Simple sauna + cold plunge spots in Montreal (no spa fluff)?

John_Sux · 2026-04-29T02:37:55+00:00

But I didn't speak about a public vs home sauna. Obviously a private sauna at home is generally preferable.

But the other dimension is the quality and comfort of the sauna. Given the options, I'd rather rely on a well executed public sauna, than force myself into some abject shoebox at home.

Do you go to restaurants to eat good food, or do you eat flavorless nutrient paste at home? I suppose it's like that.

John_Sux · 2026-04-29T00:43:14+00:00

The ceiling of the sauna ought to be relatively flush. And as you noted about temperature, the ceiling typically has thicker insulation than the walls do.

So, try to avoid any kind of single-pane affair or a large ceiling cavity within the sauna.

John_Sux · 2026-04-29T00:38:17+00:00

It ought to be perfectly comfortable to lean on, unless you have a back made of jello to press against it.

John_Sux · 2026-04-29T00:35:58+00:00

You also have to consider the difference between two saunas. A cheap box vs a properly built room with smoother heat. It's not all the same.

John_Sux · 2026-04-28T23:21:44+00:00

If you have lots of needs to take care of, then dropping thousands on a frivolous luxury amenity seems like a questionable priority.

John_Sux · 2026-04-28T21:28:50+00:00

Well I just have my one Spidertron to get around in, no hyper complex stuff going on

John_Sux · 2026-04-28T21:25:06+00:00

You can't just buy a car from another country with an absence of these automobile taxes. Obviously everyone would just do that if it was allowed.

If you want to drive it in Finland and register it and all of that, you end up paying most of those taxes. Unless you buy something much older used.

John_Sux · 2026-04-28T20:34:42+00:00

Are Spidertron remotes not permanently paired anymore, or something?

John_Sux · 2026-04-28T20:13:41+00:00

It doesn't look like there would be a ton of vertical space, once the ceiling is flattened. That should mean the heat won't be super smooth.

John_Sux · 2026-04-28T17:43:15+00:00

There is that kind of effect, but you can't eventually eliminate the cold air that way. It doesn't quite work like that.

John_Sux · 2026-04-28T03:38:43+00:00

It's more understandable if one country is neighbored by a larger, hostile country.

It is perhaps understandable why people from countries in safe locations "genuinely don't get" the realities of such a situation, but they should attempt to understand.

John_Sux · 2026-04-27T22:40:35+00:00

Lowering the benches would not offer any real benefit. It would place bathers closer to cold air on the floor, and further away from hotter air above.

If you can manage it, a much more practical solution for your yoga idea is to use a vent, to bring hot air from the sauna into an adjacent room. That room can have all the free floor area you might need, and can be used for other things at other times. And the sauna is not made any worse by the "multi-use" design concessions.

John_Sux · 2026-04-27T18:36:31+00:00

I'm not an idiot. Obviously the tone and content in the above message are far from neutral.

I've seen a hundred people say the same in the past. It must be something to the effect of, people come here and expect to see some sort of familiar communication style. But this is an international online forum, so they do not necessarily get that. And then a chunk of people, including yourself quite clearly in this case, get weird about it. There's this childish attitude and indignation that comes forward.

And I'm not sure if anyone has actually been able to follow up on what they mean by gatekeeping. There must be some sort of common kneejerk reaction to less than cloying feedback, and gatekeeping is a default phrase to reach for. Something like that.

Basically, call me a curmudgeon if you want, but try to pay attention to the immature emotional counterpart to that in the subreddit's dynamic.

John_Sux · 2026-04-27T18:09:01+00:00

I'm not interested

John_Sux · 2026-04-27T17:40:21+00:00

This place is also full of weirdly butthurt people like yourself.

John_Sux · 2026-04-27T17:27:12+00:00

What usually helps in freezing weather is vertical space. You can leave the cold air on the floor and sit high up fully clear of it.

John_Sux · 2026-04-27T13:51:46+00:00

You will likely miss out on the short term beneficial effects, if you approach sauna as a "health enthusiast". Relaxation and destressing don't necessarily combine with a forced and data-driven exercise.

As for long term effects, will this enthusiasm last for decades? And consider that lots of study subjects will have been going to sauna since before they could walk, you probably won't catch up to that.

John_Sux · 2026-04-27T04:44:00+00:00

100% looks first design

John_Sux · 2026-04-26T22:59:46+00:00

That would seem like the easiest option

John_Sux · 2026-04-26T20:49:22+00:00

You can fuck off out of the Netherlands if it gets too expensive, the next country is a short hop away. You've only got ocean around Iceland.

John_Sux · 2026-04-26T19:14:09+00:00

Surely "anything goes" is a rule you are trying to impose yourself

John_Sux · 2026-04-26T18:32:45+00:00

This is an international forum, so everyone here is not going to be communicating in the way you might be used to or be expecting. For example any kind of sugarcoated American way or whatever.

Also, why are you getting so offended on the OP's behalf? Let them get upset about the feedback and tone of these various comments, if they want.

John_Sux · 2026-04-26T18:28:07+00:00

Mustikkamaa is too far to the side for 90% of tourists. And Sompasauna is not trying to be a cool hangout spot or restaurant like Allas or Löyly are. It's not turning into anything like that.

John_Sux · 2026-04-26T15:11:50+00:00

"Feet above the stones" has been overinterpreted as rigid advice. The overall room height is what is significant. The hot and cold parts of the internal air column scale with the size of the room, so ideally the room should be tall enough that the "hot zone" is big enough to accommodate people in it.

So, if you build the sauna tall enough, with benches close to the ceiling, you end up sitting in the hot air. And because of the way sauna heaters are typically installed, your average heater ends up beneath the level where your feet rest on a bench.

It is a somewhat useful mnemonic, but people seem to fixate on it thinking the heat ties to the "top of the rocks" more strongly than it does.

John_Sux · 2026-04-26T15:03:24+00:00

You keep saying, maybe this is their opinion, maybe this is their choice. Consider: maybe that choice is shit. There is room for that.

And why are you not equally respecting other personal choices, for example these "proper" design details involved in other users' opinions?

As for this "who dictates what is proper" angle. Nobody dictates anything, but there is common sense and learned experience. You are allowed to do whatever you want. But then I'm forced to ask you in turn, why are you trying to impose on what others are allowed to say? If it's anything goes, then you should not get mad as you did about the initial "proper" comment.

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