Wisconsin

Sauna culture is expanding in Wisconsin. Here are locations to try.

Published

3 months ago

February 2, 2026

Sauna culture is expanding in Wisconsin. Here are locations to try.

Saunas aren’t new to Wisconsin, especially the northern parts of the state where Finnish immigrants first brought the tradition generations ago.

Nowadays, Wisconsin saunas are no longer just enjoyed Up North, at the gym, and in spas.

Sauna fanatics and newbies around the state are spending time in community saunas at local parks, on Great Lakes shorelines and by rivers, in parking lots and neighbors’ backyards.

The growing number of public sauna businesses is proof Wisconsin has hopped on the bus that neighboring Minnesota, known as the nation’s unofficial sauna capital, has been driving for years.

Here’s a list in alphabetical order of where to find sauna businesses around the state.

Heat Haven Sauna Park – Wauwatosa

Located in Wauwatosa’s Hart Park, Heat Haven Sauna Park offers daily, 75-minute sessions in barrel saunas. Select sessions are accompanied by fitness classes taught by local instructors. The sauna park plans events throughout the season and private sauna sessions are also available.

Heat Haven is open daily Nov. 21, 2025 through April 12, 2026.

Where: 7300 W. Chestnut Street, Wauwatosa, WI

Cost: $31.77 gets visitors a 75-minute public session in barrel saunas. Prices vary for sauna events accompanied by fitness classes.

For more information: https://heathaven.co/

Heat Retreat – Eau Claire

Heat Retreat offers sauna rentals nearby Eau Claure as well as community sauna sessions in their wood-fired saunas.

Where: Currently offers community sauna sessions at River Prairie Park, Altoona, WI near 44 North and the Helix. Saunas available for rental.

Cost: An hour-long community session costs $23. Check the website for varying costs on private bookings and rentals.

For more information: www.homesteadsaunas.com/

Homestead Saunas – Sharon

Homestead Sauna runs wood-fired sauna sessions at its homebase “The Homestead” as well mobile sauna sessions elsewhere. Saunas are available for rent for public and private events. The business also advertises the Sauna Synergy Festival, a collaborative sauna gathering, planned for April 10 and 11 at Kettle Moraine Ranch, according to Instagram.

Where: The Homestead, 133 Martin St. Sharon, WI 53585

Cost: A general, 90-minute-long community session costs $22, according to the website. Costs vary for women’s and men’s sauna sessions, private sessions, and other events.

For more information: www.homesteadsaunas.com

Hot Island Sauna – Madeline Island

Hot Island Sauna rents saunas out to folks on Madeline Island any time of year. The business also offers custom sauna builds for both in-home and mobile units.

Where: Madeline Island

For more information: www.hotislandsauna.com

Hot Spell Sauna – McKinley Marina

From sunup to sundown all winter, employees of Hot Spell Sauna keep a pair of boxy wood-fired saunas warm at McKinley Marina as visitors trickle in to spend 75 minutes moving from time in the sauna to the chilly air, and the cold plunge in the marina if they’re bold.

Where: 1750 N. Lincoln Memorial Dr. Milwaukee, WI

Cost: A 75-minute session costs $39.92 including tax. Memberships and other services vary in price, check the website.

For more information: www.hotspellsauna.com/

Kiln (Chicago for the winter, Baileys Harbor for the summer)

Floating in Navy Pier Marina this winter, Kiln is owned and operated by Wisconsin-born Zoë Lake. The business is among the few floating saunas in the United States.

Where: Through the winter, Kiln is located at Navy Pier Marina in Chicago, IL at 797 E. Grand Ave. In the summer, Kiln is located at Gordon Lodge, 1420 Pine Dr., Baileys Harbor

Cost: Prices may vary, check on the business website. At the Chicago location, a 75-minute public session costs $90, and a 45-minute public session costs $50 for the winter 2025 to 2026 season.

For more information: www.kilnfloatingsauna.com

Kindled Community Sauna – Spring Green and Madison

Kindled Community Sauna is a mobile, wood-fired sauna and cold plunge experience in southwest of Madison, Wisconsin. The business offers community sauna sessions, private sessions, and sauna rentals around the area, often partnering with local businesses.

Where: Sessions occur around Southwestern Wisconsin.

Cost: Costs may vary, check the website for specific event costs. For example, a public session scheduled Feb. 20 through 22 at Working Draft Beer in Madison costs $30.

For more information: www.kindledcommunitysauna.com/

Nordic Night Community Sauna – Stevens Point

Nordic Night offers public and private community sauna sessions in Stevens Point.

Nicole Terrill and Abbey Laufenberg co-own the sauna business, which operates year-round and opened in June 2023.

“The purpose is deeper than it appears, it’s not a gym and it’s not a spa,” Terrill said. “The heat and the atmosphere provide for a grounding and attunement that people aren’t used to meeting each other at, they’re connecting at a different level.”

The business also offers special events and gender-specific sauna sessions. The “Iceberg Sessions” are facilitated for men, the “Queer Sauna” session is open to LGBTQ+ folks and allies, and the Sweaty Betty Sauna Sessions for women, trans women and non-binary or genderqueer people. All sessions are 18+.

Where: 1027 Union Street, Stevens Point, WI

Cost: One hour-long community sessions cost $23 Monday through Thursday, and $30 Friday through Sunday. Discount packages are available. Check online for the private session costs.

For more information: www.nordicnightsauna.com or call (715) 489 5361

Northern Lights Sauna – Wausau

Northern Lights Sauna is located outside at Newfound Power Gym in Wausau. The business announced it will close at the end of its season March 15, 2026, but there’s still time to try out a session until then.

“What began as a shared vision grew into a space rooted in wellness, restoration, and community,” according to the website. “We invite you to join us before we say goodbye.”

Where: 227307 Rib Mountain Drive, Wausau, WI 54401

Cost: For an hour-long public session, weekday rates cost $25 per person, weekends cost $30 per person. Check online for private session pricing.

For more information: www.northernlightswausau.com

Saunaday – Madison

Saunaday owners drew inspiration from the many cultures that have relied on bathhouses and saunas for thousands of years to bring Madison its own brick-and-mortar bathhouse. Among many offerings, Saunaday features cedar salt scrub showers, a Finnish sauna and a drop-in cold plunge pool.

Where: 315 S. Blount St. Madison, WI 53703

Cost: $55 for the 2-hour communal bathhouse experience. Check online for a cost break down per service, as prices vary.

For more information: www.sauna.day

Smokin’ Barrel – Madison

This mobile sauna business in Madison offers wood-fired saunas for rent. Public pop-up sauna sessions are also advertised online.

“We built this barrel to keep the Madison sauna community growing, whether it’s for backyard hangs, winter plunges, or milestone celebrations,” according to the website. Every booking includes delivery, setup, and a walkthrough of the service.

For more information: www.smokinbarrelsauna.com

The Hive Wellness & Social – Milwaukee area

The Hive Wellness & Social organizes guided communal sauna and cold plunge sessions around Milwaukee. The group joins contrast therapy, yoga, breathwork and personalized coaching to help people reach their full potential with the support of a group.

Where: Event locations vary, mostly around Milwaukee.

Cost: Costs vary, check the website

For more information: www.hivemke.com/

Tuli Sauna and Plunge – Paoli

Located on the banks of the Sugar River at Seven Acre Dairy Co., Tuli Sauna and Plunge is operational year-round. Riverside social sauna sessions are rooted in Nordic sauna traditions.

Where: 6858 Paoli Rd. Belleville, WI

Cost: A 1 hour and 20 minute-long social sauna session costs $39.00. Check online for membership packs and the costs of other offerings.

For more information: www.tulisaunaandplunge.com/

Are we missing a public sauna in Wisconsin that would be a good fit for this list? Email Bridget Fogarty at bfogarty@usatodayco.com.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin multi-county police chase, 2 people from Illinois arrested

Published

2 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin multi-county police chase, 2 people from Illinois arrested

article

Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office

FOND DU LAC COUNTY, Wis. – Two people from Illinois were arrested following a police chase that started in Fond du Lac County and ended in Winnebago County on Friday, May 8.

Initial traffic stop

What we know:

According to the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, just after 1 p.m. the sheriff’s office got an alert for a stolen vehicle out of Illinois heading northbound on I-41 from County Road Y.

It was learned that the vehicle was involved in two different police chases in the past week in Illinois, but had eluded officers each time.

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A short time later, a deputy spotted the vehicle on I-41 near Winnebago Street. The deputy continued to follow the suspect vehicle northbound, waiting for more deputies to get into position to attempt a high-risk traffic stop. Once those deputies were in position, a high-risk traffic stop was conducted. The vehicle initially pulled over and stopped, but right after deputies got out of their squad cars and started telling the people to get out of the vehicle, it instead fled northbound on I-41.

Chase into Winnebago County

What we know:

The chase went into Winnebago County, with the vehicle failing to pullover and instead speeding up. As the chase continued, the vehicle continued driving recklessly, passing by other vehicles on the interstate, including passing on the shoulder and weaving between vehicles, all at a high rate of speed.

The vehicle exited I-41 and ran three red lights. The chase continued southbound on State Highway 26, with the vehicle continuing to pass vehicles at a high rate of speed on the two-lane highway.

The vehicle then went off the road and drove through the yard of a home before circling around in the yard, traveling through the ditch, and reentering the highway going northbound. It then went into a field near County Road Z and Clay Road.

As a sergeant with the sheriff’s office was moving in to perform a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT Maneuver), the suspect vehicle went into reverse and rammed the front of the squad. The vehicle then attempted to leave the field by traveling through a ditch and back up onto the road, where another sheriff’s squad ended the chase by intentionally striking the vehicle and pushing it off the road and back into the ditch.

The vehicle rolled over in the ditch, came to rest upright, but was then disabled and could not move. Two people got out of the vehicle and were taken into custody. The vehicle started on fire and a fire department had to respond to extinguish the fire. Both people from the vehicle were evaluated by medical personnel on scene.

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Facing charges

What we know:

The driver of the vehicle was identified as a 23-year-old man from Des Plaines, Illinois. He was taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail on the following charges:

Fleeing/Eluding an Officer
1st-Degree Reckless Endangering Safety (2 Counts)
Resisting/Obstructing Officer
Delivering Illegal Articles by Inmate (Ecstasy Pills).

The driver’s criminal history in Illinois was flagged as armed and dangerous with previous weapons offenses, dangerous drug offenses, and criminal damage to property.

The passenger of the vehicle was identified as a 23-year-old woman from Franklin Park, Illinois. She was taken to the Fond du Lac County Jail on the following charges:

Fleeing/Eluding—Party to a Crime
1st Degree Reckless Endangering Safety—Party to a Crime
Possession of THC
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
Resisting and Obstructing an Officer

The Source: The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office sent FOX6 a press release.

Police ChasesFond du Lac CountyNews

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Wisconsin

Stepmom from hell accused of starving 35-pound teen daughter enters plea — could spend the rest of her life behind bars

Published

14 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Stepmom from hell accused of starving 35-pound teen daughter enters plea — could spend the rest of her life behind bars

The Wisconsin stepmother from hell accused of abusing her 35-pound 14-year-old daughter by depriving her of food and water has entered a no-contest plea in the twisted case.

Melissa Goodman, 52, now faces up to 46 years in prison if she’s handed the maximum sentence for charges of chronic neglect causing great bodily harm, chronic neglect causing emotional damage and false imprisonment.

She’s set to be sentenced on July 1.

Goodman, along with husband Walter Goodman, have been accused of starving her autistic stepdaughter. Outagamie County Jail

Goodman, along with husband Walter Goodman, has been accused of starving her autistic stepdaughter.

Goodman’s daughter Savanna Goodman and her girlfriend Kayla Stemler were also charged over the alleged abuse, People reported.

The family is accused of locking the teen in a bedroom without a mattress, restricting her to only her room for years and depriving her of food and water, according to Wisconsin prosecutors.

The mobile home they lived in became a house of horrors for the teenager, who was mistaken for a 6-year-old when she was found by cops in August 2025 and rushed to the hospital.

Walter Goodman, the victim’s father, called 911 to report that his daughter was lethargic and ill.

Responding officers found her weighing just 35 pounds; she was hospitalized with multi-organ dysfunction, including respiratory failure and pancreatitis.

Melissa Goodman — Walter Goodman, the victim’s father, called 911 to report that his daughter was lethargic and ill. WBAY TV-2 | Green Bay, WI/YouTube

From 2020 until August 2025, the victim, whose name is not disclosed because she is a minor, was allegedly isolated in a trailer on Hattie Lane, in Oneida, Wisconsin.

Extended family members were told she was away on vacation or with other relatives to explain her absence.

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Wisconsin

‘Song Sung Blue’ subject Claire Sardina playing Wisconsin State Fair

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

‘Song Sung Blue’ subject Claire Sardina playing Wisconsin State Fair

When “Song Sung Blue” – the biopic about Milwaukee Neil Diamond tribute act Lightning & Thunder – had a premiere at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee last December, star Hugh Jackman gave Claire Sardina (played in the film by Kate Hudson) an engraved bench honoring Lighting & Thunder to be installed at Wisconsin State Fair Park.

In August, Sardina will get to have a seat on that bench – and sing again on a State Fair stage.

Sardina will perform with tribute act So Good: The Neil Diamond Experience Aug. 9 at the Bank Five Nine Amphitheater, the largest stage at the fair featuring free concerts with admission.

For Sardina, it will be a return to a place central to Lighting & Thunder. The band performed in the Milwaukee area from 1989 until Mike Sardina, aka Lightning, passed away in 2006. The State Fair was one of their favorite places to play, and the couple got married there in 1994.

The couple’s wild story – from a performance at a Pearl Jam Summerfest concert to major health issues – was the subject of the documentary “Song Sung Blue” that inspired the biopic, and earned Hudson an Oscar nomination for portraying Claire Sardina.

Fair officials May 8 revealed the full headliner lineup for the stage, which includes: