How can cities embed community health and wellbeing into the heart of the public realm?

Across European cities—from London to Oslo and beyond—a rapidly growing nonprofit sauna movement is charting a dynamic new model of public health infrastructure: low-priced, high-design public saunas located along waterfronts, rooftops, and public parks. This panel, organized by Scandinavia House, explores what American cities can learn from this mission-driven movement to help transform public spaces across the country into vibrant, inclusive, year-round community hubs.

At the center of the story is the Oslo Sauna Association (Oslo Badstuforening), a nonprofit that operates over 25 floating saunas across the Norwegian capital. Supported by a grassroots volunteer operation, these saunas have become beloved pieces of civic infrastructure, particularly in a city with long winters and a high proportion of residents who live alone. In 2025, the Oslo Badstuforening was recognized by Time magazine as one of the World’s Great Places—highlighting how local grassroots initiatives can achieve global cultural impact.

Drawing on Oslo’s experience, the panel will examine how creative activation of public spaces for community health can support physical and mental wellbeing, strengthen social ties, and make cities more livable year-round. The conversation will also dig into governance and business models, from nonprofit and volunteer-led operations to cooperatives – and what it takes to adapt these approaches to the U.S. context, particularly given rapid growth of the US commercial sauna market.

Featuring a pioneer of Norway’s nonprofit sauna movement, a global expert on bathing culture, and a leader in programming New York City’s public realm, this panel offers practical insights and big ideas for more inclusive, healthy, and season-proof cities.

The panel is organized by Culture of Bathe-ing, a global community that celebrates the modern resurgence of communal bathing as a tool for preventative health and a response to growing social isolation within modern urban life. Through its Substack, social channels (IG: @cultureofbathing), and an evolving slate of IRL gatherings, Culture of Bathe-ing convenes enthusiasts, architects, sauna masters, operators, artists, and cultural thinkers who are shaping the future of communal bathing. Culture of Bathe-ing is supported by Therme Group.

Speakers:
Mikkel Aaland, Author, Sweat; Naked Sweat: The Art and Soul of Sauna, Sweat & Bathhouse Culture
Adam Bamba Tanaka, Chief Operating Officer, Therme Group US
Ragna Marie Fjeld, General Manager, Oslo Sauna Association (Oslo Badstuforening)
Emily Weidenhof, Assistant Commissioner of Public Realm, New York City Department of Transportation

About the Speakers:
Mikkel Aaland is a photographer, filmmaker, publisher, author, and internationally known expert on bathing culture. His books include "Sweat," an illustrated tour of international bathing customs, and the forthcoming “Naked Sweat: The Art and Soul of Sauna, Sweat & Bathhouse Culture.” Aaland is the host of the seven-part documentary series Perfect Sweat and co-founder of The International Sauna Aid Foundation, a multicountry initiative, sponsored by the International Sauna Association (ISA), to provide movable sauna facilities and supportive services to people facing natural and man-made disasters. He is also an honorary member of the International Sauna Association (ISA) and the British Sauna Society and a founding member of the Norwegian Sauna Association (Badstulaug). Aaland is based in San Francisco and Ulefoss, Norway.

Adam Bamba Tanaka serves as Chief Operating Officer for Therme Group US, bridging the worlds of wellness, entertainment, and urban development to deliver large-scale wellbeing destinations in cities across the US. Prior to joining Therme, Adam worked at real estate consultancy HR&A Advisors, where he advised city governments, universities, and tech companies on major planning and development projects. Adam holds a PhD in urban planning from Harvard and has published writing and filmmaking projects in The Boston Globe, Bloomberg CityLab, Slate, and The Journal of Urban History, among others. Adam also serves on the board of play:groundNYC, a nonprofit that operates New York City’s only adventure playground on Governors Island.

Ragna Marie Fjeld is the General Manager of the Oslo Sauna Association (Oslo Badstuforening) and helped found the organization in 2016. The association began as an unconventional collaboration between diplomats and anarchists who built a floating sauna out of driftwood. The non-profit association now operates 29 saunas, with 54 employees and 250 volunteers. Driven by the vision of "sauna to the people," the organization ensures that the fjord and outdoor life remain accessible to everyone. Prior to joining the Oslo Sauna Association, Ragna worked at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Emily Weidenhof is Assistant Commissioner of Public Realm at NYC DOT working closely with community organizations throughout the five boroughs to transform their streets as public space. Emily led on the creation of pandemic response programs to support neighborhoods and businesses citywide including Open Restaurants and Open Streets. Most recently Emily helped evolve Open Streets into a permanent program, helped shepherd the expansion of the Public Space Equity Program, and developed a series of public realm design strategies that have transformed corridors like 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights. Emily is the co-host of Curb Enthusiasm, an NYC DOT podcast, offering unique insight on what’s new, innovative, and exciting in the world of transportation and urban planning.

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