I didn’t think I’d be launching Part Two of my new series, Overheard in the Asheville Saunas, so soon, but I guess with the weather is getting colder, the fact that I’ve been spending less time over in West Asheville (for no specific reason: I think I’ve got to remedy that), and the clientele of Asheville (and thus, the Asheville sauna goers) seems to be shifting, it makes sense.
If you want a rationale for starting this series, check out the inaugural post, but the long and short of it is that for because they foster conversation and attract specific types of folks, saunas are a great place to not really even eavesdrop, but simply listen to some wild conversation snippets, which I do my best to share here with as little context as possible.
- “One of the wildest nights of my life happened at a truckstop between Savannah and Burlington.” Editor’s Note: They were indeed discussing Savannah, Georgia, and Burlington, Vermont, a route that is at least 1,028 miles long and passes through 8-10 states. Not specifying—or knowing…—where this truckstop actually was is a wild choice.
- “All you ever really need to start a business are some investors and a dream.” Editor’s Note: But what about a mission statement?
- “If you could align with some local decision makers, that would really supercharge things.” Editor’s Note: The Sauna House, in particular, is becoming a real hub for corporate yogababble.
- “I know copper is grounding, but I never knew about pewter.”
- “There are some real free thinkers up in Vermont.” Editor’s Note: Yes, this was the same person who had a wild truckstop night.
- “I try and sit in here for 20-40 minutes at least. It saves me time at the gym.” Editor’s Note: Joe Rogan superfans don’t need to wear iconic red hats for you to know that they are Joe Rogan superfans.
- “I’ve stopped getting sick since I’ve started using this.” Editor’s Note: See above Editor’s Note.
- “What I love about the wellness industry is that everyone is here for the right reasons.” Editor’s Note: If this doesn’t strike you as the statement of a grifter, respectfully, you deserve to be grifted.
- “But have you tried cupping?”
- “The goal is to, like, set up my very own ultra-marathon, but with a unique twist.” Editor’s Note: Yes, it’s killing me that I didn’t overhear the unique twist.
- “We all want to take our creative passions and turn them into unique, community-based events that brings the community together and really just fosters creativity.” Editor’s Note 1: I absolutely love how this man essentially said the same thing twice in one sentence. Editor’s Note 2: This was in conversation with the aspiring ultra-marathon creator. The word unique was thrown out a couple more times, which leads me to believe it’s replaced authenticity as the buzzword du jour of the personal-branding set. Editor’s Note 3: See above Editor’s Note on grifting.
Honorable mention goes out to the man at my gym who brought an iPad into the sauna to watch a cooking show, then got very pissy when a few people asked him not to play it at full volume.
Final Editor’s Note: This picture was what ChatGPT gave me when I asked it, “Can you create a picture of hipster tech folk sitting in a sauna being impressed with themselves?” AI ain’t all bad.
AshevilleExplorer 