Conversations with Bret Newman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bret Newman.

Hi Bret, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
Newman Sauna Co started almost by accident. I have always loved to sauna, so I built myself a small little cabin sauna in my backyard so I could get away from the grimy gym saunas and have my own private space. I hosted friends in it and it was well used and loved. A couple years later, when I was recovering from a knee surgery, I built myself a matching cold plunge to go alongside the sauna, as cold plunging is a well-established method for battling inflammation among other physical and mental benefits. The cold plunge went through the same process, friends would come over and use it. Eventually, people would start to ask me, “Where did you buy these?” Given all the interest they were getting, I thought something might be there, so in July 2024 I posted a couple pictures on Facebook and my inbox exploded. From then on, the business has been growing and expanding, starting out in my garage and now expanding to a workshop and a second employee. We build custom saunas and cold plunges to order – everything is 100% built to customer spec, we do not carry any inventory or build in bulk. It has been an amazing journey, and one that really is just getting started.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Not in the least. I worked out of my garage for the first 18 months, which was never set up to be a woodworking shop. I had junky tools and meagre working space. The garage was not heated so working through the Conifer winters was brutal – I would go out there in 20 degree weather and have to go inside every 15 minutes to keep my hands from freezing. My paints would not dry and my silicones would not set. I had to navigate bringing trailers up my steep icy driveway to load up deliveries. But I continued to hone my craft and refine my designs, and the orders just kept coming in. Today, the business is much more complex now that we are doing bigger, more complicated builds and I have another employee to account for. Our overhead has increased significantly between the workshop rent, tool upgrades, insurances, licenses, marketing spend and other necessities. This business was truly built from the ground up, and there is still a long road ahead.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am not a woodworker by trade. I am a Chinese translator and a musician. I run a small translation studio specializing in Chinese to English investment banking translation, and I am a working musician playing in a number of bands around the metro area and teaching guitar lessons. My woodworking skills are completely self taught (thanks YouTube university). I have always been an artist at heart, always enjoyed creating things. Newman Sauna Co is just another opportunity for me to exercise my creative instincts, turn ideas into reality, and inspire and invigorate people with cool products and lifestyle upgrades.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/newmansaunaco
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61584525991438