Tuli Lodge Brings A Taste Of Norway’s Sauna Culture To Seattle

It used to be the talk of the town, public hot tub rentals. Some were famous; some were infamous. These days you kind of wonder, are people still doing this? Paying money to rent time in a hot tub, especially in downtown Seattle. 

Well, the answer is they are still out there, but they are much more upscale and include other spa amenities. 

Now something new has popped up, the social sauna. 

According to seattletimes.com, 
‘The social media advertisements for Tuli Lodge are alluring, mysterious and quickly spreading. Over the past few weeks, sign-ups for pop-ups at various Seattle parks and collaborations with the group behind the viral summer paddleboard raves filled up fast. The social sauna startup, which will soft launch at Pier 62 on the waterfront in November, already has more than 1,000 names on the waitlist.’ 

Tuli Lodge is not the first social sauna to pop up in the Seattle area, but it is the latest. Joining others like it. Wild Haus Floating Saunas, and Bywater Saunas. Tuli Lodge wants to take their saunas out of the luxury market and move them into a market that values social connection as much as Wellness. 

Hannah Goldstein Says that the idea for Tuli Lodge came from a trip that she made to Norway where she discovered that the Sauna scene was much more casual and inexpensive. 

The Tuli Lodge sauna is constructed and mounted on a trailer bed so they have the ability to do pop ups at alternate locations. Their semi-permanent location Is located at Pier 62 on the Seattle waterfront. They are doing prelaunch popups currently but will officially open on November 1st. 2025. 

According to seattletimes.com, 
Be prepared to socialize — Goldstein says Tuli Lodge prioritizes connecting with strangers or deepening existing friendships in the space (you’ll even receive some Seattle-themed conversation starters before each session). Goldstein also suggests alternating 10- to 20-minute sessions in the sauna with a few minutes of cold exposure (either just stepping outside or taking a cold plunge). A session is expected to cost $27. ‘ 

When I was much, much younger, I actually did do saunas on a semi-irregular basis, but I wasn't completely into it because I could never do the cold plunge. (Probably my loss.) 

I don't think I can dispute the physical benefits of the sauna, although it's not my regular thing anymore. One thing I will mention though is the mental benefits of the sauna experience, because among other things it forces you to decouple from your phone.  

How long do you think your phone would last in a humid environment at 180°.
New waterfront ‘social sauna’ hopes to (literally) melt the Seattle Freeze | The Seattle Times
Tuli Lodge: Social Sauna & Cold Plunge Garden in Seattle