Off Menu Mid-Winter Retreat (for Women): The Common Hearth

Southern Wisconsin’s river valleys and quiet farm roads set the scene for Off Menu Mid-Winter Retreat (for Women): The Common Hearth, a half-day reset that threads sauna steam, cold plunge, movement, art, and seasonal food into one restorative package. This one-off event gathers on Sunday, Feb 1, 2026 at locations near Paoli and inside Seven Acre Dairy in Belleville, creating a short pilgrimage from riverbank heat to kitchen table conversation. Led by Otehlia Cassidy, Lynsey Genevieve, and Kristin Klingman, the retreat centers around Tuli Sauna and Plunge on the banks of the Little Sugar River—a wood-fired sauna that opens onto river and hardwoods—and then moves into Seven Acre Dairy for herbal learning, somatic practice, and a locally sourced lunch by Little Cloud Cafe.

Expect two guided sauna sessions with an optional cold plunge, collage-based art and journaling prompts, a somatic regulation session, and a light but grounding Cuba rueda dance practice. The small group (limit 12) keeps the experience intimate and attentive. What makes this offering stand out in southern Wisconsin is the cultural threading: acute respect for Northern European communal bathing traditions paired with Indigenous ancestral foodways and herbal infusions guided by an Anishinaabe somatic practitioner.

That combination creates a restorative arc—sweat and shock, slow movement, and shared sustenance—rooted in land-based reciprocity rather than a commercial spa model. Practical details are straightforward: arrive by 10:45 for an 11:00 start; bring a bathing suit, journal, pen, and dry change of clothes—towels and robes are provided. Early bird pricing is $159 before Jan 18, 2026; $179 thereafter.

Note that bookings are non-refundable and participants must be 21 or older. The itinerary flows from intention-setting with tea and mezcal to two sauna rounds interleaved with art, a somatic practice with Kristin, movement with Otehlia, and a shared seasonal lunch. Photographers will appreciate the contrast between the glowing cedar interior of the sauna, crisp river ice and bare-branched trees, and the warm light spilling into the dairy kitchen.

Beyond the tangible comforts, this retreat works because it privileges simple human economies—shared heat, shared food, and shared presence—as tools for resetting a worn nervous system. If you want a focused, local day that trades checklist tourism for embodied care and community, The Common Hearth is a rare winter offering to book when you’re in the Belleville–Paoli corridor. Small logistical notes: the event is designed for accessibility to newer wellness seekers—no prior sauna or somatic experience is required—but it supports deeper practice for those bringing thermal-bathing familiarity.

Hosts provide towels, robes, a take-away gift, and guidance for safe cold plunges; the rural setting offers quiet walks along the Little Sugar River after lunch for anyone who wants to extend the pause before returning home again.