Fire & Ice Sauna Experience

1603 N Lake Shore Dr (North Avenue Beach), Chicago, IL

Fire & Ice is the North Avenue Beach answer to winter: two wood-fired cedar sauna huts and a heated geodesic dome, dropped onto the sand each November by Thunder Domes, the Chicago builder whose owner and lead designer Matt Obal makes the saunas himself. You book a 50-minute slot in one of the two huts, sweat with the lake in view, and walk straight into Lake Michigan to cool down. The dome is where you change, warm up and stash your things. A session is $35 and up; weekends are the main event (Saturday 9:30 to 5, Sunday 10 to 4:30) with a short Friday afternoon window. Groups can take over the whole camp, both saunas and the dome, for two hours from $350 (up to 12 people), or $400 outside normal hours. Day-of cancellations aren't refunded. The season runs November through March; the owner posted in September that it's returning this winter. Expect a rustic, open-air setup with no showers and an audience of joggers and dog-walkers on the Lakefront Trail. Bring a towel, a swimsuit, sandals and a hat for the walk back.