Few things feel as rewarding as a proper schvitz. Take a quick look at Finland, routinely ranked the world’s happiest country, where 5.5 million people share 3.3 million saunas. You could credit their social safety net, their work-life balance, their trust in government (must be nice), or their closeness with nature. But after going regularly for the first time in my life, I’m hard-pressed not to believe some of that happiness comes from good ol’ sitting and sweating.

One might ask, “Why is it that you’ve deprived yourself of this simple pleasure?” There are a few reasons: one, while living in New York on a writer’s salary I just couldn’t afford it; two, I thought of it as an old man’s thing to do; and three, the whole hushed spa vibe just isn’t my bag. So imagine my surprise when I moved to Denver and stumbled upon Portal° Thermaculture in the Highlands where all three of these issues were swept away with a natural grace. My even greater surprise came when I reached out with a few questions and was swiftly connected to the founder himself, Will Drescher.

“We are transplants in a way,” said Drescher over the phone, after just opening a new Portal° location in Bozeman, MT. “I view what we’re doing as bringing the space to where the neighborhoods are and the different people put their wabi-sabi onto it… it develops and creates its own culture.”

Portal°’s Highlands location opened just over a year ago on Feb. 15, 2025, a phoenix from the ashes of their short-lived “pop-up” in Boulder, CO, which burned down in early January of that same year. The first location and their business model was a product of circumstance. After looking for spaces in Boulder – a city with a penchant for fresh air and self-care – and realizing it wasn’t financially feasible to build a traditional spa, they decided to go barebones with it, and as they say, “If you build it they will come.”

“You can’t really create a movement of building $3 to $5 million bathhouses. You can, but you need to go get money from venture capital,” said Drescher. “[With Portal°’s model] there will be more people who will have positive experiences with these archaic means of relating to being a human being that are such potent medicine right now…people need a dive bar that doesn’t serve alcohol.”

At first glance one might think that the Highlands location – nestled behind the Wellcare Market Nurture – is a pop-up as well. There is very little overhead: two saunas, three cold plunges, a shower, a small front office, two changing rooms, some lockers and a seating area. And by little overhead I also mean no roof. It’s all outdoors.

None of this is to say Drescher and the tastemakers of Portal° haven’t given the space all the tools they need and more. The facilities are well cared for and once one settles in they notice the love that goes into the place. Subtleties present themselves. There are stylish stained glass windows, well cared for flora, a procession of aromas from essential oils and incense, and selected books on contrast therapy and the social sauna.

I’m no stranger to the benefits of contrast therapy, of which there are many. (The cold reduces inflammation, increases immune functions, and boosts metabolic rates. The heat helps with stress, skin health, respiratory and cardiovascular function, not to mention it detoxifies the body.) In fact, in one of my favorite novels, Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins the main characters use contrast therapy in an attempt to approach immortality. I can’t say it’ll make you live forever, but the head rush from the heat followed by pins and needles massaging the body from going 200°+ to 44° is an ancient pleasure.

“In Finland, they talk about the löyly – the steam and the spirit of the sauna that’s imbued with the energy of a space,” mused Drescher. “I think you got to crank the heat…and you’re having an experience.“

Portal°’s saunas keep it cranked. They went through a few iterations to get the set up just right, moving from wood-burning saunas, to propane to the steady electric heaters we gather around today. Which leads me to the real reason I’ve been so grateful for Portal°. We gather together.

Through the simple steps of going to this space, putting your phone in your locker, changing into a swimsuit, removing your jewelry, putting on that silly gnome hat, and stepping into the sauna, you’re no longer a law student, a fintech entrepreneur, a registered nurse, physical therapist, MUSIC marketer, union electrician, or even a journalist. You’re just a person sitting on an even plane, in an even heat – and that’s something to talk about and revel in. At Portal°, people do.

“There’s this experience of shedding the persona that we all trade on in modern society… a lot of the peacocking we do as people is dropped,” said Drescher. “It’s the great equalizer – everyone is having a shared, cathartic, vulnerable experience.”

If you’re not one for talking, I assure you a cold plunge will change that. Social discomfort is one thing; physical discomfort always wins. Too, the joy of warming up is a shared joy and watching those goosebumps subside seems to always be accompanied with a smile.

Portal° is a place where conversation flows because it’s hot and we’ve shed our armor. All that remains is steam, people, and music. (The space occasionally hosts DJ nights with fitting downtempo beats, along with live music and sound baths.) It’s small enough that you fill it simply by being there. And without your phone, your presence is required. Mindfulness teachers tell us to return to the breath, to the body. At Portal°, the heat, the cold, and the people won’t let you forget.

“One of the things I really like about Portal° is that Portal° follows you out of Portal°,” Drescher said.

He’s right. Hours later, when the steam has cleared and your phone is back in your hand, something lingers – a looseness in the body, a softness in conversation, a quiet reminder that being a person, sitting among other people, is enough.

Portal has locations in Denver, Boulder, Minneapolis, and Bozeman.