Wood-Fired Sauna Club Opens on Detroit’s East Side With Cold Plunge, Fire Pits

Islandview Sauna Club launched at 1000 Beaufait St. on Detroit's east side. The outdoor sauna features three wood-burning saunas, cold plunge tubs, and fire pits on land once tied to the old Iron Belle Railroad.

The saunas include wood barrel, a converted cattle trailer, and a horse trailer transformed into a hot room. They hold between four and over a dozen people. Heat inside can hit 160 degrees. The converted horse trailer soared past 200 degrees during one recent visit.

Two cold plunge tubs stay chilled at 38 degrees. Guests dunk in after their sauna time.

A canvas tent allows changing. Repurposed trailers dot the grounds. Bonfires crackle at intervals.

"We wanted to make sure that when guests cross into the sauna grounds, they feel like they are in a Northern Michigan camp with wood smoke in the air, a fire crackling at the entrance, and heat rising from our handcrafted saunas," co-owner Jacques Driscoll said in a statement per WXYZ Detroit.

Minneapolis builders created the wood-fired saunas by hand. Jacques and Christine Driscoll co-own the club with Tamas and Gail von Staden, who run von Staden Architecture in Royal Oak.

The Driscolls operate Yellow Light Coffee and Donuts, Green Dot Stables, Johnny Noodle King, and Kiesling Detroit too. Their new sauna sits just two miles from Downtown Detroit.

This business keeps guests outside between sessions rather than sheltering them indoors. Winter gets embraced instead of avoided.

One-hour sessions run $25. You must book online. Bring a bathing suit, robe or towel, flip flops, and a water bottle. Arrive 15 minutes before your slot to settle in, change clothes, and listen to safety rules.

Hours are 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Want a private booking? Check the website.

After sessions, guests gather by the bonfire or kick back in the basecamp tent. Visit islandviewsauna.com or find them on Instagram @islandview_sauna_club for more details.