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On a freezing January Sunday, warming up in a sauna was the immediate cure to my post-holiday blues.
Ready to sweat, and reluctantly willing to take a cold plunge into the river, I drove a mere 15 minutes from my home in Northeast Portland to Ebb & Ember, a floating sauna on the Columbia River, perched among modest, charming houseboats.
Outside of restaurants and bars, places I happily spend plenty of my time, rainy Oregon winters limit our options for gathering with friends—let alone meeting new people. Though the sauna can provide a quiet, meditative recharge, it’s also an ideal venue for a little gabbing with friends (or strangers). The social tone in the sauna depends on who’s there: I was happy going with my fiancé and chatting with the two other couples sweating it out, but would enjoy going solo with a good book, or bringing a group of friends, just as much. If the sauna vibe is a bit more zen, the roof deck and surrounding dock are available for hanging out more casually.
I wasn’t sure what to expect hearing that the sauna was “floating,” but upon arrival I realized that the structure rests on a large, stable dock, slightly vulnerable to the subtle ebb and flow of the river, as well as footsteps on the roof deck above. The deck was a perfect sunny respite, complete with a lounge chair and an even more sweeping view than the sauna’s large windows provided. Winter sun glimmered on the flowing Columbia, sprinkled with evergreens along the river’s edge, and fog rolling in.
Though not exactly secluded, the small marina feels quaint and quiet: you’d never know you’re about equidistant from the Portland Airport, and the center of downtown.
Rather than continuously staffing the sauna, Ebb & Ember emails a door code in advance, which grants you access to a small mudroom to hang your clothes, store shoes and fill up your water bottle before entering. They don’t provide towels and request you bring your own to sit on.
Though you can book the sauna privately and fill it with up to 10 people, the standard “social sauna” allows up to eight. (Fair warning, this means you might be sweating among strangers.) The sauna is open daily, from 7am to 9pm. A two-hour session runs $49 per person during off-peak hours, and $59 per person during peak (Fri 5pm–Sun 9pm).
Right outside the sauna are a couple of ladders to aid in a gradual plunge into the chilly, slow-moving river. Not quite brave enough to dunk my whole head, I lasted about 30 seconds up to my neck (a solid 10 seconds longer than my fiancé did) thanks to deep, slow breaths and friendly competition.
We alternated between heating up in the sauna for 15 minutes (there’s an hourglass so you can track time without bringing in a phone or watch) and river dips, in order to not let our bodies fully acclimate to either extreme.
The experience left me with a euphoric buzz, feeling wide awake but relaxed. Loyal sauna-goers boast health benefits like elevated endorphins and oxytocin, improved circulation and lower cortisol levels.
Ebb & Ember is by no means the only sauna in the city—I love Löyly and Common Ground in particular—but they are the only one that floats. And they’ve clearly opened at the right time, as Portland hosts its first ever sauna festival this month (which Ebb & Ember is participating in).
It’s about time Portland takes a note from far darker, colder climates than our own—Nordic countries have been sweating it out socially for over 10,000 years, for example. Ebb & Ember is modeled in a Norwegian style, but similar practices exist across a range of cultures and for mixed purposes—health, spirituality and socializing are a few.
Whatever brings you, this is a dreamy way to spend a little time riverside year-round, (even when our elusive warm weather is in its off-season!) for Portland locals and visitors alike.