After taking her first cold plunge in 2017, Michelle Baker transformed the backyard of her Vancouver farmhouse into one of the best sauna setups in the greater Portland area. What started as a personal electric barrel sauna and a bathtub cold plunge is now a sprawling garden with three wood-burning saunas, two circulating cold plunges held as low as 32 degrees, a concrete hot tub, outdoor showers, a yurt for sound baths and other events, and several chaise lounges and hammocks for post-plunge basking. Alder and maple crackle in the two public wood-burning saunas, where large windows look out onto the central gardens; in the warmer months, watch birds and bees flitting among the zinnias and dahlias. The mobile sauna, silent for meditation or introspection, sits between 180 and 210 degrees, as does the more social cabin sauna. Hand-carved wooden doors lead to a reservable wood-burning sauna in a private spa area, with three soaking tubs and its own changing area. Those who want to settle in can rent the Airbnb on-site, with a second-floor deck that looks over the whole sauna scene. Don’t come here expecting high-end spa luxury, but it’s a serious deal compared to other spots in the area—$40 for two hours is generous, but $65 for a full day’s use is basically unheard of. —Brooke Jackson-Glidden

This converted Craftsman on NE Everett feels most like a community hub of any of the sauna spots on this list. Groups of all ages chat within the cerulean outdoor soaking tub, naked or not, while others order kombucha from the nearby teahouse or linger around the outdoor firepit. Everett House consists of two main buildings and a conjoining outdoor garden, including a social side with changing rooms and an electric sauna and a silent side with both a steam room and sauna. The conversation-friendly sauna has a built-in salt wall, which purportedly helps purify the air within the room. Portlanders enter the silent sauna through a small “elf door,” as the staff calls it, which leads into a cubby-like space, well-suited to meditative sessions. Two outdoor, converted bathtubs—a personal tub that’s filled per use, and a communal tub that staff regularly drain and refill—serve as refreshing, if not terribly chilly, cold plunges. —BJG

Knot Springs is as much a social club as it is a wellness center, hosting members-only events that range from parties to astrological readings. The waitlist for membership rivals the length of I-5, but nonmembers can still visit the club’s famous “springs,” a collection of soaking tubs, sauna, steam room, and cold plunge with expansive views of the Willamette and its bridges. Etched into a stone column at the center of the space, “the ritual” serves as a step-by-step guide to soaking, dipping, and sweating your way through the springs, starting in the tepid, calm soaking tub before oscillating between hot spaces and the 47-degree cold plunge. Yes, the soaking pools are lovely, but the spa’s sauna is its own draw: swimsuited visitors to the cedar sauna can watch cars crawl across the Steel Bridge from their steamy seats, as temperatures inside climb upward of 210 degrees, making it one of the hottest saunas in Portland. The nearby steam room hangs out at around 120 degrees, and the water is infused with an ever-changing cast of essential oils—think eucalyptus, pine, and wood scents in the winter, and florals and cut grass in the warmer months. Knot Springs spikes the sauna water with the same oils, so a similar steam rises when visitors pour a ladle of water over the hot stones. —BJG

The Finnish word “löyly,” pronounced “low-lu,” refers to the steam that rises from water-soaked rocks in a sauna. It has a strong spiritual connotation, too: For Finns, that steam represents the human soul and life force, also called löyly. Portland’s pioneering public sauna, Löyly was one of the first spas in the area to skip the popular soaking pool accompaniment and instead focus entirely on the Finnish steam bathing experience. Its two close-in locations are home to electric cedar saunas, with wooden chaise lounges for post-steam relaxation, tea sipping, and foot baths. The team make their own skin oils, scrubs, and foot soaks as optional add-ons, while in-house masseuses provide back and foot rubs that lean on a combination of Swedish and deep-tissue techniques; get a facial as a capper. Löyly is big on the communal nature of Finnish tradition, but those hoping for privacy can also rent out the space for a private session, hosting up to eight people for $300. —BJG

Private-rental sauna studios have become more popular across the country, and Portland is home to a few variations. The North Williams location of this national chain is probably the most luxurious for contrast therapy nerds and infrared sauna enthusiasts. Infrared saunas operate at a lower temperature than traditional ones. Pure Sweat houses six private sauna suites, including two with showers and a high-end cold plunge with varying degrees of circulation (the “river mode” replicates the washing machine sloshing of whitewater). The sauna-only rooms come with private TVs visible from the bench, for music or guided meditations (or watching Netflix—you do you). All Pure Sweaters can choose the heat level for their sauna (up to 170, though 120 to 140 is typical for an infrared sauna), and the studio’s contrast rooms have personal Bluetooth speakers, whether you want to blast Enya or Metallica mid-shvitz. Become a member or just pop in; the contrast therapy rooms are available for two-person sessions, as well. —BJG

The gently clinical vibes are intentional: This little complex across from the Slabtown New Seasons includes a naturopath, acupuncturist, yoga studio, and café, along with typical spa stuff like facials and massages. Services include a private (a.k.a. phone booth–size) infrared sauna available for 30-minute appointments. Visitors typically book this as an add-on to a spa treatment, or pair it with a half-hour hydrotherapy soak in a deep bath run with Epsom salts or CBD oil. A Root membership gets you a discount on these services, the idea being that we should prioritize the wellness benefits of saunas and massage the way we do Pilates class or gym visits. Root also has a traditional cedar sauna members or infrared sauna users can pop into for no additional charge. Between this and the adjacent relaxation room filled with free tea and quiet contemplation, even nonmembers can stretch a single sauna session into an afternoon of robe-wearing repose. —Allecia Vermillion