2022. Sauna Life rents out a custom-built sauna trailer for customers to use for a day, a weekend or longer any time of the year.
"We follow the traditional Finnish ways of sauna to relax, recover, and refresh the mind and body," said Jim Pitcher.
That means sitting in the heat of 140 to 190 degrees for a period of 15 minutes and then rapidly cooling down by going out in the winter air or using a cold plunge tank.
"It is mostly to bring the health benefits of the traditional Finnish sauna to the community. Studies have found it reduces heart disease, gets rid of toxins, clears your lungs, benefits the skins and a lot more," added Pitcher of why they decided to start the business. "There is a ton of research out there about the benefits of saunas, and we wanted to bring that to Rochester."
The trailer features a cedar-lined sauna heated by a wood-fired stove with a separate changing room. Sauna Life provides the firewood. It uses solar to power the lights, so the sauna is self-contained without needing external electrical power.
The Pitchers deliver the trailer to a customer's driveway, yard or campsite. They can also provide fire pits and chairs to set up outside the trailer for an additional cost as well as cold plunge tanks, depending on the season.
People will be able to experience the Sauna Life trailer at upcoming community events like Social ICE in downtown Rochester and the annual Rochester Polar Plunge fund raising event.
"Sauna is an important part of how we recover from the stresses of everyday life," said Jim Pitcher. "None of us are getting any younger. This is how we're bringing that rejuvenation to Rochester."
