In Episode 135 of Sauna Talk, Glenn Auerbach welcomes psychotherapist Sierra Blake for a live conversation recorded at Sauna Days 2026 on the shores of Lake Superior.
Sierra brings a graduate background in mental health psychology from the University of Minnesota, along with clinical experience working in trauma and addiction medicine. Her work explores the relationship between mind and body, including the potential psychological effects of sauna and cold-water immersion.
This conversation moves beyond the usual discussion of what heat does to the body and asks a bigger question: What can shared sauna experiences do for our relationships, our communities, and our sense of belonging?
Sierra explains how heat and cold create manageable stress, followed by a calming nervous-system response that may support openness, awareness, and connection. She also shares emerging research suggesting that the benefits of communal sauna may come not only from the heat itself, but from ritual, emotional synchrony, shared challenge, and the feeling of belonging to something larger than ourselves.
Glenn, Sierra, and the Sauna Days audience explore:
• The connection between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
• Sauna, cold water, and the mind-body relationship
• Why shared challenge can bring people closer together
• The difference between routine and ritual
• Sauna as a generator of "loose ties" and everyday community connection
• The role of mindfulness, meaning, and intention in sauna practice
• Sauna as a third space outside of home and work
• The potential for sauna to become part of a healthier social infrastructure
• Why there may be no single "best" way to sauna
Across cultures, sauna and bathing traditions have long served as places for healing, reflection, storytelling, and community. This episode offers a thoughtful look at why sauna's deepest value may lie not only in what happens inside the body, but in what happens between people.
Recorded live at Sauna Days in May 2026.
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