Episode Information

Everyone sweats. It’s one of the most elemental things a human body can do. And cultures throughout history have celebrated the sweat bath. It has comforted the spirit, healed the body, and strengthened the social bonds between rich and poor, young and old. In Finland, it is known as the sauna. In Turkey, the hamam; in Russia, the banya; in Japan, the mushiburo; in Norway, the badstue; in Germany, the Aufguss, and so on. Inspired by the book, Sweat, by Mikkel Aaland, Perfect Sweat takes viewers on a voyage across the globe, revisiting countries and sweat bathing traditions Mikkel documented over 40 years ago. In this seven-part series, we travel from Finland to Italy and Germany, to Russia to Japan to Turkey to Norway, ending up in the US at Burning Man for a grand culmination of DIY sweat styles in one locale. Each 30-minute episode features sweat enthusiasts and experts - from steam masters to physicians to entrepreneurs - as Mikkel teams up with local guides in a search of the “Perfect Sweat.”