Entry No. 43 — the Tampa file — filed under: nordic sauna
The Sauna Guys
A community-focused contrast therapy studio in historic Ybor City featuring a custom Minnesota-built Finnish sauna and deep cold plunge tubs. Small-group 60-minute sessions guide participants through intentional rounds of heat, cold exposure, and structured breathwork.
The story
Seeking out intense wood-fired heat in Tampa might sound like voluntary torture given the local climate, but two friends decided Florida was missing true Nordic sweat culture. Tucked inside Cigar City CrossFit on North 24th Street in Ybor City, they brought in a custom Finnish sauna built out of Upper Peninsula timber alongside deep ice tubs to force a brutal thermal shock onto anyone willing to step inside.
This isn't a quiet luxury spa with cucumber water and soft ambient music. It's raw contrast therapy built around 60-minute small-group sessions where you cycle through guided breathwork, heavy sweat in the cedar box, and strict three-minute submersions in freezing water. You didn't hear it from us, but doing three plunge cycles back-to-back will clear your head faster than three shots of espresso.
What it's like
You'll roll up to 1703 N 24th Street and step directly into the warehouse footprint of Cigar City CrossFit. Wear a swimsuit or quick-dry shorts, bring your own towel and water bottle, and leave your ego at the door. An instructor leads your small group through deliberate breathwork patterns before coaching you through the wood-fired dry heat and into the bone-chilling plunge tubs. The ice dips are a mental battle, but the breathwork keeps your nervous system from going into total panic. Space inside the hot room is tight and operating hours skew toward evening blocks, so reserve your slot online in advance.
The move: Book a guided 60-minute Nordic sauna and ice-bath session, brave three-minute plunge cycles together, and grab Cuban coffees in Ybor afterwards.
- 📍 Ybor City
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: 1703 N 24th St, Tampa, FL 33605
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Madame Fortune Dessert + HiFi Parlour — Follow up your intense heat-and-ice thermal shock with vinyl record acoustics and elevated Caribbean dishes tucked inside a deli down the street.
- Dysfunctional Grace Art Co. — Keep the strange offbeat momentum going by browsing taxidermy and osteology oddities above 7th Avenue after your session.
- SpookEasy Lounge & The Catacombs — Trade the cold plunge tubs for botanical kava and kratom elixirs served on vintage Ouija tables in a hidden gothic lounge.
Good to know
Where inside Ybor City is this located?
They operate out of Cigar City CrossFit at 1703 N 24th St in Ybor City.
What should I bring with me?
Bring a clean towel, a reusable water bottle, sandals or slides, and swimwear or light workout shorts you don't mind getting wet.
How long is a class and what does it include?
Sessions run for 60 minutes and guide small groups through structured breathwork, wood-fired Finnish sauna heat, and 3-minute cold plunge cycles.
Do I need to book ahead?
Yes. Group sizes are kept small to ensure everyone gets time in the heat and cold, so walk-ins aren't guaranteed a spot.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Instagram · classpass.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-07-21