Mount Bohemia turns summer solstice into a cold-plunge party

Mount Bohemia’s Nordic Spa used the summer solstice to do something clever: turn cold plunging into an easy, social first try. On June 20, the resort in Lac La Belle ran its Summer Solstice Pool Party from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. with The Finnish Long Drink, and the hook was simple, free spa access with registration.

The setup looked more like a summer hangout than a recovery clinic. Guests got cold plunges, Long Drink swag giveaways, flower-crown making, yard games, a live DJ, and poolside fun, all built around the Nordic Spa. The Mining Gazette also flagged the day as a free-admission solstice celebration and called out the Long Drink Cold Plunge as one of the draws.

That matters because Mount Bohemia is selling cold exposure as something you can drift into, not something you have to commit to like a daily biohacking ritual. The spa’s own summer lodging page says overnight guests get free access to the Nordic Spa, along with a large heated outdoor pool and a 30-person hot tub. In other words, the plunge is being bundled into the stay, not tacked on as a separate hard sell.

The Nordic Spa itself is built around a simple cycle: hot, cold, relax, repeat. Visit Keweenaw says the circuit includes a Finnish sauna, eucalyptus steam cabin, outdoor hot pool, cold pool, Nordic waterfall, and outdoor fire pit, and describes the hot tub as the largest outdoor hot tub in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. That kind of layout makes the category feel less intimidating, especially for people who want to test the water without hauling ice or building a backyard setup.

Mount Bohemia owner Lonie Gleiberman has described the model in exactly those terms, calling it “hot, cold, relax, repeat,” and noting that Nordic spa culture is established in Europe and in parts of Canada. The resort is leaning into that identity year-round. Visit Keweenaw frames the solstice programming as part of a broader Juhannus Summer Solstice Celebration tied to regional Finnish heritage, while Mount Bohemia has already used the same formula in winter.

The Mining Gazette reported a Winter Solstice Party with Visit Keweenaw and The Finnish Long Drink Company that featured a cold plunge challenge, ugly sweater competition, bonfires, music, and free admission to the Nordic Spa with a required free online ticket. Put together, the summer and winter events show the same playbook: make the plunge festive, make it accessible, and make it feel less like a stunt than a seasonally recurring habit.