New Business Spotlight: Varm Seder Sauna Brings Social Sauna Culture to Kenmore

A new wellness business opening in Kenmore in mid-November is built on a simple idea: get warm, cool off, and spend time with others.

Varm Seder Sauna, founded by Jennifer Younger and David Gudgel, will offer a traditional cedar sauna experience on Kenmore’s Brewery Row, next to the Burke-Gilman Trail. Its motto captures the concept: “Hot Cedar. Cold Water. Good Company.”

The business combines traditional sauna bathing with an outdoor barrel waterfall shower and a place to relax between rounds. But for the founders, the goal goes beyond relaxation. They hope to create a welcoming gathering place where friends can reconnect, strangers can meet, and the community can slow down together.

From a West Seattle garage to Kenmore

The idea began in 2020, when the pandemic disrupted everyday routines and separated people from many of their usual social connections.

Younger and Gudgel responded by converting their detached garage in West Seattle into a Western red cedar sauna. The warmth, cedar scent, and regular ritual quickly became part of their daily lives.

After moving north to the Lake Washington area in 2023, they built another sauna. Their thinking continued to evolve after they attended a public sauna session on the Puget Sound waterfront with a group of strangers.

The experience showed them that the social side of sauna bathing could be just as meaningful as the heat itself. What had started as a personal refuge could also be a way to build relationships and bring people together.

That realization ultimately led to Varm Seder Sauna.

The name is intended to evoke the warmth of cedar. The founders describe their approach as rooted in Nordic sauna culture, where bathing can be a shared experience rather than a solitary activity.

How the sauna experience works

Guests will book 60-minute sessions in a handcrafted Western red cedar sauna heated by a propane-fired stove. Guests can pour water over the heated rocks to create löyly, the wave of steam associated with traditional Finnish sauna bathing.

After warming up, guests can cool down beneath an outdoor barrel waterfall shower, then rest and repeat at their own pace. The cold shower is optional; visitors can simply enjoy the sauna and relax between rounds.

Sessions are limited to 16 guests, keeping the atmosphere smaller and more social than a large public facility. The business also offers private-session arrangements for groups, celebrations and team gatherings.

The facility is designed for adults ages 18 and older. Swimsuits are required, and guests should bring a towel and a water bottle. Towel rentals are available, and changing rooms include an ADA-accessible changing bay.

Its location is another part of the appeal. Varm Seder sits directly alongside the Burke-Gilman Trail, making it accessible to walkers and bikers as well as those arriving by car. Shared bike racks are available nearby.

What will it cost?

Varm Seder’s published pricing offers several ways to try the experience or make sauna visits part of a regular routine.

• First-timer special: $30 for one 60-minute session.
• Drop-in session: $39 for one 60-minute session.
• Three-session package: $109, or about $36.33 per visit.
• Five-session package: $169, or $33.80 per visit.
• Ten-session package: $299, or $29.90 per visit.
• Founding membership: $179 per month.

The limited-time founding membership includes towel service, a monthly guest pass, a choice of one Varm Seder merchandise item, and the option to pause membership for up to 60 days during a 12-month period.

The company says its founding-member offer is limited. Full details and current availability are available on its website.

A new gathering place on Brewery Row

Varm Seder Sauna is located at 7324 NE 175th St., Suite F, in Kenmore, alongside the Burke-Gilman Trail and near Copperworks Distilling, De La Soil Restaurant and Ember Smokehouse.

The founders see their neighboring businesses as part of the experience. Guests can make a sauna session one stop in a larger outing, with food and drinks close by without needing to move the car.

For Younger and Gudgel, the larger ambition is to build a place where community develops naturally. Their hope is that a sauna session might leave guests feeling refreshed—and perhaps a little more connected to the people around them.

Varm Seder Sauna

Expected opening: Mid-November 2026

Address: 7324 NE 175th St., Suite F, Kenmore, WA 98028

Phone: 206-455-4803

Email: support@varmsedersauna.com

Facebook

Website: varmsedersauna.com

Pricing: View sessions and memberships

Facebook: Varm Seder Sauna

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