Inside BATHHOUSE with Co-Founder Travis Talmadge: Aufguss and the Future of American Sauna Culture

Inside BATHHOUSE with Co-Founder Travis Talmadge: Aufguss and the Future of American Sauna Culture

We’re taking a quick break from our Celtic bathing series to head back to New York City for a conversation about the future of American sauna culture. This episode features Travis Talmadge, co-founder of BATHHOUSE [https://www.abathhouse.com/] and a decorated Aufguss master. We talk about building a category-defining wellness brand, the rise of communal bathing in the US, and how Aufguss is shaping modern sauna culture. We also dive into Travis’s personal approach to ritual, hospitality, and his vision for expanding Aufguss across America. This conversation comes just ahead of the 2026 US Aufguss National Competition [https://www.aufgussusa.com/] at BATHHOUSE in NYC. And this year, I’ll be returning not as a spectator, but as a competitor. If you’ve been curious about the evolution of sauna culture in America, this episode is for you. Photos courtesy of Adrian Gaut and Emily Andrews. This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge. Badii Talk is going LIVE! Introducing live virtual conversations on the business, culture, and ritual of the thermal bathing & sauna world. Join us on June 3rd at 6pm ET for a live webinar dedicated to building a content strategy for your business. Content is one of the most powerful tools for growing a modern wellness business. But it can also feel overwhelming and time consuming. In this session, we’ll break down how to approach content more strategically, so it actually supports your business without feeling like another cumbersome task on your do list. Learn more on our website, here [https://www.badii.life/shop/badii-talk-live-building-a-content-strategy-for-your-business].  Paid Badii Talk Substack subscribers receive a discount off all Badii Talk Live sessions. Check out this pos [https://badiitalk.substack.com/p/springtime-is-for-aufguss]t for the code.  💧Badii Talk has a Substack! Join us where wellness meets travel. We explore global bathing traditions, sauna rituals, and spa culture through the lens of place and community. 💙⁠ ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠ [https://badiitalk.substack.com/] today and support an independently produced and funded podcast. The sauna and bathing industry in the US and UK is growing fast. Where there’s growth, money and big companies will follow. If you want to see a bathing culture that isn’t just led by the folks with the most cash, support a platform that is run from a grassroots level. A platform that can authentically prioritize a respect for culture, science, and community.  Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. Explore more bathing culture: Website:⁠ www.badii.life⁠ [http://www.badii.life] Instagram:⁠ @badii.life [https://instagram.com/badii.life]

Introducing Badii Talk: Thermal Bathing & Sauna Culture Podcast

Hoi zäme and welcome to Badii Talk podcast. Born from a love of Swiss bathing culture, our name (B-A-D-I-I), is inspired by the Swiss German word for pools and public baths.  Have you ever found yourself…  * Sweating like crazy on the top bench of an Aufguss ritual * Letting out a squeal as you jump into a cold sea * Smelling the warmth of the oak leaves in a banya * Taking in the mountain view from a mineral rich hot spring * Or simply enjoying a soak in your own tub? Then you’ve experienced bathing culture. And I have good news for you—there’s so many more bathing experiences to explore.  I’m Sarah Spoto, your host, a certified Sauna Aufguss Master, former corporate burnout, and founder of Badii. And this podcast is about exploring global thermal bathing and sauna traditions from around the world. We believe that bathing is an especially unique lens through which we can experience culture and place.  This podcast is all about… * Soaking, Swimming, and Sweating * Immersing yourself in Nature * Finding Connection & Community through shared spaces and rituals * Prioritizing Quality Design * Seeking Wellbeing  * Generating respect and curiosity for Culture * And you can always count on a little bit of Magic too. New episodes drop every Sunday. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. And follow along on BadiiTalk.Substack.com [http://badiitalk.substack.com].  Shall we dive in?

Swimming the Seas of Orkney: Ritual & Belonging with Author Vik Bennett

We’re taking a journey across the ocean to Scotland and Ireland. Our Celtic bathing series will take us far north to Orkney over to Edinburgh’s sea side and across the Irish sea to Dublin City and beyond. I think you will be delighted to hear about the magic, the whimsy, the romance, and everything that makes this part of the world so special. Now let’s escape to the islands of Orkney, Scotland… I’m joined today by Victoria Bennett, author of Apothecary by the Sea [https://eandtbooks.com/books/the-apothecary-by-the-sea/], a deeply felt book that weaves together wild swimming, grief, healing, and an apothecary garden. Victoria Bennett is a disabled, award-winning writer, poet, and literary activist whose work centres on nature, identity, and creative resilience. Her debut memoir, All My Wild Mothers [http://victoriabennett.me/], won the Nautilus Award for Memoir, was shortlisted for multiple UK prizes, and was named an Aladin ‘Best Book of the 21st Century’. She is the founder of Wild Women Press [http://www.wildwomenpress.com/] and the international Wild Women Writers Salons [https://wildwomansalons.substack.com/], dedicating nearly three decades to initiatives that nurture creative community and amplify women’s voices locally and across the world. Victoria lives in Orkney with her husband, artist Adam Clarke, and their son, where she tends her apothecary garden by the sea.You can find Vik on X (@VikBeeWyld), Bluesky (@beewyld.bsky.social), and Instagram (@beewyld) [https://www.instagram.com/beewyld/]. You can also find her here on Substack @WildWomanLife. [https://wildwomanlife.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search] In this conversation, we talk about: * What it means to sea swim as a ritual of strength, awareness, and intention  * How tending plants can become a form of remembering * How both the sea and the soil can hold us through periods of change * The culture of wild swimming in Scotland * The mythology and folklore of Orkney—including the story of the selkie (my personal favorite) * Vik reads an excerpt from her newest book, Apothecary by the Sea [https://eandtbooks.com/books/the-apothecary-by-the-sea/] * She even shares a recipe to bring the sea home and into your personal bathing ritual with a glorious bladderwrack salt soak This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge. 💧Badii Talk has a Substack! Join us where wellness meets travel. We explore global bathing traditions, sauna rituals, and spa culture through the lens of place and community. 💙⁠ ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠ [https://badiitalk.substack.com/] today and support an independently produced and funded podcast. The sauna and bathing industry in the US and UK is growing fast. Where there’s growth, money and big companies will follow. If you want to see a bathing culture that isn’t just led by the folks with the most cash, support a platform that is run from a grassroots level. A platform that can authentically prioritize a respect for culture, science, and community.  Badii Talk is going LIVE! Introducing live virtual conversations on the business, culture, and ritual of the thermal bathing & sauna world. Designed for owners and operators, ritual practitioners, and bathing enthusiasts. Join us for our first live expert panel with Sierra Blake, MPS, LADC , a practicing mental health therapist and founder of Saint Lucie and MacKenzie Boling of Longevity Law. We’ll be discussing how to create signature experiences rooted in care, safety, and differentiation. These women are not only absolute experts in their fields, they are also friends of mine who bring so much passion, care, and intention to their work. It’s going to be a special conversation. Join us on May 13th at 7pm ET. We’ve kept the pricing approachable at $45, so we hope you’ll join us! Learn more and register here [https://www.badii.life/shop/badii-talk-live-designing-what-only-you-can-offer] on Badii’s website.. Paid Badii Talk Substack subscribers receive a discount off all Badii Talk Live sessions. See this post [https://substack.com/@badiitalk/p-193410318] for the code. Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. Explore more bathing culture: Website:⁠ www.badii.life⁠ [http://www.badii.life] Instagram:⁠ @badii.life [https://instagram.com/badii.life]

Heat Without Fire: A Brief & Dark History of Infrared Sauna

I went into this episode on infrared saunas with an open mind despite my bias toward traditional sauna and its deep cultural roots. Infrared may lack that culture (and the heat), but for many in the US and UK, it’s an accessible entry point into sauna. What I found surprised me: a dark past tied to pseudoscience, eugenics, and questionable marketing. Infrared saunas themselves aren’t inherently bad, but they do reflect some of the more problematic sides of modern American wellness culture. In this episode, I cover: * A brief history of infrared * The appeal and potential (the good stuff) * The science…and lack thereof * How in many ways infrared represents the dark side of American wellness culture: a toxic mix of individualism, commercialism, and pseudoscience * How to strike a balance where infrared can play a valuable role as a path to a traditional sauna practice I’m not a medical professional or scientist, but I’ve done my best to represent the science as shared to me by experts. And I’ve tried to share the information in a way that I hope is more digestible for us laypeople.  As such, thank you for giving me grace with any medical and scientific information I’ve summarized. I’ve leveraged a number of sources for today’s episode. Please see below so you can dive deeper on any topics that have piqued your interest.  Sources: Infrared saunas are not a coronavirus remedy, doctors warn, as sales boom [https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/covid-19-coronavirus-infrared-saunas-not-remedy-doctors-warn/12546908], 2020 Patent for John H. Kellogg’s Radiant Heat Bath [https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/002627123/publication/US558394A?q=pn%3DUS558394], 1896  Light Therapeutics: a practical manual of phototherapy for the student and the practitioner, with special reference to the incandescent electric-light bath [https://archive.org/details/39002011140895.med.yale.edu/page/16/mode/2up] by John Harvey Kellogg, 1910 Spa Town Culture and The European Spa Phenomenon [https://www.greatspatownsofeurope.eu/the-great-spa-towns/explaining-our-world-heritage-site/european-spa-phenomenon/] Public Baths Were Meant to Uplift the Poor, [https://daily.jstor.org/public-baths-were-meant-to-uplift-the-poor/]2017 What is an infrared sauna? Does it have health benefits? [https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/infrared-sauna/faq-20057954], Mayo Clinic Explore the Chicago World’s Fair [https://www.choosechicago.com/articles/itineraries/explore-the-devil-in-the-white-city/#:~:text=The%20Chicago%20World%27s%20Fair%20in,first%20voice%20recording%2C%20and%20more] John Harvey Kellogg [https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Harvey-Kellogg], Britannica Experts: Anonymous DMD-PhD Dr. Karsten Gröning, Director of the Deutsche Sauna Akademie in Germany Learn more about the Sauna Master Certification and training here [https://saunameister.com/] This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge. 💙⁠ ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠ [https://badiitalk.substack.com/] today and support an independently produced and funded podcast. The sauna and bathing industry in the US and UK is growing fast. Where there’s growth, money and big companies will follow. If you want to see a bathing culture that isn’t just led by the folks with the most cash, support a platform that is run from a grassroots level. A platform that can authentically prioritize a respect for culture, science, and community.  Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. Explore more bathing culture: Website:⁠ www.badii.life⁠ [http://www.badii.life] Instagram:⁠ @badii.life [https://instagram.com/badii.life]

Building Sauna Culture in Connecticut: The Hideout Sauna Club Story

We’re back in the States for the second episode in our USA series. Today’s episode features Ryan Linner, founder of Hideout, Connecticut’s first sauna village, providing outdoor contrast therapy in a laid-back, fun, and social environment. All to the rhythm of good music, good people, and a good vibe. We sit down with Ryan to explore his journey from marketing and tech to building a social wellness community. We dive into sauna culture in the US, the rise of contrast therapy, and what it takes to create meaningful, community-driven wellness spaces. If you’re a sauna enthusiast, aspiring sauna founder, or curious about the growing sauna movement, this episode is for you. We discuss… - Ryan’s journey to sauna and entrepreneurship - Building a sauna culture in Connecticut - Sauna as a means to create informal, neighborhood hangouts (third places) - Bringing sauna rituals (like Aufguss) to Connecticut - The rise of American sauna culture - Contrast therapy and tips for having a transformative cold plunge - Ryan’s advice for aspiring sauna-preneurs Follow Hideout on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/hideoutsaunaclub/]. Book your social sauna session at Hideout [https://hideoutsocial.club/]. 🔥 Catch me hosting an Aufguss ritual at Hideout on April 28th. [https://hideoutsocial.club/events] This episode was edited by Lila Woodbridge. Sources:  ⁠Sauna culture improves physical and mental wellbeing in the UK through social connection and ritual⁠ [https://www.britishsaunasociety.org.uk/news/the-first-research-into-the-power-of-collective-sauna-rituals-has-just-been-published], Published February 2026 ⁠Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events⁠ [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2130724], Published April 2015 Have you seen those funny wool hats in the sauna? Want to get in on the fun? And also protect your hair from the heat? Please please please skip Amazon. And instead I encourage you to check out Nordi [https://mynordi.com/?srsltid=AfmBOoqEiKaiPpngGyBjkV4f-7f-9OphBXmRZPecZTei9o124PX9qyop]. Nordi offers 100% wool sauna hats with no synthetic fibers or artificial dyes and they are handcrafted in the US. Badii Talk listeners can get free shipping with the code BADII.  At the time of this post, Nordi is sold out! You can join their waitlist to be notified when the hats are back in stock. If that’s not proof enough for Nordi, I don’t know what is. 💧Badii Talk has a Substack! Join us where wellness meets travel. We explore global bathing traditions, sauna rituals, and spa culture through the lens of place and community. 💙⁠ ⁠Subscribe⁠⁠ [https://badiitalk.substack.com/] today and support an independently produced and funded podcast. The sauna and bathing industry in the US and UK is growing fast. Where there’s growth, money and big companies will follow. If you want to see a bathing culture that isn’t just led by the folks with the most cash, support a platform that is run from a grassroots level. A platform that can authentically prioritize a respect for culture, science, and community.  Badii offers passionate and curious bathers and spa-goers access to news, education, and recommendations about global bathing culture. Explore more bathing culture: Website:⁠ www.badii.life⁠ [http://www.badii.life] Instagram:⁠ @badii.life [https://instagram.com/badii.life]