Todd Kreckman, a homeowner from Portage, Wis., and his family built a sauna as soon as they moved in. He knew that his family wouldn’t be living there for more than two years. He says, “I knew that I would lose my entire value in the sauna, because no one wanted to have a sauna at home in that area, but we built it anyway.”
When his family moved to their forever home, two years later the same thought came into his head. “Where will I put a Sauna here?” “Where am I going to put a sauna here?”
Kreckman, who has been using saunas since he was six years old, did not enjoy the idea of living without one. His solution? His solution?
He began his research. Rob Licht Custom Saunas in Lansing (N.Y.), located nearly 900 miles from Kreckman, provided the construction plans that helped bring Kreckman’s mobile sauna to life.
Behind the Business
Rob Licht is an artist first and foremost. He says he was trained as an artist and taught at a local community college for many years. “But, like many artists, I didn’t make a lot and had to work in the trades just to survive.”
He was sometimes brought into the building of a sauna, much to his delight. “Like Todd, I grew up enjoying saunas. I had many Finnish friends who had an old Finnish sauna built in the 1930s on their property. It was one of the oldest Finnish saunas still standing in upstate New York. We dreamed about making our own Finnish saunas one day.
He had a real knack for niche products, thanks to his talent as a sculptor, his trades experience, and his passion. He soon quit his job as a sculptor and began building saunas.
Over 35 years later business is booming. Licht has been receiving calls from around the globe. He says that the sauna business had been on the backburner for some time before the pandemic. “But then it was brought to the forefront, simmered — and it’s now at a full boiling.”
Going Mobile
Licht not only designs and builds wood-fired, traditional Finnish style saunas, which can reach temperatures of up to 100 degrees Celsius, but also steamy due to the loyly method (when water over rocks is poured for an authentic experience in a sauna), he also offers electric saunas.
Kreckman was not interested in the electric or wood-fired saunas when he came across Licht’s site. It was Licht’s offer to customers of building their own mobile Sauna using his tried and true blueprints. The PDF plans for the sauna are only available as a download to customers who want to build it once and use it non-commercially.
After purchasing the plans and signing an agreement of non-disclosure, my friend and I began building this mobile Sauna, and it turned out to be absolutely fantastic,” explains Kreckman.
Kreckman, his friend the carpenter, and they did customize it a bit — they installed a propane heater in place of wood because Kreckman felt that “while they are expensive (his cost him about $3,000), for portable saunas it gives you the freedom to go wherever you want and heat it quickly.” But for the most part the model is the closest they could make it to Licht’s original plans.
I kept telling my friend, “It’s on the plans, we’ve got to do it,” whenever something seemed impossible or he told me that a particular detail would take a lot of time. He is very talented and the final result was fantastic.”
The fact that Licht is available to help customers build their own saunas was a big plus. For lucky locals, Licht also offers a 3-day workshop that includes hands-on demos and covers all aspects of sauna construction.
Licht says that people aren’t buying construction plans, but access. “I am available to DIYers if there are any questions or clarifications needed. Todd and I had several conversations throughout the project.
Ready to Enjoy
Kreckman says that even after a long workday, he still thinks, “I can’t wait for the sauna to be ready tonight, especially during winter.” It’s amazing how going from hot to cool makes you feel alive.
He has shared his mobile sauna over the years with friends and family, inviting them to enjoy a steam whenever he feels like it. He says that his son Ryan, who initially didn’t enjoy a sauna, now loves them, invites all of his friends over and they always say, “Let’s start the sauna!”
Licht couldn’t agree more. “I have built some good relationships with clients over the years because they are interested in saunas. My profession has done a lot for me. “My first mobile sauna client is now my future spouse.”
Kreckman, in the end, is grateful for having had the chance to work with Licht. He says that he could have built the sauna for him, but since he lives in Wisconsin it would have been thousands of dollars. “I’m thankful that he provides this service to those who do not live in his locality.” “I’m definitely a happy customer.”
This article first appeared in the September 2023 issue of AQUA Magazine — the top resource for retailers, builders and service pros in the pool and spa industry. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to all industry professionals. Click
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