EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — As another frigid winter settles over Minnesota with temperatures dipping into the teens, people like Ed Kranz are embracing the cold — and working up quite a sweat.
Kranz and his wife, Colleen, are among Minnesotans who believe the best way to endure winter is to heat up in saunas and then cool off in their state's icy weather.
On a bone-chilling Sunday morning, they set up a mobile wood-fired sauna from their business, Saunable, near a frozen lake in the Minneapolis suburb of Eagan. After about 10 minutes of sweating in the 185 degrees Fahrenheit (85 degrees Celsius) sauna they moseyed outside into the 15-degree temperatures, lingering around a fire in bathing suits before repeating the process three or four more times. One brave soul dipped into a hole in the frozen lake for a post-sauna cold plunge.
Their hot-and-cold venture is common in Minnesota, where plenty of residents embrace sauna culture for warmth and community. Devotees say they are mingling Old World traditions with newfangled internet-based communities, and making social connections in a society that can feel isolating.
Sauna and cold plunges go together like peanut butter and jelly, said Glenn Auerbach, a self-described sauna evangelist and the founder and editor of SaunaTimes. Auerbach started the website in 2008 to share his thoughts, research and conversations with movers and shakers in the sauna world. He and his interlocutors mull over the nitty-gritty of sauna construction, how to cultivate “good sauna vibes” and the potential health benefits of the sauna lifestyle.
A typical temperature to achieve the holy trinity of the sauna experience — heat, steam and ventilation — is about 180 to 200 degrees F (82-93 degrees C), a temperature that starkly contrasts Minnesota's frigid winter weather.
The craftiest in the sauna community can build a facility for about $10,000, according to Auerbach. Those looking to skip the physical labor can outsource the construction. Sauna's popularity, which enthusiasts say spiked following the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought with it a rise in manufacturers selling saunas for about $30,000 to $40,000.
While sauna's cultural cache may have increased in recent years, the practice long predates the Instagrammable spaces now popping up, Auerbach said.
The smell of cedar wood has been lodged in Justin Juntunen's memory ever since he first stepped into his family's sauna as a child. Juntunen, the founder of Cedar and Stone Nordic Sauna, is a descendant of Finnish immigrants who came to America in the 1880s. They brought with them an appreciation for saunas and the communal values the steam-filled rooms impart to local life.
People in Finland say there are more saunas than cars, Juntunen said. When immigrants like his grandfather came to Minnesota to work in the mines, mills or docks, they would often save up to build a farmhouse. But they would build a sauna first, living in the space while the house was constructed. Later, saunas would serve as informal town centers.
People gossiped in saunas, they gave birth in saunas and they died in saunas, Juntunen said. The public nature of the facilities reflects the egalitarian ethos that infuses Nordic culture, and sauna culture by extension, he added.
“This is a tradition that’s actually for everyone,” Juntunen said. “My favorite Nordic proverb is all people are created equal, but nowhere more so than in the sauna."
In addition to a desire for in-person experiences following the COVID-19 pandemic, sauna enthusiasts say interest rose after some of the internet’s most famous figures, such as podcasters Joe Rogan and Andrew Huberman, touted it.
“Every big podcaster in the world discovered that you could jump in cold water and it feels kind of good. And then people click on it online,” Juntunen said.
In this way, technology has been a paradox for sauna culture, he added. Digital media helped sauna culture grow at the same time as saunas were billed as reprieves from the pervasive reach of technology over every facet of daily life.
Either way, almost all of sauna culture's adherents say its rise is inextricably linked to a desire for community.
Those who committed to building their own saunas have hosted friends, neighbors, and former high school hockey teammates over. This has created a new form of post-COVID-19 contagiousness: “Good heat is contagious,” Auerbach said.
This core function of sauna culture spans generations. Juntunen's grandfather would rush to the sauna after work because it was the space where stories were told.
"It’s a space where storytelling happens, where connection happens or silence happens," Juntunen said. “I think that is a really beautiful example of what a sauna truly is.”
Miki Mosman, Emily Scribner-O’Pray and Darcy Sudderth cool off outside a Saunable mobile sauna at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, Minn., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP photo/Mark Vancleave)
Jeff Tait, of Hastings, Minn., cools off after a session in a Saunable mobile sauna at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, Minn. on Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP photo/Mark Vancleave)
Jeff Tait, of Hastings, Minn. ,cools off after a session in a Saunable mobile sauna at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, Minn., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP photo/Mark Vancleave)
Sauna enthusiasts Jeff Tait, Emily Scribner-O’Pray, Darcy Sudderth, Miki Mosman and Igor Rudenko share a 75-minute session in a Saunable mobile sauna at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, Minn., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP photo/Mark Vancleave)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen’s memorable week began with singer and actress Hailey Steinfeld accepting his proposal for marriage and ended with the Buffalo Bills quarterback celebrating his three-TD outing in an AFC East-clinching 35-10 win over San Francisco by making snow angels alongside coach Sean McDermott on Sunday night.
“He’s the one that got me to do it,” Allen said of interrupting McDermott’s television interview to lay backwards into a snow pile. “I’m not the biggest snow angel fan, because you get cold down there, my toes are freezing right now ... but it was fun.”
As for Steinfeld saying “Yes,” during his bye week proposal, Allen said: “Felt good. Felt free.”
He could just as well have been referring to his performance by braving bone-chilling temperatures and a persistent snowfall in becoming the NFL’s first quarterback and seventh player in the Super Bowl era to score a touchdown passing, rushing and receiving. Sandwiched between his 7-yard touchdown pass to Mack Hollins and an 8-yard scoring run, Allen scored a receiving touchdown on a pass he threw in his latest do-everything performance.
With Amari Cooper corralling a short pass with a one-handed catch, the receiver was in the midst of being wrapped up by two Niners defenders when he pitched the ball back to Allen. The QB sprinted to the left corner of the end zone and dived past for the pylon for the score.
“It’s got to be up there. I wish he got credited for something there, an assist or a passing touchdown,” Allen said of Cooper. “I just kind of chased the ball to be there and we made eye contact. ... It was dope.”
Cooper said he acted on instinct in a play that could well have been drawn up in the snow on the sideline.
“I was wondering what he was doing over there,” Cooper said. “I figured he was over there because he wanted the ball, so I gave it to him.”
Snow flew like confetti in celebration from the packed stands as the Bills (10-2) scored on four of five possessions spanning halftime to build a 28-3 lead, starting with Ray Davis’ 5-yard run. James Cook scored on a career-high 65-yard run and finished with 107 yards rushing.
The defending NFC champion 49ers (5-7) unraveled as they dropped their third straight and lost running back Christian McCaffrey to what coach Kyle Shanahan said was a potential season-ending injury to the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
Shanahan believes McCaffrey was hurt on an 18-yard run up the middle. The All-Pro running back stayed in the game and on the next play appeared to step awkwardly with his left foot on the snow-slicked field and went down immediately. After being examined on the sideline, he limped to the locker room and was ruled out at the start of the second half.
McCaffrey had 53 yards on seven carries when he exited the game, his fourth after missing the first eight of the season with Achilles tendinitis.
“It feels dark and gloomy and absolutely depressing, honestly I’ll feel that probably in a couple hours,” tight end George Kittle said. “The only way to make this feel better is to go take advantage of next week and try to get a win.”
Very little went right for the 49ers in an outing they lost three fumbles and Jake Moody missed two of three field-goal attempts. San Francisco was also missing five starters due to injury and is now in jeopardy of missing the playoffs a season after losing the Super Bowl to Kansas City.
Moody opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal and Isaac Guerendo scored on a 15-yard run. Brock Purdy, coming back after missing one game with a sore throwing shoulder, finished 11 of 18 for 94 yards.
Allen finished 13 of 17 passing for 148 yards and two touchdowns, three rushes for 18 yards and a score, and zero catches for 7 yards and a TD. He was serenaded by fans with chants of “MVP!” and sat out most of the fourth quarter.
“It's a good feeling. This one feels a little bit different this early in the season,” Allen said of clinching the division while also staying in the hunt to catch Kansas City (11-1) for the AFC's top seed. “It’s going to be fun, I mean, to go out there and play free and play relaxed and play loose. I think that could be a dangerous team.”
Allen now has scored 247 career TDs (186 passing, 59 rushing and two receiving) to break Hall of Famer Jim Kelly’s franchise record of 244.
Buffalo has won seven straight since back-to-back losses to Baltimore and Houston, and is 10-2 or better for the fifth time in team history and first since 1991. The Bills became the NFL’s eighth team, and first since Indianapolis in 2009, to clinch a division title with five games remaining.
Buffalo extended its run of scoring 30 or more points to six straight games, while the Niners dropped to 0-5 when scoring 20 or fewer.
49ers: Host Chicago next Sunday.
Bills: At the Los Angeles Rams next Sunday.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
This combination of photos shows Hailee Steinfeld on Oct. 30, 2024, in Los Angeles, and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on Nov. 10, 2024, in Indianapolis. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision, AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) and head coach Sean McDermott make snow angels on the field while being interviewed after an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, foreground right, dives toward the end zone to score past San Francisco 49ers defensive end Robert Beal Jr. (51) and linebacker Dee Winters during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Snow falls at Highmark Stadium during the second half of an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the San Francisco 49ers in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) looks to pass against the Buffalo Bills during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Mack Hollins, middle left, scores a touchdown past San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward (7) during the first half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Curtis Samuel, right, is tackled by San Francisco 49ers safety Ji'Ayir Brown during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
San Francisco 49ers running back Jordan Mason (24) runs against Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
San Francisco 49ers running back Isaac Guerendo, right, runs for a touchdown past Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin (3) during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) passes against the Buffalo Bills during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, middle, scores past San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) dives for the end zone to score against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)
