Health Update: Aspen Sauna Company brings wellness to world-class athletes – What Experts Say

Not even a year into the Aspen Sauna Company, Co-Founders Tyler Johnson and Tyler Hanzel have already partnered with Monster Energy and The Snow League to bring a new option of mobile wellness to athletes in the Roaring Fork Valley.

Johnson and Hanzel met in the valley and became fast friends, bonding over their shared first name, then their “love for life,” as Johnson put it, and finally their sauna company. About four to five years ago, Johnson had the idea for a mobile sauna company — after traveling to Sweden and Norway on a snowboarding trip a couple years later, he decided to put his plan into action.

“Sauna has always been something that’s so incredible, and they’re not super accessible in the U.S.,” Johnson said. “For me, every time I get that real sweat and walk out of the sauna, I feel amazing.”

According to him, after purchasing a horse trailer on Facebook Marketplace in Meeker, he asked Hanzel to help him work on it, since Hanzel is “an extremely talented woodworker.”

The next morning, Hanzel proposed a partnership.

“I wasn’t going to let him struggle through it without me struggling through it with him,” he said. “Through blood, sweat, tears and a lot of love, we were able to create something for the people.”

He emphasized that providing a unique opportunity for themselves and the community has consistently been at the forefront of their mission.

“The health and wellness around it, what we believe in, was the driver,” he said. “The business came as a result.”

According to Johnson, through Aspen Sauna Company, he and Hanzel wanted to honor Finland as much as possible by building a traditional steam sauna. The setup, which can fit into a parking space, provides a five to six person sauna and also includes a cold plunge opportunity.

“We didn’t want to cut any corners,” Johnson said. “We really looked at every single detail. You can really feel that.”

After working together over the summer and finishing up the build in late fall, early winter of last year, Aspen Sauna Company landed its first partnership with Monster Energy over X Games Aspen. The energy drink company brought Aspen Sauna Company to the MOLLIE Aspen for its athletes.

“People are winning gold medals in the X Games after they were in the sauna the morning of their event,” Johnson said. “That gave us a lot of pep in our step.”

Now, Aspen Sauna Company is teaming up with The Snow League to bring the sauna to the Inn at Aspen at the base of Buttermilk and create what he called a “wellness pavilion” Wednesday through Saturday of this week. 

“Wellness is an experience and a way to live,” Hanzel said. “For these world-class athletes, it’s part of their regime and training structures. We really had a lucky opportunity to be the first mobile sauna in Aspen that’s servicing this market.”

Will Morrow, event director for The Snow League, said that one of the resources they want to provide to all athletes are saunas. 

“Sauna and ice bath is just another layer of supporting muscles and recovery time. (Aspen Sauna Company) is super flexible, quick to respond and super stoked,” Morrow said.

But it’s not just the top-tier performers who can access this experience. Johnson and Hanzel are providing the sauna to everyone from visiting families to bachelorette trips and anyone in between. Most recently, they dropped it off at a house in Snowmass for the weekend.

“It really resonates as a beautiful thing we could provide to the community,” Johnson said. “The health and wellness field has really been booming, and I don’t think that’s going anywhere.”

He noted that another aspect of using a sauna allows people to get off their phones and spend time with each other.

“The conversations that flow in there are incredible,” he said. “There are no phones in there, and you really get to connect with people. The idea behind the sauna is you strip away your titles, your ego. Obviously, there are the physical health benefits, but then the mental health benefits, and emotional and spiritual benefits, are all also real.”

While Johnson and Hanzel started small this winter, they do have goals of building a second sauna that can accommodate eight to 10 people and are looking into building custom saunas in local houses.

“I believe hard work pays off,” Hanzel said. “There’s no possibility of failure if you don’t give up. We have great relations around this city and really appreciate what Aspen is. It’s a place of dreamers, and we have big dreams for Aspen Sauna Company and beyond that.”

For more information and for booking inquiries, visit aspensaunacompany.com. Aspen Sauna Company can also be found at @aspensaunacompany on Instagram or via phone at 970-379-6115 or 641-990-9496.