Mikkel Aaland

"It's All An Adventure"

Current News

 

 

Here is a current list of my recent "It's All an Adventure" newsletter topics with links. Sign up to receive the latest newsletters here.

 

A Sauna For Staryi Sambir

 

On the Road to Ukraine: There is No War in Sauna

 

Sauna Aid for Ukrainian Refugees

 

Angler Fish Sauna

 

Spirit Photography: Photographing the Sublime

 

Sweat Art in the Time of Covid

 

The Aaland Ulefoss Sauna: Reinventing the Modern Nordic Sweat

 

When Sweating is a Good Thing

 

To-to-no-tta: The Power of a Word

 

What is Aufguss?

 

Book Review: Without the Banya We Would Perish

 

Honoring the Dead: From Burning Man to Mt. Kailash

 

Nude or Not Nude?

 

23 and Me: Where are you from, where are you going?

 

Do Rocks Have a Spirit?

 

Chris Marker & Honoring Creativity

 

The Aufguss towel, a wizard's wand

 

Photography is Dead

 

Why Sweat? A Medical Research Update

 

Perfect Sweat Towel Installation: An homage to world wellness

 

On Photographing Inside Hot Steamy Rooms

 

The Sauna & Coronavirus

 

 

May 2022

Perfect Sweat Ready for Distribution

Seven Episodes of Perfect Sweat are complete and ready for distribution via Off The Fence.

 

April 24,  2021

Great Bathing Cultures of the World: The Japanese Bath with Mikkel Aaland

A Context lecture event.  Sign up here

 

Join a published author on a journey through the history of Japanese bathing as we experience the Japanese bath in its many forms. We’ll gain insight into a culture that sees cleanliness as a way to godliness and we’ll understand why the Japanese passion for bathing is legendary.

 

In this lecture, we will travel to Japan as we will learn about Japanese baths in their many forms, from serene natural onsen (hot springs), to ancient sweat bathing forms such as the kama-buro (kiln bath), the mushi-buro (steam bath), and the kara-buro (cave bath). We will also examine a recent trend, the national obsession with the Finnish sauna. By the end, participants will gain insight into why the Japanese see cleanliness as a way to godliness.

 

 

March 4, 2021

Great Bathing Cultures of the World: The Finnish Sauna with Mikkel Aaland

A Context lecture event.  Sign up here.

 

Studying how locals bathe opens a window into a culture’s soul and reveals attitudes toward wellness, community, and nature. Modern Americans largely embrace the efficient and solitary shower but for other cultures around the world, bathing is a social event steeped in history and often accompanied by ancient rituals and traditional customs.

 

In this lecture, we will travel to the far north, to Finland, to the home of the Finnish sauna. Here we will find a simple wood structure, often fired by wood, heating and cleaning bodies from the inside out. Finns hold dearly to the belief in the healing power of their bath and it is said there are more saunas in Finland than cars.

 

Hamam Magazine

 

Hamam is a beautifully printed, new quarterly magazine celebrating the art and culture of bathing. I am honored to be a contributor to the first three issues. You can subscribe to the magazine here.

 

 

Interview with fireman Nick Holderbaum

 

Recently I spent some quality time talking sweat with fireman Nick Holderbaum. Nick is a huge advocate for building saunas into every firehouse, not only as a way to help detoxify firemen after exposure to unwanted chemicals but as a way to acclimatize them to extreme heat. I love Nick’s passion and his mission.

 

Our recorded conversation can be found here:

 

Apple

 

 

June 3, 2017

 

Sweat eBook Now Available Worldwide!

 

Sweat, The Illustrated History and Description of the Finnish Sauna, Russian Bania, Islamic Hammam, Japanese Mushi-Buro, Mexican Temescal, and American Indian & Eskimo Sweatlodge by Mikkel Aaland is now available for the first time in ebook format.

 

 

 

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