Winter Play: Minnesota's newest public bath house

CATHY WURZER: Well, February is the shortest month. It can sometimes feel like the longest and dreariest here in Minnesota. And that is why MPR News reporters and producers are focusing on fun things to do in the cold weather in our series Winter Play.

So far in the series, we've gone ice climbing, snow kiting, cold dipping and dog sledding. MPR news reporter Simone Cazares and Samantha Matsumoto decided to go to the indoor route. They checked out one of Minnesota's newest bathhouses, the Watershed Spa, and they're here to tell us about it. I love spas. I'm so excited. Hi, Simone. Hi, Samantha. How are you two doing?

SIMONE CAZARES: Hello.

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: Doing well. Thanks so much for having us, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: Hey, thanks for being here. So we've focused on mostly outdoor activities, but you two decided to go indoors instead. Good for you.

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: Yes, that's right. So both Simone and I are Minnesota transplants. I'm from Oregon and Simone's from Florida. And you know, Cathy, I'm just going to say it, sometimes it's hard to adjust to the Minnesota winters. [LAUGHS]

Like I try to stay active. I try to get outdoors. This is my second winter here. So last winter, I spent it doing a lot of things outside, and it was wonderful. But this winter has been hard for me. I've been struggling to get out. I've been struggling to leave my apartment sometimes.

So we wanted to just remind people and ourselves honestly that when it's hard to get out of your apartment, there are fun things that you can do indoors.

CATHY WURZER: Simone.

SIMONE CAZARES: Exactly. For me, winter has been just brutal this year. I'm just really tired of digging out my car honestly, Cathy. But bathhouses have a long history in places of cold winters just like Minnesota. And they're actually a cultural tradition for many different communities, from Native Americans, Scandinavians, and even Koreans.

CATHY WURZER: Exactly. I'm thinking about my Finnish friends. Saunas, as they would pronounce that, saunas have a long history. But it seems like they're becoming more popular now, am I right?

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: Yeah, you're right about that. The New York Times recently had an article that reported in the past few years business at saunas has really boomed across the country. And that's true in Minnesota too. There are two dozen sauna businesses that have opened across the state in the past few years. And Watershed, the bathhouse that we went to for the Winter Play series, is just one of the latest ones to open up in the Twin Cities.

CATHY WURZER: Nice. So how did it go?

SIMONE CAZARES: Well, because this was our first time at a bathhouse, we actually decided to ask Watershed owner, Nell Rueckl, what to do. And here's what she told us.

NELL RUECKL: So you're going to rinse. And then I recommend 10 to 12 minutes. Really up to you how long you want to be in the pools. One thing I'm noticing when people get in the pools, it really helps reset the nervous system.

And then you can pick whether you want to steam or sauna next. I usually head into the steam. And sometimes, if I'm not warm enough, I'll head into the sauna for a few minutes and then cold plunge.

CATHY WURZER: Oh wow! That's a lot so. You shower off and then you get into a warm soaking pool? I just think that sounds like heaven. Samantha.

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: Yeah, that was probably our favorite part. So Nell told us, as you heard, that she recommends people spend 10 to 15 minutes in the warm pool before they head into the sauna.

So the pool is just-- Cathy, it's so beautiful. It's like lit up by these midnight blue light. Sits in this dark warm room with these purple and blue lights just like illuminating everything. So it feels like really luxurious. It smells so good. It feels like warm bath water. So you just really want to just relax and let yourself unwind and soak in it.

SIMONE CAZARES: Yes, I love that part. And so then what happened is we headed into the sauna and steam room. It's set to about 194 degrees. And actually, our recorders can only handle up to about 140, so we left them outside. But the temperature felt really great to us or actually really just to me. [LAUGHS]

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: Yeah, I have to say I don't do well with heat. So the sauna was great for me because it's a dry heat, but the steam room is a lot. It's like so steamy in there that you actually can't see anything in front of your face. So we stayed in for a few minutes. By the time it was over, though, I was definitely like, OK, I'm ready to get into the cold water I think.

CATHY WURZER: How was the cold plunge?

SIMONE CAZARES: Well, just hear it for yourself. What do you think?

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: I'm very cold. [LAUGHS] It freezes you for a sec. I didn't know how to react.

As you can hear, it's like a shock to jump into the cold water. It's very icy. And even though I was like really warm from the sauna and steam room, I was just like, OK. I got in for a minute, and I think I'm good for now. [LAUGHS]

SIMONE CAZARES: The cold plunge was probably my least favorite part, honestly. But I felt really good afterwards. It felt like a really strong cup of my favorite Cuban coffee.

CATHY WURZER: So can you continuously do this cycle or how does that work?

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: So you can do this cycle as many times during the time you're there. So Nell, the Watershed owner, recommended you do the cycle a few times and see how you feel each time because each time feels a little bit different.

And I definitely felt that during our second cycle. So we got out of the cold pool and then got back into the warm soaking pool, and I felt a feeling of just like euphoria because I think my body had just gone through all of these big temperature changes. And I just felt so relaxed being in the warm water again.

Then we went back to the sauna and steam room and did the cold plunge again. And the second cold plunge just felt amazing. I was able to stay in a little bit longer during that second cycle.

SIMONE CAZARES: I loved being able to do the cycle again after we turned off our recorders. I just felt super relaxed. Loved the warm pool, the sauna the steam room. Although I was good on the cold plunge. I think that was enough for me.

CATHY WURZER: I would agree with you. So again, I'm a fan of saunas and steam rooms. Any health benefits to those two things?

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: So there's not a lot of conclusive data on the physical health benefits of saunas. There are some studies that link regular sauna use with lower risk of cardiovascular issues, but those are inconclusive.

And there is some research that shows that short, intense bouts of heat can strengthen our hearts over time. But I can just say anecdotally, I felt really great after our morning at Watershed. I felt recharged. I just felt really grounded and in my body, just mentally very clear. I think it was a really great way to deal with stress.

CATHY WURZER: Simone.

SIMONE CAZARES: I felt super relaxed and energized afterwards. And I felt like all the tension I hold, especially in my shoulders, it just melted away. And I slept so well that night.

CATHY WURZER: So we have about maybe a minute and a half here. If someone wants to do this, what should they know?

SIMONE CAZARES: It's available year-round. Although it's pretty booked out in winter. They offer three-hour long reservations and it costs about $54. You can add on other spa services, but we were pretty good with just the bathing ritual. And bring your swimsuit, wear athletic gear if you want. And they provide towels, sandals, and drinking water.

CATHY WURZER: Excellent. Would you both do it again?

SIMONE CAZARES: Absolutely. I would definitely do it again.

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: Yeah, I would do it again too. I think it was a really nice way to-- it felt like we were just doing something special. Again, winter is hard. It feels like sometimes, again, it's just hard to leave your house. And this was just a really great way to get out and warm up.

CATHY WURZER: I'm so glad you both did it. I would love to do it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

SAMANTHA MATSUMOTO: Thank you, Cathy.

SIMONE CAZARES: Thank you.

CATHY WURZER: We've been talking to MPR reporter Simone Cazares and MPR producer Samantha Matsumoto. Their report is part of our Winter Play series. Now, Winter Play is this celebration of ours where we celebrate the good times you can have during the cold winter season. You can hear stories of what happens when MPR News staff try a winter pastime they've never done before on All Things Considered weeknights through February the 10th.