Heat, health, and community on Okanagan Lake

Sweat culture on the beach

Photo: Kathy Michaels

Sweat Culture, a mobile sauna business, opened up on Peachland's Beach Avenue as winter got underway and ever since it has been drawing locals and visitors alike to an area that few tread during the winter months.

A new outdoor sauna in Peachland is turning heads and offering warm social connections on the waterfront during the traditionally dark, chilly days of winter.

Sweat Culture, a mobile sauna business, opened up on Peachland's Beach Avenue as winter got underway and ever since it has been drawing locals and visitors alike to an area that few tread during the winter months.

“We know that in the wintertime, people hibernate, and so one of our taglines is, 'we don’t hibernate.' We want to get people out of their house,” Braden Dombowsky, the local builder behind the venture, said.

“The idea with sweat is when you’re doing stuff that elevates your heart rate, and you’re doing that with a group of people, it really creates connection… it’s just a great place to connect with them.”

Guests alternate between the sauna and the lake, customizing their experience.

“You just got to listen to your body, so you might stay in the sauna for five minutes or 30 minutes, it really depends, but the average time in sauna is about, say, 15 minutes… and then you come out and you cool down,” he explained.

Dombowsky said that the little sauna has been drawing people from Peachland, West Kelowna, and Kelowna. Each of these cities also have somewhat similar amenities on offer, with the sauna and cold plunge movement exploding in popularity in recent years.

The Global Wellness Summit said in 2025 report that saunas are in the midst of a "global renaissance of an ancient tradition" worldwide.

"One key aspect of this is the way in which saunas are evolving from simple sanctuaries of relaxation into vibrant hubs," a report from the Summit said.

That said, it's still new to some and Dombowsky encouraged people to try it, especially for special events. It was a popular feature on the waterfront New Year's Day, when the community polar bear dip was held down the road.

“Better book it. Book it while seats last, because it’ll be really fun to go do the polar plunge and then come and use the sauna after,” he said.

With Sweat Culture, Dombowsky hopes to offer a winter activity that’s healthy, social, and rooted in the community. “We wanted to bring something that contributes to the community in a place that we live,” he said.

Sweat Culture offers private rentals and social drop-in hours, with 75-minute sessions for $25.

“The idea is to make it accessible. We lowered the price to something we felt was super reasonable, and we just want it to be used and enjoyed and for people to really get the health benefits and the social benefits of using the sauna,” Dombowsky said.