Urban Sweat Lodge Trend Spreads in Seattle
The latest path to Zen works up a sweat.
By Nia Martin May 10, 2017
This article originally appeared in the May 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.
Dee Alams’ business is the Seattle outpost of a trend: urban sweat lodges, where one perspires to boost the body’s detoxification, and maybe shed some water weight to boot. Her original City Sweats (Madison Park, 1928 43rd Ave. E; 206.402.5417; citysweatsseattle.com), opened in 2014, recently expanded with a 1,600-square-foot Wallingford location (4222 Stone Way N; 206.402.5417). Start your session with a facial, massage or lymphatic drainage (imagine a spacesuit-like contraption that squeezes the body, pushing out toxins). Then it’s on to the spa’s signature infrared sauna cabin. Unlike a communal outdoor sweat lodge, the cabin is indoors and can hold you and as many as two invited friends.
A curtained-off changing area provides total privacy, so you can pop in and out of the cabin (where it can reach 140 degrees) for hydration breaks throughout the session ($1 per minute for 45 minutes). Afterward, jump into an alkaline shower, wrap up in a soft robe and unwind in the sand-floored relaxation room with a plate of oranges and a glass of cool “72 Trace Mineral” tonic to replenish the minerals lost during your sweat. You’ll emerge feeling shiny and new.
Follow Us
Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Shop local and give her something she’ll love.
Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 10, and the right gift really depends on the mom. Maybe she wants flowers. Maybe she wants lunch by the water. Maybe she wants something useful, pretty, or delicious. Whatever the day looks like, a little thought goes a long way. It can also be a complicated…
Here’s Your Earth Month To-Do List
Local cleanups, trail work, and ways to get outside this April.
In the Pacific Northwest, a region deeply connected to water, forests, and ecosystems, the climate conversation has never been theoretical. It shows up as shrinking snowpack, severe flooding, and warming streams. If the planet’s future—and that of our own backyard—can feel overwhelming, this year’s Earth Day theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” puts the action back…
A Clear Vision for Growth
Local optometry clinic Eye Eye celebrates a decade in business and prepares to debut its first line of frames.
In Leschi Park, overlooking Lake Washington, towers one of Seattle’s many historic trees, a giant sequoia planted sometime in the early 20th century. Just down the street on Lakeside Avenue is the second location of eye clinic and shop Eye Eye, where Dr. Will Pentecost seems to be borrowing some of the leafy specimen’s energy….
Floating with Friends
The benefits of sauna go beyond the physical, and Seattle’s newest wellness experience—which glides around the waters of Lake Union—equally taps into the non-tangible positives.
It only took a few minutes to settle in before I knew—these are my people. I met Emma Griffith, one of the founders of Wild Haus Floating Saunas, on a crisp, clear, late-summer morning to chat about the project she helped start last January. In simple terms, the team of eight created two saunas on…