The health and wellbeing benefits of feeling the heat are warming people in the UK to the idea of regular saunas
In the UK, a tranquil revolution is unfolding, one that beckons us into the soothing embrace of sauna culture. It’s amazing it has taken us this long in the cold and rainy British Isles to embrace this warming activity where, until recently, it has largely been the reserve of spa hotels and gyms. But now, a new form of sauna has popped up across the country – from beaches and backyards – bringing the restorative pleasure of heat to many.
Once primarily a Nordic tradition, saunas have captured the hearts of many in the UK for their therapeutic and social aspects. The trend isn't just about indulging in a warm retreat from the chill of British weather; it's a holistic embrace of health, community and the benefits of oscillating between hot and cold extremes.
As Katie Bracher, sauna consultant and vice chair of the British Sauna Society, says: ‘The beauty of the sauna is in the versatility of the offerings; it’s a great tool for wellbeing. Biohackers are drawn in by the scientific benefits, the stressed by the balancing and endorphin-boosting effects, sports enthusiasts for the recovery and capacity building, spiritual communities for the liminal space that opens up, and everyone likes feeling more embodied, happier and having better sleep.’
Sauna culture in the UK is flourishing, not just as a trend, but as a lifestyle choice rooted in wellness. The ritual of basking in the enveloping heat, followed by the invigorating shock of the cold or cold water (if you’re brave enough) is more than a sensory experience; it has proven health benefits. Saunas, especially when complemented with cold dips, offer a cardiovascular workout that has been shown to improve circulation. In a comprehensive 26-year study led by Finnish doctor Jari Laukkanen, research tracking 2,000 men revealed that regular sauna users had a 50 per cent lower risk of developing heart and lung conditions, as well as significantly reduced incidences of strokes, pneumonia, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Saunas are great for the mind too, helping to release endorphins and aid sleep. Apart from anything, saunas offer a break from the relentless pace of modern life, a rare space where stillness and warmth cocoon the mind, providing respite from stressful lives. The heat relaxes the body, which in turn eases the mind, promoting a meditative state where stress seems to evaporate with each droplet of sweat.
Sauna culture in the UK is flourishing, not just as a trend, but as a lifestyle choice rooted in wellness.
The artistic enclave of Hackney Wick, in East London, is home to a pioneer in sauna culture and one of the country’s first community saunas. In a site behind a former public baths turned studio space and café, Hackney Wick Sauna Baths opened in 2022 and since then has welcomed around 50,000 people to sweat it out in a collection of converted horseboxes and custom-built saunas with wood-fired stoves and then cool off in a plunge pool or barrel. The site now has seven operating saunas arranged around a fairylight-festooned yard and recently expanded to a second site in nearby Stratford to meet intense demand from heat-seeking Londoners. The vibe is assuredly welcoming, alternative and community focused, with an aim to make regular, authentic saunas affordable and accessible. They offer free saunas for NHS workers and sauna-use can even be prescribed by NHS trusts in Hackney and Redbridge, showing how this holistic form of healthcare is being recognised by mainstream medicine. They also offer a range of special sauna events, including women and non-binary only evenings, grief saunas, life drawing, poetry and storytelling workshops, breathwork, sound baths and the German Aufguss, which uses essential oils and towel movement to create a multi-sensory experience.
Other horsebox-based saunas have popped up around the UK’s coastline, where the combination of hot saunas and cold dips make perfect partners. Indeed, given its evangelical following sold on the benefit of extreme temperatures for mental and physical wellbeing, it’s easy to see the rise of sauna culture as a natural progression from the popularity of wild and cold swimming. There are now 70 such saunas dotted across the UK, and the number is doubling each year according to the British Sauna Society.
Sauna culture has seeped into wider culture too. In response to its burgeoning popularity and her own journey through Scandinavia exploring the activity, journalist Emma O’Kelly released her book Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat in September 2023. It looks at the health and social advantages of saunas, as well as picturing some of the world’s most beautifully designed examples. As O’Kelly says in her introduction: ‘Scientists say regular saunas help lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and dementia, boost immunity and help with fatigue, depression and more. Putting our bodies through the thermo-regulatory ping-pong that is sauna, followed by cold rinse is extremely good for us – and it’s not as challenging as cold-water swimming on its own. There’s a reason why sauna-loving nations, such as Finland, Sweden and Norway, jostle for the top spots in the annual United Nations World Happiness Report every year.’
The 2023 documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood explored Estonian sauna culture through the lens of director Anna Hints. It’s a meditation on how saunas bring together groups of women to share, commiserate and bond in an atmosphere that is at once cleansing for the body and soul.
The rise of sauna culture in the UK follows this ancient tradition into the modern day, offering a simple escape from the day-to-day into a practice that nourishes body, mind and soul.
Jane Fulcher is a London-based editor and journalist who specialises in luxury lifestyle for publishing platforms including News International, Brummell, The Mixer and Knightsbridge Partnership
