Sauna Life: Friendship, Good Heat & the Stories Behind the Book | Sauna Talk #142

What happens when two lifelong sauna enthusiasts, longtime friends, and thermal soul brothers decide to write a book celebrating sauna culture?

In Sauna Talk Episode 142, Glenn Auerbach sits down with Tom Rolando at Sauna Days 2026, on the shores of Lake Superior at Larsmont Cottages, to introduce their new book, Sauna Life: From Heat Up to Cool Down.

This conversation is especially meaningful because Tom was the very first guest on Sauna Talk. Now, 142 episodes later, they're back together, sharing stories, laughs, and reflections on a friendship that helped inspire not only the book but Sauna Days itself.

Sauna Life is more than a coffee table book. It's a celebration of the sauna community.

Three years in the making, the book brings together hundreds of photographs, personal stories, and reflections from sauna enthusiasts around the world. Organized around six contrasting themes — Heat, Cold, Nature, Build, Friendship, and Solitude — it captures the beauty, simplicity, and shared experiences of authentic sauna culture.

Recorded live before a Sauna Days audience, Glenn and Tom explore:

How their friendship began with a wood-fired sauna build.

The surprising connection between Tom, Glenn's first sauna-building book, and the origins of Sauna Days.

Why they invited the worldwide sauna community to help create Sauna Life.

Favorite photographs and stories from the book.

The importance of hot, cold, nature, and the cool-down experience.

Why good sauna is about more than temperatures, timers, and health metrics.