There is a Functioning Sauna Ice Shanty Sitting on a Lake in MN

This is one way to keep warm during a cold snap.

The Art Shanty Project is happening right now on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. It started in 2004 as an experiment of turning a traditional ice fishing house into a less conventional art studio and retreat on a frozen lake. Since then it has seen three different lakes, and drew in 40,000 visitors on Lake Harriet (Bde Unma) in 2018 alone. The display is up for four weekends and people of all ages are invited to come see over 150 performers and over 20 different shanties.

One of the shanties this year happens to be a fully functioning sauna. Coming from a land of heavy Scandinavian decent, I can't say I am all too surprised. It was built by Nickolai Koivunen and a friend, who told WCCO that he knew it would be the perfect fit for a cold frozen lake.

The MinneSauna is open during the Art Shanty Project normal hours and can accommodate up to five people. They remind everyone using it to  bring a towel, swimsuit, flip flops and a bottle of water. You can sign up to use it here.

The Art Shanty Project runs Saturdays and Sundays, 10am-4pm, January 18 – February 9.