“Sitting on the bench” is a common phrase heard in sauna culture.

Two Twin Cities veterans are spreading that culture through their nonprofit “Healing Heroes” by showing how saunas can help veterans and first responders.

The healing power of the sauna is something Mike Lotzer and Josh Meisberger are determined to share.

“I think sauna has taken off in the Twin Cities since 2020, but we just do this as a passion to share an element of healing with other veterans and police and fire and first responders,” said Lotzer.

They have two trailers now, but they hope to build more.

“We’ve actually had more interest than we can accommodate,” Lotzer added.

To date, the group has helped more than 320 veterans.

They soon want to build permanent saunas at the homes of these heroes, just like they did for Jeff Wheeler in Lakeville.

“You can see the effort they put into it and the detail they put into it. You can see it’s just, it’s not just a vocation for them, it’s their passion,” said Wheeler.

Wheeler is a 35-year army veteran with four deployments. He says he was hooked the very first time he got in the sauna.

“Him [sic] and his family fell in love with it so much, and the healing power of it and how close it brought their family together through the tumultuous time of getting ready for a deployment that they wanted to build a sauna,” said Meisberger.

“I spent time with my son. We talked about things that I don’t know if we would ever otherwise talk about,” Wheeler added.

And by mid-December, it was finished.

As sauna enthusiasts say, Jeff and his family were finally able to sit on the bench.

“We just want to be another tool in the fight. We don’t pretend to be a silver bullet, but we have experienced healing through this, and we want to share that with others,” Meisberger said.

As for Wheeler, he says, “I come in here. I just relax. I can kind of let just let go and be at peace.”