Our Story

Meet the team

Chillfire Saunas was born from a group of close friends with a shared passion for wellness, nature, and community. What began as conversations around the fire, cold plunges in the creek, and a mutual desire to live more intentionally soon grew into a vision to bring elemental wellness experiences to our wider community.

With a natural chemistry and complementary skill sets, we came together to create spaces that support health, connection, and restoration. At our core, we believe in the power of heat, cold, and presence — and in the importance of designing spaces that invite people back to themselves and the natural world.

Work with us

Chillfire team constructing a sauna frame on site

Chillfire Sauna Company team member smiling in front of a wooden background, representing our hands-on sauna craftsmanship and friendly team.

Michael

Build + Wellness

Michael brings over a decade and a half of hands-on experience in wellness and construction to the sauna industry. Formerly a yoga studio owner and certified yoga teacher, Michael spent years supporting others in cultivating balance, health, and intentional lifestyles. That same passion now fuels his work in building handcrafted, thoughtfully designed saunas that support deep relaxation and rejuvenation. Drawing on his years as a remodeling project manager and builder, he ensures every sauna meets high standards of quality, durability, and beauty — because wellness begins with the spaces we inhabit.

Chillfire Sauna Company team member standing indoors by a wooden sauna structure, showcasing our hands-on craftsmanship and custom sauna building process.

Brett

Craft + Carpentry

Brett, always hungry to learn, has a deep-rooted passion for physics, biology, and philosophy — interests that naturally led him to focus on health, sustainability, permaculture and working with his hands. Having had an early apprenticeship in jewelry and lapidary arts, Brett developed a sharp eye for detail, quality and precision that now informs his 15+ years in construction and contracting. Though a carpenter by trade, he's worked across many disciplines, with a BPI certification and an emphasis on sustainability, energy efficient housing, weatherization and more. Over the years, Brett found sauna and it was an obvious fit — quenching a thirst that nothing else has done. He thinks sauna plays a pivotal role in his health and the health of the planet. Today, Brett channels his passion and diverse skill set in creating thoughtful, beautiful, high-performance sauna experiences that are crafted to last, bring us together and are rooted in love for sauna culture.

Chillfire Sauna Company team member standing with arms crossed inside a wooden sauna workshop, representing our hands-on craftsmanship and custom sauna construction.

Eric

Systems + Sustainability

Eric brings a systems-driven approach rooted in sustainability and respect for the Earth, with over 12 years of experience in the renewable energy sector, including solar project management. His deep connection with nature, ancient wellness traditions, and indigenous culture informs Chillfire's mission to create spaces that reconnect people to themselves, and the elements. Eric sees sauna not only as a tool for personal well-being, but as a timeless ritual that fosters community, presence, and deep connection. Outside of work, he cherishes time with his family and is committed to leaving the world better than he found it — through his work, his relationships, and the spaces he helps create.

Chillfire Sauna Company team member sitting in front of a wooden sauna framework and windows, smiling and showcasing hands-on sauna craftsmanship.

David

Design

David brings a deep-rooted commitment to sustainable design and a love for the land to his role as designer at Chillfire Saunas. Originally from the Midwest, he fell in love with Northwest Arkansas while studying at the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Urban Planning. With over a decade of experience in sustainability-focused projects — including residential infill, energy retrofitting, urban agriculture, and large-scale river cleanups — David's work reflects a passion for thoughtful, systems-based design. His favorite sauna experience comes from years of weekly steam cave sessions in the historic bathhouses of Hot Springs, Arkansas — an ancient ritual that continues to inspire his dedication to crafting elemental, restorative spaces.