Beyond the Steam: How the Munich Tech Sauna Became a Community
What started as a monthly sauna meetup for tech enthusiasts has grown into a community of friends who hike, run, and explore together.
It all started with a good friend moving away. We used to meet regularly for sauna sessions to talk about tech, life, and everything in between. On January 17th, 2023, we held the very first Munich Tech Sauna meetup at Seebad Starnberg, which is still one of my favorite spots. A handful of people showed up, and that's how it all began.
Since then, we've kept a steady flow of meetups, gathering every month at a different sauna in or around Munich. Sometimes we get a big crowd, especially as winter approaches, and other times it's just a few core members. What's most important to me is that the Munich Tech Sauna has helped build real friendships that go beyond just the monthly meetups - btw all our meetups can be seen here on our luma calendar.
We don't only connect in person. We also chat about tech and other topics on our Discord server in between those events. And, we're meeting for other in-person events like running or cycling (if you are interested, check the #sports sub-group on Discord).
On August 1st and 2nd, we had our first ever Munich Tech Sauna Hike, which we called our first official "pants-on" event. Out of eight sign-ups, five people made it to Lake Spitzingsee for the hike. The weather report was terrible, with pouring rain just minutes before we started, but then the sun came out, and the views were incredible. We were so excited that after checking into our hut, we decided to extend our hike with a second trip to the Taubenstein peak, the highest point in the area.
I think this hike in 2025 has founded a new tradition that we'll continue for years to come. It was an easy, "pants-on" way for people to get to know the community. It's important to build trust, because we know that not everyone is comfortable joining a sauna event for their first time—and that's okay.
I want to end this post with a huge thank you to everyone who came to the hike despite the weather outlook and to all of you who regularly come to our events and support us. It's truly amazing to see how we’ve helped facilitate friendships with the simple power of sauna. I also made a quick video recap of our first hike, so you can see for yourself—the Munich Tech Sauna is now so much more than just sauna!