PORTLAND — There was a new addition to East End Beach this weekend: a sauna trailer parked in the lot adjacent to the bath houses.
It was a sort of trial period for Village Sauna, which signed on with Portland’s parks division to set up shop on the beach Saturday and Sunday. The mobile operation is usually based out of Night Moves Bread in South Portland.
The business offered five hourlong sessions both days, which were sold out by both sauna regulars and those trying the 200 degree experience for the first time. Most customers during Sunday morning’s sessions took dips in the chilly ocean water after periods in the sauna.
“We’re excited that this could be a permanent fixture. It would be nice to have it all winter,” said Cassandra Penn-Vasilakis, of Portland.
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Penn-Vasilakis said she’s a regular at the sauna when it’s set up at Night Moves, and was excited by the added benefit of plunging into the cold salt water. At Night Moves, owners Kylie and John Hardies keep gallons of cold water for sauna-goers to dump on themselves after sweaty sessions.
Both city officials and the owners of the wood-fired sauna said they are responding to growing demand for waterfront saunas, so this pilot event could be the first of many.
The city lacks available space required to support a more permanent operation without proper planning, said Portland Parks Division Director Alex Marshall, so park staff have been directing people to run an event or a small series of events with a permit.
John and Kylie Hardies said they hope to come back to East End beach and are working with city officials to host more pop-ups. They’re also working with other towns and parks and could potentially bring their sauna to other southern Maine beaches.
The owners are currently collecting signatures on an online petition to help them get permission to operate out of East End Beach more regularly.
Though the sessions were sold out over the weekend, several passersby stopped to take pictures of the sauna and ask about booking.
“I would definitely jump in the ocean and come (sauna),” said Mary Boyle, of Westbrook, who was out for a stroll Sunday.
The Hardies said the sauna is designed to give off relatively little smoke and smell, so it should be unobtrusive to beach-goers.
It was Angela Pierces’ first time trying a sauna on Sunday. The South Portland resident said she’s always wanted to try Village Sauna at Night Moves but hasn’t gotten the chance, so she was excited when she heard the sauna was coming to the beach.
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She was feeling invigorated after her first hot-and-cold session.
“It’s not that much different than swimming in June here,” Pierce said, wrapping herself in a towel after plunging into the ocean and heading back inside for some more sauna time.
Pierce said she enjoyed looking at the ocean outside the sauna window, before running into the water herself. After her first experience, she’s definitely hooked.
“I’m all in now,” she said.
Meanwhile, friends Megan Roy and Stephanie Stockbridge said they try to make it to a sauna at least once a week. Some of their favorites are Cedar Grove Sauna at Popham Beach and ROVE in Scarborough.
Regular sauna use can bring positive results, including stress reduction, pain relief and improved heart health, according to GoodRx. Adding a cold-water plunge could also increase metabolism, regulate blood sugar, relieve muscles and flood your brain with dopamine if done safely, per St. David’s HealthCare.
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Health benefits aside, the pair said they love the camaraderie they build with strangers in the sauna environment.
“You always have the most random conversations,” Stockbridge said.
The Hardies said the sauna attracts all ages, and the movement is growing especially among women. Several women at the sauna Sunday said they’ve participated in cold water dips with the Two Maine Mermaids — the organization behind the widely-attended Women’s Wave — and love the solidarity built among women and others who enjoy the cold-water pastime.
“Mainers love jumping in the ocean,” Kylie Hardies said.