In a long-time dance with the power and effect of visiting Wild Rice Retreat on the shores of Lake Superior, I’m excited to deliver a three-day immersive sauna experience for women there. Wild Rise: Rituals of Renewal, October 16–18, at Wild Rice Retreat is a full-sensory experience via sauna and cold immersion, rooted in community, ritual, a softening and deep restoration.
It draws upon global sauna rituals intended to inform so that each can make of it their own practice and ritual. It leans into sauna and the connection to mental and social health. It delivers on cold immersion by Belén Fleming, another Revivery-trained* guide alongside me, who understands that cold, like heat, is a teacher if you let it be. And it provides a space for artistic expression lead by Kada Goalen, talented mural artist and expressionist. Clarity is a resounding theme of the weekend and to that end, elevated nonalcoholic pours will be offered, not as the alternative option but as the norm. That, too, is a kind of rising.
Across the retreat experience we’ll move through several sauna sessions using the same three rounds within a session with a cadence I’ve come to trust — awareness, then depth, then integration — enough time to feel a meaningful thought arrive and enough time to let it settle before asking what it means. My culture of sauna talk will infuse insights gleaned from having just spent September in Norway, including four immersive days in Oslo, Norway at the International Sauna Congress learning about ritual, culture, and how other places have tended this fire for centuries longer than I have.
The Container: Wild Rice Retreat
The rising popularity of sauna -- its full experience known as thermic bathing -- is global, cultural, varied, and a timeless tradition. A practice passed down among generations and the stuff family legacy is made of, is now reaching a widespread audience that is newly coming to the experience with curiosity. And rightfully so. Sauna is for every human body. The physical, mental health, and social and longevity benefits are more researched, real, and accessible than ever.
Wild Rice Retreat with its Sauna Haus onsite since its origin in 2021, has been providing sauna experiences with a connection to nature and a reverence for the ritual. I’ve been fortunate to guide sauna experiences on several weekends since 2024 for retreat guests and can attest to its credible reputation as a feature destination resort in the Midwest, recently lauded as one of Oprah’s top wellness retreats in the world, and consistently ranked in the top three by Condé Nast.
The Agenda (more at Jen Veralle Retreats)
Rituals of Renewal isn’t a prescribed formula so although me and my co-hosts will share our practice of sauna, it’s truly about tapping into intuition and channeling what any one individual wishes to create for their sole purpose, growth, and renewal. The energy will ebb from reflective to celebratory and harness the collective goodness of women gathering. It’s for seasoned sauna goers and those who are sauna curious, wishing to deepen their practice and find community.
Oct 16, Friday:
+ Welcome and guided sauna ritual by Jen Veralle, certified Revivery guide
Oct 17, Saturday:
+ Cold Immersion in Lake Superior: guided by Belén Fleming, certified Revivery guide
+ A Culture of Sauna: sauna and cold immersion cultural lens, ritual, and a recap of Norway experiences, by Jen Veralle
+ Sauna for Women: research through the female lens
+ Optional activities
+ Art Immersion: by Kada Goalen, mural artist
+ Evening sauna session guided by Jen Veralle
Oct 18, Sunday:
+ Cold Immersion in Lake Superior: guided by Belén Fleming, certified Revivery guide
+ Open sauna
+ Closing session: Integration of ritual and owning it by Jen Veralle
Rituals of Renewal is open to anyone ready to feel deeply well — no experience necessary, just a willingness to show up, slow down, soften, and rise. The weekend is intentionally unhurried with unstructured time for forest hikes, art, journaling, and reflection.
Come rise with us!
- Jen
*The Revivery method is a bio-psycho-social approach to hot and cold contrast therapy that honors the whole person: physical, emotional, and relational. I, along with Belén, a retreat co-host, became certified in this method in 2025 and have been delivering guided sauna and cold immersion experiences ever since. Revivery is Tampa-based, led by Annette Scott and Tricia Will.
Elevated nonalcoholic pours as the norm, not the alternative — that's the kind of quiet reframe hospitality needs more of. Your event and Wild Rice are the only real reasons I want to come back to Wisconsin ;)