KOS Sauna Brings Floating Nordic Bathing to Upstate New York
Kate Butchart discovered sauna culture in Oslo, then built a floating sauna on Saratoga Lake that books up weeks in advance.
Kate Butchart didn't set out to start a sauna business. She moved to Oslo in 2018, and floating saunas became part of her weekly routine. After more than a decade abroad, she returned to the U.S. with an idea: bring authentic Nordic sauna culture to Upstate New York. KOS Sauna, a floating sauna on Saratoga Lake, is the result.
The Build
Butchart worked with Norwegian architect Bjornar Skaar Haveland to design the sauna, incorporating Finnish construction principles: multi-level seating for proper heat distribution, dedicated ventilation, a curved ceiling to improve loyly (steam) circulation, and high-quality materials throughout. It's a small operation, but it's built right.
Sessions book out weeks in advance. The demand surprised even Butchart, who initially expected a slower ramp-up in a market without an established sauna culture.
Saunas are not a trend chasing attention. They are a return to something deeply human.
Why It Matters
KOS Sauna is part of a broader pattern: individuals with firsthand experience of Nordic or Finnish sauna culture returning to the U.S. (or Canada, or Australia) and building authentic sauna experiences in their local communities. These aren't venture-backed rollouts. They're passion projects that happen to be excellent businesses because the demand is real.
Butchart attended the World Sauna Forum in Finland, which deepened her understanding of Finnish sauna construction standards. She's focused on "meaningful growth" rather than rapid expansion, with potential for additional saunas and new locations down the line.
Arlene Scott
Senior Wellness Correspondent & Hospitality Consultant
Arlene Scott brings over fifteen years of reporting and consulting experience across energy infrastructure, sustainable design, and thermotherapy-focused hospitality.
Full byline
Arlene Scott is a Senior Wellness Correspondent for SaunaNews.com, bringing over fifteen years of experience at the intersection of energy infrastructure, sustainable design, and thermotherapy. Her work focuses on the physiological benefits of passive heat therapies and the sustainable integration of sauna culture into modern wellness routines.
Arlene's background is rooted in the clean energy transition. She was a founding writer at MicrogridMedia.com, where she covered the technical and economic viability of desalination projects, microgrid deployments, and distributed renewable energy systems. During the mid-2010s, she was a regular contributor to Greentech Media (GTM) during its independent era — prior to the Wood Mackenzie acquisition in 2016 — reporting on the early integration of thermal energy storage and sustainable infrastructure.
Transitioning her focus from macro-energy systems to human-scale wellness, Arlene now applies her technical background to the hospitality sector. She operates as an independent consultant, advising boutique hotels and eco-resorts on the design, energy efficiency, and historical authenticity of commercial sauna and thermal spa installations. Her consulting work ensures that high-end wellness facilities balance traditional Nordic bathing principles with modern sustainable engineering.
Arlene holds a specialized certification in Applied Thermic Wellness from the Nordic Institute of Passive Heat Studies (NIPHS) and is a recognized associate member of the International Sauna Association (ISA). When she isn't reviewing the latest innovations in infrared technology or consulting on a new resort project, Arlene can be found tending to her own traditional wood-fired sauna in the Pacific Northwest. You can read her complete archive of essays on energy, wellness, and sustainable living at www.arlenescott.com.
