Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Full show notes: bengreenfieldlife.com/saunapodcast
In this episode with Luke Chapman and Owen Buchanan, founders of Western Sol, you'll hear the story behind the custom sauna I recently had built in my backyard in Idaho, and the story behind the company itself, which started when a mold exposure in Hawaii sent Luke into daily sauna use. You'll gain insights into the actual science of heat shock proteins and dynorphins (the opioid peptides your body releases under heat stress), why most sauna wood is loaded with VOCs, and how thermally pressed aspen and spruce sourced from Estonia solves that problem entirely. We'll also touch on how Western Sol engineers oxygen-rich air recirculation, Himalayan salt therapy, and even full electrical grounding directly into the sauna floor, and you'll get a full walkthrough of what it costs to get a custom or prefabricated sauna built.
Luke Chapman and Owen Buchanan are the founders of Western Sol, a custom and prefabricated sauna company based in Idaho. Both grew up around custom home construction in their family businesses before turning their focus toward building non-toxic, low-VOC saunas designed to support healing of the mind, body, and soul. They travel throughout Europe to source materials and study traditional sauna culture at its origin.
You can find out more about Western Sol and schedule a free consultation here: westernsolhealing.com/pages/ben-greenfield
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
02:28 How mold exposure led Luke and Owen to found Western Sol
07:41 Why cedar wood warps and how thermally pressed aspen and spruce solve it
10:35 Why most infrared saunas use glued, VOC-heavy construction
12:30 What heat shock proteins do at a cellular level
16:25 Why dynorphins, not endorphins, drive the post-sauna high
18:28 How the Saunum heater recirculates fresh air from ground level
20:41 The Himalayan salt wall system built into the heater and cabin
23:10 The traditional Finnish concept of loyly
27:49 How Luke and Owen grounded the sauna floor with copper wire
29:37 Tempered glass, wood-framed construction, and the barrel and cube shapes
33:08 What it costs to get a custom or prefabricated Western Sol sauna
38:31 Luke and Owen's own daily sauna protocols
43:06 Ben's own sauna and cold plunge protocol
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Full show notes: bengreenfieldlife.com/saunapodcast
In this episode with Luke Chapman and Owen Buchanan, founders of Western Sol, you'll hear the story behind the custom sauna I recently had built in my backyard in Idaho, and the story behind the company itself, which started when a mold exposure in Hawaii sent Luke into daily sauna use. You'll gain insights into the actual science of heat shock proteins and dynorphins (the opioid peptides your body releases under heat stress), why most sauna wood is loaded with VOCs, and how thermally pressed aspen and spruce sourced from Estonia solves that problem entirely. We'll also touch on how Western Sol engineers oxygen-rich air recirculation, Himalayan salt therapy, and even full electrical grounding directly into the sauna floor, and you'll get a full walkthrough of what it costs to get a custom or prefabricated sauna built.
Luke Chapman and Owen Buchanan are the founders of Western Sol, a custom and prefabricated sauna company based in Idaho. Both grew up around custom home construction in their family businesses before turning their focus toward building non-toxic, low-VOC saunas designed to support healing of the mind, body, and soul. They travel throughout Europe to source materials and study traditional sauna culture at its origin.
You can find out more about Western Sol and schedule a free consultation here: westernsolhealing.com/pages/ben-greenfield
Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
02:28 How mold exposure led Luke and Owen to found Western Sol
07:41 Why cedar wood warps and how thermally pressed aspen and spruce solve it
10:35 Why most infrared saunas use glued, VOC-heavy construction
12:30 What heat shock proteins do at a cellular level
16:25 Why dynorphins, not endorphins, drive the post-sauna high
18:28 How the Saunum heater recirculates fresh air from ground level
20:41 The Himalayan salt wall system built into the heater and cabin
23:10 The traditional Finnish concept of loyly
27:49 How Luke and Owen grounded the sauna floor with copper wire
29:37 Tempered glass, wood-framed construction, and the barrel and cube shapes
33:08 What it costs to get a custom or prefabricated Western Sol sauna
38:31 Luke and Owen's own daily sauna protocols
43:06 Ben's own sauna and cold plunge protocol
Shop My Curated Marketplace of Vetted Products! - shoplifemarket.com
Sign up for a FREE Coaching Call! - jointriumphcoaching.com
Check out my FREE newsletter! - bengreenfieldlife.com/newsletter
🔗My Website: bengreenfieldlife.com
🔗My Podcast: bengreenfieldlife.com/podcast
🔗My Books: shopbengreenfieldlife.com/collections/books
Connect with me: ⬇️
Instagram instagram.com/bengreenfieldfitness
Facebook facebook.com/BGFitness
X twitter.com/bengreenfield
TikTok tiktok.com/@bengreenfield
