Today’s Big Story

Saunas Are Hot Right Now

But are Americans doing it wrong? Europeans have some opinions.

It’s something the rest of the world has known for a long time, but Americans are only now really embracing it: The restorative powers of a good, long sweat session in a sauna. The hot boxes are surging in popularity stateside due to their health and social benefits.

The U.S. sauna market is now expected to grow by around $151 million over the next three years, according to the market research firm Technavio. Americans are increasingly looking for fitness alternatives and something other than a bar for socializing, leading to more sweatboxes popping up around the country. Perspire Sauna Studio recently announced plans to open 15 new locations across the U.S., bringing its total to nearly 100. And apparently, there are around 200 more in development.

As social drinking becomes less prevalent and wellness is more embraced, saunas are now seen as destinations for making friends and courting business connections—all while wearing a towel. Othership sauna house in New York’s Flatiron district has become a go-to destination for the tech crowd who don’t want to conduct business over dinner and drinks. But some old school sauna-goers (such as the Europeans who’ve been schvitzing for centuries) are a little baffled by their fellow steam lovers’ behavior—worried a millennia-old tradition is being warped by America’s all-too-casual culture.

They say Americans often rush too quickly through the sauna experience, sometimes squeezing it in for a few minutes before or after a workout, not long enough to truly relax. Others treat it like a private hot yoga class and contort into awkward stretches. Still, others have noticed an approach heavier on optimization and performance. At times, the environment can seem almost competitive. Rather than losing themselves to relaxation and conversation, people obsess over their heart rates on smart watches and post selfies and progress updates from their phones.

And while the U.S. has a ways to go before it’s on the same level as Finland, home saunas are becoming more popular, too. The latest luxury status symbol isn’t a wine cellar or infinity pool, realtors says, it’s a private sauna hidden inside the home. Most start around $2,500 but can quickly grow to more than $10,000.

Trump Links Greenland Threats to Nobel Snub

The president says he will ‘100%’ carry out Greenland tariffs threat, as EU vows to protect its interests

President Donald Trump got his Nobel Peace Prize (it was a secondhand consolation, but still) and yet, over the weekend he warned European leaders that he no longer feels “an obligation to think purely of Peace,” as his quest to take control of Greenland pushes NATO to the brink. U.S. allies are outraged, but Trump doesn’t appear to be budging. His escalating aggression over the self-governing Danish territory is turning into a global crisis—all for a takeover push that most Americans don’t support.

On Saturday, Trump threatened to impose a punitive 10% tariff, increasing later to 25%, on imports from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland unless they dropped their objections to his plan. The Guardian says the dispute has plunged trade relations “into fresh chaos, forcing the bloc to consider retaliatory measures, and also risks unravelling the NATO transatlantic alliance that has guaranteed western security for decades.”

Trump claimed that he had “done more for NATO than any other person since its founding” and that “NATO should do something for the United States,” concluding the “World is not secure unless we have Complete and Total Control of Greenland.” But he was guarded Monday in how far he’ll go to take control. Asked if he would use force to seize Greenland, the president simply said, “No comment.”

Wintry Week Ahead

Extreme cold and the potential for a disruptive winter storm loom on the horizon

Are you staying warm? A large swath of the country is being walloped this week by wintry weather, with two rounds of arctic cold that were forecast to be followed by a potentially disruptive winter storm that could last into the weekend. On Monday morning, 77 million people woke up to cold weather alerts across two regions, the first from the northern Plains to the Northeast and the second across Florida.

NBC News reports that wind chills were as cold as 20 to 30 below zero in northern cities like Chicago and Albany, New York—and 20 to 30 degrees in Florida cities that rarely experience such frigid weather, like Tampa and St. Petersburg.

Paired with a long lasting cold pattern, AccuWeather long-range forecasters are highlighting a storm later this week and into the upcoming weekend that could pose a widespread risk of snow and even ice. As the cold lingers and even strengthens as the week progresses, the threat of frostbite and hypothermia will grow for anyone spending time outdoors. The sustained Arctic chill will also result in increased heating and energy usage across roughly a third of the nation.

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