Sauna Talk

In this special episode of Sauna Talk, I'm joined inside one of the Culture of Bathing Sauna Village saunas in New York City by three fellow authors whose work explores heat bathing culture from very different perspectives. This conversation was recorded on the sauna bench during the 2026 Culture of Bathing Festival in New York City. Recorded during Culture of Bathing 2.0 gathering on the East River, this conversation brings together authors Yuval Zohar (Towards a Nude Architecture), Emma O'Kelly (Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat and Wild Sauna), Bill Gifford (Hotwired: How Heat Makes Us Stronger), and yours truly Glenn Auerbach (Sauna Build: Start to Finish). On the bench, as conversation flows and steam rises, our discussion moves across continents and traditions—from Japanese sento bathhouses and onsen towns to the surprising explosion of wild sauna culture along the coasts of Great Britain. Along the way we explore: The global revival of sauna and bathhouse culture Why community bathing is making a comeback