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In Good Health: Sauna

Middlebury saunaflies from left to right: Smokey Lyons, Jordan Hayyat, Andy Bojanowski
Jon Ehrens
Middlebury saunaflies from left to right: Smokey Lyons, Jordan Hayyat, Andy Bojanowski

In many cold locales, saunas are a common way to heat your body and hang out with friends, especially in the dead of winter. But in Vermont, the practice hasn't taken as strong of a hold. Today, we explore the physical, mental, and social benefits of regular sauna use. This is the first installment in a health-focused series we’re running each Thursday of January called "In Good Health."

Joining us for the hour is Chelsea Edgar, a Burlington-based freelance reporter and contributing editor for Seven Days. She wrote a piece for them exploring sauna culture in our region. Earric Lee is a post-doctoral researcher at The Montreal Heart Institute, and Nils Shenholm is a sauna designer and builder in Duxbury, and an North American Sauna Society Emeritus board member.

Plus: Vermont Edition’s managing producer Jon Ehrens talks to his fellow heat addicts inside the Vermont Sun sauna in Middlebury.

Broadcast live on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2024, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments, or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Jon has spent his entire adult life working in broadcast journalism. He began his career in Baltimore at WYPR, and has since been a producer for WHYY, Vox, The Majority Report with Sam Seder, and The Talkhouse. Jon is a lifelong recording artist whose projects include Repelican, The Art Department, and Dungeonesse. He lives with his wife in Panton, Vermont.