As many entrepreneurs know, there is no ‘right’ time to start your business. You can keep planning and planning, trying to account for every variable, but sometimes you just have to take a chance and make that first move that sets everything in motion. Or else, your dream may never happen at all.
For Jesse Hieb and Ryan Bingham, there came a point in their journey where they had to either dive headfirst into their idea or let it sink the (flood) water, literally.
Luckily, Heat Haven Sauna Park launched this November, where its core value of community has provided visitors with the chance to break a sweat, take a plunge, and find conversation amongst strangers (or friends), all while reclaiming the joys of a Wisconsin winter.
Here’s our Q&A with one of the founders, Jesse Hieb.
How did Heat Haven get its start? What is your background?
The idea for Heat Haven sparked about a year ago. After four years of full-time travel, I was moving back to Wisconsin and honestly didn’t think I could survive another winter. I told my girlfriend, “I can probably do it… if I have access to a sauna.” But I couldn’t find the kind of experience I was craving.
Then, while doing disaster-relief work in Asheville, NC, I visited a place called Drip Sauna. I walked out thinking, Milwaukee needs this—and I need this. That’s when I started sketching out the concept and looking for someone to build it with, which is how Ryan became my business partner. We wanted to create a place where people could gather, connect, and find warmth together—somewhere that wasn’t a bar.
Ryan and I originally met in the marketing and advertising world. I’ve hired him as a Director of Photography on several projects where I served as producer/director. My professional background is mostly in brand building—senior producer for a Fortune 500 company, director of brand for a tech company, advertising sales, you name it. Over the last few years, I’ve also spent a lot of time doing disaster-relief work on a rapid-response team helping communities after international crises. I recently returned from Myanmar after their earthquake earlier this year. When I’m not deployed, I still run a small brand-building agency focused on storytelling and strategy.
Ryan is a director and DP and half of the director duo, Bash. He’s insanely talented—he sees the world in a different way and he gives people a glimpse of it with cameras and light in a way I could only ever dream of. He’s also an incredible storyteller and writer.
We’re both used to solving problems, creating beautiful things on small budgets, and building something out of nothing—which is basically the story of Heat Haven.
We’re also both travelers. We’re hostel people, the kind who make best friends with strangers and come home with wild adventure stories. Heat Haven is really our way of bringing one of our favorite parts of travel—connecting with strangers—back home. We love it, and we hope everyone who visits will too.
Have you faced any major challenges or triumphs while growing the business?
We went into this fully aware that we were building something we had zero direct experience in. We trusted that our backgrounds would help but it was going to need a lot of hard work and a God that would move mountains for us… but nothing quite prepares you for managing water in the middle of a Wisconsin winter. Even early on, winter has proved to be a worthy opponent.
The biggest challenge, though, was the timeline. From the moment we signed the contract, we had two weeks to launch. And it might look like “just park some trailers,” but that barely scratches the surface of what it took to be ready by November 21st. On top of that, Ryan was gone for five of those days, and I was gone for five of the other days. We had exactly three days of overlap to actually move into the space, create and market 4 opening weekend events, build a whole experience and vibe, solve issues with a booking system we can’t stand, and figure out things like how not to lose limbs to frostbite.
And water… water has been our constant adversary. At first, we learned we couldn’t have cold plunges because that would be classified as a public pool. When we found an alternative solution (The Chillotine), the next challenge was keeping hoses from freezing… then pumps from freezing… then the water source from freezing. Every day we show up expecting that whatever problem we solved yesterday will probably show up in a new form today. Winter keeps us humble.
One of the biggest personal challenges has been accepting how quickly this has grown. When we started, neither of us planned on changing our long-term goals— (we still don’t). Ryan still wants to make films, and I still want to do disaster-relief work around the world. We thought Heat Haven would be a fun pop-up experience we could turn off when one of us needed to travel.
But the community response has been so strong that this thing has taken on a life of its own. The real challenge has been shifting our mindset from “fun pop-up” to “real responsibility to this community”—and figuring out how to honor that while still keeping space for our goals and dreams.
What was the journey like to bring this concept to life? How long did planning take?
The idea was brewing for a long time. I spent about five months searching for a manufacturer and scouting potential locations. But life happens and we almost never started this because of the flood in August.
Ironically, the week after the August floods— while being neck deep in Muskego in the middle of recovery efforts—I placed the order for the saunas. I knew if we were going to do this, we had to move right then. So we started the business in the middle of a disaster. Ryan hadn’t fully agreed to do it yet. I remember texting him to tell him I paid the down payment, he could either join or not but I just committed to the idea. He didn’t hesitate, and I’m really thankful for that.
From there, it was a whirlwind: building systems, creating the website, hosting tiny pop-ups, and setting short-term goals to slowly bring this to life. We emailed every DPW we could find, trying to locate outdoor spaces that would allow pop-ups. We called coffee shops and breweries to see if they had outdoor space we could bring saunas to.
Landing in Wauwatosa is nothing short of a miracle. I cold-emailed the DPW, someone forwarded it to Discover Wauwatosa, and Beth from Discover Wauwatosa called us. The email hit her desk right as they were about to announce the Christmas market in Wauwatosa wasn’t happening this year—and they were looking for something meaningful to bring to the city for winter. We needed a home base; they needed a winter experience. Hart Park stepped in, Discover Wauwatosa stepped in, and suddenly everyone was moving faster than we’ve ever believed possible. Truly—none of this would exist without Beth and Alex.
The only way to describe it is a miracle. Everyone put ego aside to create something for the community. That’s what Heat Haven is about—we are about being for the community—and we’re only here because our partners shared that same vision.
What is Heat Haven, and why is it a good fit for Milwaukee/Wauwatosa?
Heat Haven is a gathering place—a space for community, connection, and rest. It’s intentionally approachable and priced so people can use it regularly. We wanted to blend the therapeutic benefits of heat and the outdoors with the quiet, screen-free connection we all desperately need. It’s simple, it’s human, and it fits Milwaukee’s winter spirit perfectly.
What’s the mission behind Heat Haven?
Originally, the mission was simple: create the space I needed to survive the winter. But it’s evolved into something bigger—creating a space for people to reconnect, slow down, and experience a little rest.
What is it like being a small business in Milwaukee?
This business is unlike anything either of us has built before. We’re so used to creating content and selling marketing strategy to help other businesses succeed—so being on the other side of it is eye-opening.
The Tosa business community has been unbelievably welcoming. Early on, local business owners met with us to figure out how we could collaborate. That meant a lot, because we want to be seen as partners—an asset to the community, not competition. We’re community people at heart, and our goal is to be a business that genuinely adds to the neighborhood more than it takes from it.
What do you like about being in Wauwatosa?
Wauwatosa has this incredible energy. It’s filled with people of all ages, backgrounds, and life experiences—so it’s perfect for Heat Haven because we want to bring all of those things together at Heat Haven. That’s exactly the environment we want to create: a fun place where people can connect with folks who live differently, think differently, and walk away with something meaningful.
What’s your favorite part about what you’re doing?
Hearing people laugh. When a group of strangers climbs into a barrel sauna together and we hear them laughing—it’s the best, we love it. That’s what’s going to get us all through winter: sweating and laughing together, preferably across from someone you just met at Heat Haven.
What can people expect at Heat Haven?
Heat Haven isn’t a spa. It’s calm and relaxing, but it’s also outdoors, rustic, and has a little up-north charm. It’s peaceful—unless you’re at Heat Haven After Dark or Sunday Sauna Social, which are pretty lively.
The vibe is fun, welcoming, and relaxed. Our community sessions encourage light conversation with the person next to you. Some days the music is ambient, other days it’s a little bluegrass—it’s all part of the charm.
We encourage guests to leave their phones outside and just be present. Things move slower here. Bring your own towel (we have rentals if needed). Most people do 10–15 minute heat cycles with cool-downs in between. A 75-minute session gives you plenty of time for three or four rounds.
Pour Inc and Hart Park also make it possible for guests to enjoy hot cocoa, coffee, tea, zero-proof cocktails, or a beer afterward. And if you want a more private experience, you can book a private sauna instead of sitting with strangers.
Anything else we should know? Any favorite stories?
Opening weekend was incredible. We hosted four different events to give the community a feel for the vibes we want to create—Ladies Night with Bollywood dancing, a Sunday collab with Tosa Yoga, a Friday sound bath, and live music throughout.
Seeing so many relaxed, happy people—most of them total strangers—interact, laugh, and share an experience together… if it all ended that weekend, we honestly would’ve walked away feeling fulfilled. That’s how rewarding it was.
We’ll be doing more stuff like that, we have plans to do trivia night from inside the saunas, comedy night, book clubs, and local live music. We’ll also be pairing with all sorts of wellness experiences like sound baths, meditation, movement, and who knows, maybe we’ll get a cacao ceremony in the works.
It’s going to be a fun winter, and we’re excited to spend it with you, Milwaukee & Wauwatosa!