Sisu & Löyly plans major expansion on Grand Marais’ East Bay
Dec 01, 2025 08:58AM ● By Content Editor
By Brittany North - Boreal Community Media - December 1, 2025
Since opening in the fall of 2021, Sisu & Löyly has become a space for both locals and visitors seeking warmth, restoration, and a unique connection to the East Bay of Grand Marais. Owner Katie Usem says the business was born from her love of saunas and the wild, horizon-line view of the East Bay. After discovering saunas later in life—and realizing how much she enjoyed them with daylight or a view—she began seeking out sauna and thermal bathing experiences across Minnesota, the U.S., and abroad. Those experiences helped her imagine what Sisu could become.
The first year was focused on proving that a public sauna could thrive in Grand Marais. With a small team and steady community interest, that concept quickly took root. Over time, the business grew through partnerships, a mobile sauna, and even a floating sauna (the first public floating sauna in the U.S.)—all while reinvesting back into the experience.
As demand increased, so did the vision. Katie has been inspired by thermal bathing traditions she has visited in places like Iceland and Finland, where hot pools, warm pools, and cold plunge options complement the sauna and steam practices. She says that access to water—especially warm water—creates a gathering place that feels especially meaningful during long, dark North Shore winters.
The planned expansion will retain everything guests already love: the original red saunas and the current sauna lounge will remain. A new building will add a larger sauna able to accommodate larger groups, a wet steam room, and three pools—a hot pool, a warm pool, and a cold pool—with at least two located outdoors with a view of the lakeshore.
The project has been underway behind the scenes for more than a year. Sisu & Löyly purchased the neighboring property to create the needed space and have been saving from operations and personal investment. The expansion will also involve a significant loan, and Katie notes that community support is an important part of demonstrating the viability of the project to banking partners. Those who wish to participate in the fundraising effort can still do so through the business’s WeFunder campaign.
If everything proceeds as planned, Katie estimates the new facility construction could begin sometime in 2026.
She hopes the expanded Sisu & Löyly will become a true place of restoration in Grand Marais—somewhere beyond home and work where people gather, relax, and care for themselves through heat, water, and community.
Sisu & Löyly plans to share updates as the project progresses.
