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Kiln, a Nordic-inspired floating sauna, is coming to the Discovery World dock this fall

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A unique cold-weather wellness attraction is coming to Milwaukee’s lakefront this fall.

Kiln, Wisconsin’s first commercial floating sauna, plans to launch in November at the Discovery World dock in Lake Michigan at 500 N. Harbor Drive.

For $85 per person, visitors can experience a 90-minute sauna and natural cold-plunge cycle on the boat. The 35-foot-long, 12-foot-wide boat will also feature a locker room and a seating area with a propane firepit. The floating sauna will be anchored to the dock by steel cables and can accommodate up to 10 people.

Milwaukee’s Board of Harbor Commissioners approved plans for the boat and its one-year lease with Discovery World at Thursday’s Commission meeting.

Kiln floating sauna was inspired by saunas in Norway

After nearly a decade in broadcast journalism, Kiln founder Zoë Lake said she fell in love with Norway’s popular floating saunas on a trip there to visit family in January.

“I was just really struck by how fun and relaxing and social the experience was,” she said.

“I visited a few of these, one in Oslo with family and then a couple on my own. By my third visit, I was like, ‘I’m going to do this.’ I told people in the sauna, ‘You can look out for one of these in the Milwaukee-Chicago area next year. I’m going to open one.'”

Lake said she partnered with Discovery World early on in the process. She also teamed up with Viking Floating Saunas in Owen, Wis., to build the boat.

The boat will feature two ladders for cold plungers, and the company plans to run deicers in the plunge area to prevent the water from freezing over. A sauna guide will always be present to assist participants through the hot-cold cycle.

Lake plans to operate Kiln at Discovery World from November through April. She will then take the boat to Bailey’s Harbor in Door County for the summer months.

Floating saunas are just beginning to pick up steam in the United States. There are currently two in Minnesota and one in Seattle.

“I think what’s special about a floating sauna is the peace and relaxation that comes from being on the water, looking at the water and enjoying that aspect of being in nature,” Lake said.

How do I try out Kiln floating sauna?

Kiln will be available for bookings on its website later this year.

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