FAQs

Driftwood Sauna Club delivers a euphoric hot-cold ritual through its Social Sauna, Milwaukee River Plunge and Quiet Sauna creating dopamine highs unlike any other Nordic-inspired sauna.

You’ll rotate between heat, cold, and rest — the classic Nordic cycle. Expect:

1. Heat: Sweat it out in our Social or Quiet Sauna
2. Cold: Plunge into the harbor inside our open shark cage
3. Rest: Hang by the fire pit, hydrate, repeat

Your body will thank you. Your pores will thank you. Your stress will be confused and leave.

Right on Milwaukee’s Inner Harbor at The Cooperage:
📍 820 S Water St, Milwaukee, WI 53204
Just follow the steam clouds and people in sauna hats.

We offer two options:

• Social Sessions: Join up to 22 fellow sauna-goers. (A great way to make friends who also enjoy controlled suffering.)
• Private Sessions: Rent the entire setup for you and 25 of your closest friends. Or enemies. You’ll all bond in the heat either way.

Absolutely. Walk-ups are currently only accepted for people carrying snacks for staff. Just kidding — yes, you need a reservation.

Yes. This is Milwaukee. We share the lakefront, the Brewers, and now the sweat.

Please bring:

• Water bottle (no glass — we’re a sauna club, not a pirate ship)
• Towel
• Sandals
• A good attitude
• Optional: Sauna hat, if you want to come prepared — otherwise, we sell them. (Looking cool: guaranteed. Preventing heat loss: also guaranteed.)

We sell sauna towels if you forget yours. But let’s be honest — you were going to bring that giant beach towel from the 90s anyway.

Whatever you’re comfortable sweating in. Swimsuits are the norm.
Birthday suits are not allowed — this is Wisconsin, not Finland.

• Social Sauna:
  • Bigger
  • Louder
  • Conversation encouraged
  • Great for groups, laughs, and philosophical debates about cheese
• Quiet Sauna:
  • Smaller
  • Calmer
  • Silence is golden
  • For people who want to achieve peace, enlightenment, or just avoid talking to Chad from accounting

1. Hydration is key.
   You’re going to sweat. Bring water. Drink water. Be water.
2. Arrive 5–10 minutes early.
   Not “Milwaukee bar time.” Actual on-time time.
3. Choose your sauna style.
   Whether you want conversation or calm, we’ve got a space for your vibe.

Cold plunge optional but highly encouraged.
There’s nothing like dunking into 35-degree harbor water inside a shark cage to make you feel alive.

Yes — you plunge inside a custom open shark cage.
Milwaukee harbor sharks haven’t been seen since… ever.
You’re good.

Cleaner than your search history. And monitored regularly.

Hot enough to make your problems evaporate.
Generally between 170°–200°F, depending on the moment and the vibe.

Listen to your body.
Or listen to the person next to you who taps out first.
Usually 10–15 minutes per round.

Yes — if it’s above 32°F.
Below freezing, the shower becomes an ice sculpture, which is very pretty but not functional.

We provide cubbies and hooks.
If you need Fort Knox-style security, this might not be your hobby.

We will have sauna hats, sauna towels, and more.
Perfect souvenirs to tell people:
“I willingly paid money to sit inside a wooden oven.”

Nope.
Alcohol and 200°F do not mix well.
We’re here to sweat, not to play “Will They Pass Out?”

Only in the Social Sauna.
In the Quiet Sauna, the only acceptable sound is your soul decompressing.

Then welcome.
You’ll leave feeling like a new person — or at least a slightly steam-poached version of your old self.

Short answer: We don’t recommend it.
Long answer: Your glasses will try their best, but saunas are basically eyewear saunas too — and they don’t love the heat.

To prevent warped frames, sizzling lenses, and the sudden realization that you can no longer see the Hoan Bridge clearly, please remove all eyewear before entering.

We provide safe spots to store your glasses in your locker or cubby.
Your glasses will stay cool. You will not.

Yes — 18 and older only.
Saunas involve heat, cold plunges, and adults trying to find inner peace.

We love kids, but this isn’t Chuck E. Cheese.
It’s a wellness experience — and a very warm one.

If you’re feeling sick, dizzy, feverish, woozy, groggy, sniffly, or otherwise “not your best self,” please reschedule your session.
We’re big believers in communities of care, which means staying home, resting, and avoiding turning the sauna into a giant humidifier full of shared germs.

Your body (and everyone else’s) will thank you.

It is NOT recommended to sauna while pregnant. Please consult your physician before participating in hot–cold cycles.
We love a good wellness journey, but we’re not replacing medical advice — even if the Social Sauna does feel a little like group therapy.

Our lost and found system is simple:

• We hold items for two weeks.
• After that, anything unclaimed is donated to a charitable foundation. So if post-sauna bliss hit really hard and you accidentally left your towel, swimsuit, or emotional support water bottle behind, just reach out to our team. We’ll keep it safe until you come back to claim it — or until it embarks on its next adventure.

If you have any underlying health concerns, we strongly recommend you speak with your healthcare professional before joining us.

Hot + cold therapy is amazing, but if you:

• have a cardiac condition,
• have high or low blood pressure,
• have a history of fainting, or
• have anything else that raises a red flag,

then please get the green light from a doctor.

Driftwood Sauna Club cannot be held responsible for illness or injury due to client negligence.
We provide the heat, the harbor, and the vibes — you provide the self-awareness.