Your neighborhood spot for authentic sauna.
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Book an upcoming sauna session
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"I can’t recommend Bad Sauna enough. New and seasoned sweaters alike will leave refreshed and wondering how long until the next session."
Kyle M.
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"I didn’t know it was possible to reach such a deep, lasting level of relaxation."
Sally S.
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"I’d recommend trying bad sauna if you’re seeking to relax, provoke and understand the edges of your body systems. I also had the best night of sleep in weeks."
Fabiola A.
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"To put it simply, it is unlike anything I have experienced before."
Anna D.
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"Bad Sauna may just make PGH the perfect place to live."
Franky S.
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"TL;DR If you commit, Bad Sauna will transform two things - your relationship to your own body and your relationship to other people. I would do it every week."
Liz R.
Our events
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Guided events consist of four rounds inside the sauna (~5-15 minutes per round), punctuated by breaks for cooling down. These events are inspired by traditional Lithuanian Pirtis rituals, and include varying levels of heat, humidity, scents, and sounds. Participants will be given the opportunity to experiment with vantas (or brooms made of birch, oak, and other leaves) to massage themselves or a friend. An ice bath is included for the cool down period. Guided sessions are great for groups as well as for beginners looking to learn the basics of sauna culture, safety, and etiquette. These sessions last approximately two hours.
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Open sessions provide the experienced sauna-goer with a hot sauna and a cold ice bath to enjoy their own self-directed practice. We recommend that newcomers to sauna first experience a Guided Session before considering an Open Session, so that they are up to date on safety and etiquette concerns inside the sauna and ice bath. Staff will be available on site for additional questions, as well as for attending to the sauna stove and area cleanliness.
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Our sauna is available for private groups. Both guided and open experiences are possible. Contact us for more details and private party booking.
About Bad Sauna
Sauna—the Finnish practice of steam bathing—has been around for thousands of years, providing a reliable source of both individual and collective wellbeing. In fact, you can find people getting together to sweat in most times and places, from the Turkish hammam to the Lakota sweat lodge, making steam bathing a truly universal human heritage. Bad Sauna (Swedish for “Bath Sauna”) aims to honor this tradition by reinvigorating sweat culture in modern city life. By so doing, we hope to lower our collective stress, create a relaxed space for civic life, and have fun. Come find out why old ways die hard.
Mariankadun sauna, Helsinki 1913
Photo: Signe Brander (1869-1942)