Have you ever wished you could strip off your clothes and pop in a sauna after an exhausting week at work or a long day on the slopes? Few things help to relieve stress, relax muscles, or ease the bone-deep chill of winter like the steam of a sauna. These hot houses are scientifically proven to improve blood circulation and immune system functioning. But building a sauna is a big investment, especially for something you don’t use every day, and so it’s not a luxury most people have in their backyard.
But what if they could have a sauna on-hand whenever they wanted it, without the upfront investment and ongoing maintenance? That question spawned the idea for Spa Fleet, a mobile sauna rental company for the Hudson Valley and the broader Tristate area, founded by Rosendale resident Henning Grentz.
Grentz, who spent the last five years working as a ropes access technician, rappelling down major infrastructure projects like the Brooklyn Bridge, has a background in construction. “I never felt a calling for a full-time, 9-to-5 kind of job,” he says. “I really value having personal time.” Spa Fleet offered the quality of life he was looking for while sharing a passion of his with others. A native of north Germany, Grentz’s first sauna was at age 6. “Ever since then, I’ve loved it,” he says. “Ultimately sauna is about feeling good, which is why I’d like to contribute it to the general public.”
Building the sauna was a 16-month adventure through wind, snow, and summer rain. Following the debut at Kingston NY’s O+ Festival in October, Grentz has added the final finishing touches and the mobile sauna, adorably dubbed Cloudberry, is ready to hit the road.
Sitting on a 7x14-foot trailer, the interior is approximately 100 square feet, with half the space allocated to the changing room and the other half sauna. Built entirely from cedar and heated using a Finnish wood stove, the towable sauna is a hyper-modern spin on an old Scandinavian tradition. The rental comes with a bluetooth radio, an LED light that lets you pick the most soothing color, and a stash of firewood to last you 12 hours. The top compartment of the woodstove has 80 pounds of sauna rocks, which provide even heat and are used to generate steam.
Cloudberry comfortably fits eight people at a time. Rental prices start at $650 for the first 48 hours and drop to $125 a day thereafter. Discounts are available for mid-week rentals and for rentals longer than 7 days (delivery fees are based on distance). Whether you’re planning a family vacation, a weekend ski trip upstate, a bachelor party, or a college reunion, Spa Fleet will travel to locations in the Tristate area—from the Poconos to the Catskills to the Berkshires to the Jersey shore.
Sauna Sequence
Grentz recommends sauna bathing in 15-minute intervals, using an alternating cycle of hot and cold. “Positive effects have been proven for people with cardiovascular issues, circulatory issues, respiratory issues, and hypertension,” Grentz says.
Begin with a dry round to allow your skin to warm up and soften. In subsequent rounds, you can pour water over the sauna rocks to create steam, taking breaks in between to allow your body to equalize. “In the sauna, you raise your core temperature, which dilates blood vessels and opens pores,” Grentz explains. “Then you do a cold plunge, cold shower, ice bath, or roll around in the snow and everything contracts again. After several times, you develop an elasticity in your veins and arteries that helps the blood move properly.”
“Yes, sauna bathing has health benefits, but ultimately it is about feeling good,” Grentz says. “The pure relaxation effect is not be underestimated.”
Spa Fleet Sauna Tips
- Leave enough time to steam properly (3-4 rounds). “I would allow a minimum of 2 hours,” advises Grentz.
- Between rounds, spend as much time out of the sauna as you spent in, to give your blood pressure and heart rate a chance to normalize. E.g. 15 minutes in, 15 minutes out.
- Cold dunking increases the positive health benefits of sauna bathing.
- Drink water before, during breaks, and after. Sweating dehydrates you.
- If you feel dizzy, get out. Sauna bathing lowers your blood pressure, respond to your body.
To learn more or reserve Spa Fleet’s mobile Finnish sauna, visit Spafleetrental.com.
