I just completed a large (9×12 foot ) sauna at Silverlaken Glampground near Letchworth State Park. This is such an ideal setting for quiet retreats or group gatherings: a main lodge in a historic cottage, private cabins and luxury tents next to sparkling Silver Lake just miles from one of the most popular state parks in New York. The sauna is the perfect centerpiece for small or large gatherings. A group sauna is different than a small intimate home sauna; it is a unique social situation where you may commune with strangers and make new friends all while stripped bare of the trappings of social status, class or superficiality. It can be a perfect setting for friends to solemnly celebrate life’s important moments: a reunion, a wedding, a men’s retreat or whatever occasion that will be enhanced by closeness and shared exhilaration.  The sauna easily holds a dozen or more bathers and is a stone’s throw from the lake.

As I always do, I tested the sauna before leaving a finished project. The new owner was elated as a I brought it up to temperature while I explained the intricacies of sauna; after a round we jumped in the brisk lake. It was the perfect way to end an exhausting effort and make my long haul home a relaxing one.

If you are in Western New York and looking for a unique place to stay and want a sauna experience, I recommend you check Silverlaken out! (listed on Airbnb)