Blog summary:

• Tuli Lodge turned Pier 62 into a neighborhood gathering place this winter—proof that a sauna, a cold plunge, and a stunning waterfront view are all you need to bring strangers together and keep the park buzzing even on the greyest Seattle days.

• For founder Hannah Goldstein, the Pier 62 activation was where Tuli Lodge got its start—and for Friends, it opened the door to a new kind of partnership that keeps the waterfront welcoming, accessible, and thriving year-round.

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What if your neighborhood sauna was also your happy hour, your coffee catch-up and your favorite place to watch the sun set over the Salish Sea?

This winter, Friends welcomed Tuli Lodge, a community sauna experience rooted in the belief that connection should be accessible to everyone one sweat at a time. Founded by Seattle entrepreneur Hannah Goldstein (she/her) after a transformative trip to Norway, Tuli Lodge brought a new kind of gathering place to Pier 62: one where strangers could become friends and cold winter days became an invitation to slow down together.

As stewards of Waterfront Park’s 20 acres, Friends brings the space to life through free public programs and curated activations deeply rooted in community. This six-month activation was curated by Friends’ event sales manager on the Park Experience Team, Kylie Martinez (she/her). In her role, Kylie matches the right partners and activations for Waterfront Park’s various locations—bringing in revenue that goes right back into keeping the waterfront open, welcoming, and thriving for everyone. We’re diving into how this partnership came to life with Hannah and Kylie.

Hannah, you’ve shared that a trip to Norway helped spark the idea for Tuli Lodge. Can you take us back to that moment—what did you experience that made you think, this could exist in Seattle?  

I remember sitting in a sauna overlooking the Oslofjord while sleet fell outside, giggling and sweating buckets next to my friends during our third sauna session of a five-day trip through Norway. I left every session buzzing with energy in a way I had never felt before. I had actually never been in a sauna before visiting Norway and was incredibly inspired by the feeling I got and the community atmosphere created.

What struck me most was how social it was. People treated sauna the way we might meet a friend for coffee or a drink. It was woven into everyday life.

When I came back to the U.S., I was determined to find something similar and realized how rare that experience is here. Cities like Seattle actually share a lot with Scandinavian climates. We have the same dark, grey winters that make warmth and community feel essential. The more I thought about it, the more it felt like this experience did not just fit here, it was something our communities genuinely need. Honestly, the entire United States needs more spaces like this!

You’ve described Tuli Lodge as feeling more like a “neighborhood hangout” than a traditional spa. What does that shift mean to you?  

Hannah: Traditional spas are focused on luxury, special occasions, and are individualistic in both experience and benefit.

Tuli Lodge is built around a completely different idea: sauna should be social, welcoming and affordable enough to become part of everyday life. My dream is that people stop by Tuli the same way they might meet a friend for coffee, go on a walk or grab a drink after work. The vision is to supplement or replace happy hour!

We make a huge effort to keep our prices as accessible by taking out luxury and fancy amenities typically associated with a spa and focus on the core experience of sauna and cold plunge. We also focus hard on passing any margin wins back to the community and our employees so we can continue to maximize the community impact. Right now, I’m proud to say we are actually the most affordable sauna experience in Seattle.

Kylie, tell us what drew Friends to partner with Tuli Lodge for this six-month rental experience.

Working with Tuli Lodge offered a meaningful opportunity to support a woman‑owned small business that was new to the area and eager to contribute to the community. This was our first time hosting a six‑month rental of this kind, and it allowed us to test how the public would engage with a longer‑term activation.

Consistency felt essential for helping the public begin to view Pier 62 as a year‑round destination, particularly during the winter months. Tuli Lodge’s mission to bring people together through memorable sauna experiences, paired with their commitment to offering the most accessible rates possible, aligned closely with our goals. Through this partnership, we hoped to enhance the park experience, encouraging community members—especially locals —to visit the waterfront regardless of the weather.

Hannah, how does this opportunity to operate at Pier 62 influence the future of your business and what’s next?  

One thing a lot of people don’t realize is that Tuli Lodge did not exist before our Pier 62 residency! I had been dreaming about creating this kind of sauna experience for a few years, but I only started building the business in May 2025.

The partnership with Friends of Waterfront Park truly helped turn that dream into reality. Launching in one of the most beautiful and welcoming public spaces in Seattle has been the most incredible way to build a foundation for Tuli’s roots downtown!

From here, the goal is to keep building. We are currently searching for our first permanent home in Seattle, and long term, I hope to bring this type of community sauna experience to all major cities across the United States. Sauna culture has been such a powerful force for connection in Nordic countries. I would love to help make it more accessible here too.

Kylie, how does this kind of experience fit into Friends’ broader vision for Waterfront Park as a place for everyone? 

This partnership created a new opportunity for community members to participate in a welcoming and social environment at the park. The low hourly rate made the experience accessible to individuals who may not have been able to engage in an activation like this before, helping broaden engagement at Waterfront Park during the winter months. Throughout the activation, a variety of events helped reach different audiences, increasing awareness, interest, and a sense of belonging.

Our goal in working with Tuli Lodge was to maintain a robust schedule of open hours for the public while keeping the footprint and sightline obstructions limited so that as much of Pier 62 as possible remained available for general, everyday use. This balance supports our broader vision of Waterfront Park as a place for everyone, where activation and access work hand‑in‑hand to foster an inclusive, community-centered space.

Hannah, Tuli Lodge is rooted in connection. What have you noticed about how people show up—or open up—differently in this kind of space at Waterfront Park?  

Sweating next to someone in a sauna is inherently vulnerable. It breaks down the usual barriers of conversation and familiarity pretty quickly.

Something about that shared experience makes people skip small talk and move into real conversation much faster than in most social spaces. I constantly see strangers walking in quietly and leaving as friends, exchanging numbers and meeting up again at Tuli or for a strolling in the park.

At Waterfront Park in particular, there is something jaw-drop magical about the setting. You can’t beat the sunrises over the city and sunsets over the Puget Sound. It’s always been important to me for the Tuli experience to be rooted outdoors, with constant awareness of the natural world. Pier 62’s confluence of city and nature is unlike almost anywhere else in the world, and it’s incredible to hold space in the sauna in a way for people to experience all the character of the city at once and take an hour to slow down and appreciate the park and city.

I also love how the sauna draws people into the park during rainy and cold days through the winter when they otherwise might have stayed at home. By creating a cozy and warm space, we’re able to cultivate community and belonging in the park during times when the Pier otherwise might have been empty.

As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we’d love to hear: who are the women—mentors, peers, or community members—who have shaped your journey as an entrepreneur/small business owner?  

Hannah: I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by so many thoughtful and ambitious women entrepreneurs here in Seattle! There are so many women going out of their way to support each other.

Building a company from scratch can feel lonely at times, but having peers who are navigating similar challenges has made a huge difference. Shout out to some of those peers and their amazing companies/experiences: Jen from Be Here Now, Michelle from Bonhomie Coffee, Jeffy from Wnderwell, Audrey from the Pioneer Collective, Jess from Theodora, Zoe from Pacha, Michelle from Redwood Outdoors, Julia from Plod Squad, Charlotte from the Chamber of Connection, and so many more amazing people building experiences and community in Seattle!

What’s one hidden gem you’ve found at Waterfront Park?   

Hannah: A hidden gem (and one of my favorite moments) is watching families of ducks swim through the water just west of Pier 62. Everyday they float by, and it’s so beautiful to watch the seasons and weather change from a sunset-glowing Olympics backdrop to total fog to pouring rain. It’s so peaceful! Watching the population of wildlife that lives around the Pier is always one of those moments that reminds you how lucky we are to live in Seattle.

In a short phrase, what makes Seattle unique when it comes to community building? 

Hannah: People in Seattle are definitely more hesitant to make plans than other places I’ve lived, but when they (sometimes spontaneously) show up, they are really present and so happy to be actively in the community!

Kylie, as we wrap up this conversation, how might experiences like Tuli Lodge inform future programming or partnerships at the Park? 

Experiences like Tuli Lodge give us a glimpse into what’s possible at Waterfront Park when we think creatively about how people can use the space year‑round. This activation became a chance to watch how visitors interact with the park when the weather is colder and people are naturally craving connection in different ways than they do in the summer. The feedback we receive will help us understand what a future winter season could look like on the pier.

As we look ahead, the lessons from this experience will shape how we approach programming and partnerships. They’ll help us refine what kinds of offerings feel inviting, what structures support accessibility, and what types of activities work best during the winter months. At the heart of it, pilots like this help us continue stewarding Waterfront Park as a place that evolves with the community and reflects what people truly want from their public spaces.

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Tuli Lodge brought so much warmth (and bracing plunge) to Pier 62 this winter. This partnership is a reminder that Waterfront Park is at its best when it reflects the opportunity to provide an economic benefit to small business owners and build community. As Tuli Lodge looks toward what’s next, this feels like less of an ending and more of an exciting beginning—for them, for the Park and for what’s possible when business creativity and a shared love of place come together.

Learn more about Tuli Lodge:

• Pop-up sauna experience brings unique wellness community to Seattle’s Pier 62, KING 5