#154 | Steam Culture
Our Bay Area sauna guide on where to sweat, and two recipes that'll keep the heat this season
Heat-seekers, this one’s for you. We’ve got a round-up of the sweatiest spots in the Bay Area and two recipes to keep the January chill at bay. We’re now at 40+ locations across the city, and at JBF’s Taste America on March 1, we’re advance releasing The Naked Issue, our first issue in a new direction for 2026.
THE LATEST
SWEAT STATE: A ROUND-UP OF BAY AREA SAUNAS
Follow Flora Tsapovsky as she maps where the Bay Area goes to sweat. Inspired by her recent trips to NYC and beyond, where communal saunas are now deemed the "hottest place to network” by Wall Street Journal. From somatic-guided soaks to hot-cold circuits, read her go-to sweat list—with bonus tips on where to eat after.
FEATURED RECIPES
CRYSTAL WAPEHPAH’S CHILI CRAB
Messy, fragrant, and worth every napkin. This simple crab recipe is full of a delicate sauce that’s equal parts sweet, spicy, and impossible to stop eating. Crystal Wapehpah of Oakland’s Wapehpah’s Kitchen definitely knows a thing or two about cozy comfort.
A ZEN MONASTERY SOUP
Forget Dry January: it’s Quiet January. A warming broth from Green Gulch Farm’s monastery kitchen, built with attention and stillness. Root vegetables and whatever you have on hand work perfectly for this fulfilling soup by Zenko Montgomery, a zen chef named after a tiger.
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The contrast between the messiness of the Chili Crab and the stillness of the Zen Monastery Soup is beautiful. Both feel so right for January - one for indulgence and one for the 'Quiet January' soul. Crystal Wapehpah's recipe looks stunning.