UK wild sauna boom is the subject of a new book and survey

The popularity of sauna in all its guises has exploded throughout the UK in the last year.

Last week, the British Sauna Society announced a new collaboration with University of Greenwich to research the wellbeing impact of sauna use.

The Society also revealed new figures exclusively to European Spa on the number of wild saunas in the UK.

“At our last count there were 213 wild saunas in the UK – that’s double the 104 we counted last May,” said Gabrielle Reason, director of the British Sauna Society.

“The rate has really picked up in the early part of this year – in the count in January was 147. We only started tracking in Jan 2023, when there were just 45 saunas across the UK.”

The research project will place at the UK Aufguss Championships and Sauna Summit in Canary Wharf, London, this week.

It will explore how sauna culture contributes to wellbeing, particularly through ritual, shared experiences and identities.

“Despite the growing popularity of saunas in the UK, little research has explored how sauna culture here compares to the collective sauna traditions in other regions, such as Scandinavia and Japan, and how it might contribute to collective wellbeing,” said Dr Martha Newson, a cognitive anthropologist and researcher leading the project.

“This study will provide valuable insights into how both individual and social aspects of sauna rituals influence relaxation and mental health.”

The best outdoor saunas in Britain

The UK’s burgeoning wild sauna scene is also the subject of a new guidebook, Emma O’Kelly’s Wild Sauna: The Best Outdoor Saunas in Britain.

O’Kelly’s second book reveals more than 100 unique wild sauna locations, from repurposed horse boxes on beaches to saunas nestled in ancient forests.

O’Kelly, who grew up on a British farm without a sauna in sight, was inspired by the art of sauna during a work trip to Finland in 2016.

“I published my first book Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat in 2023 and what turned out to be a watershed year for wild saunas,” said O’Kelly.

“They started popping up everywhere around the UK and I could see there was an actual movement taking shape.

“We are still at the beginning of the sauna boom in the UK. As we become more familiar with sauna bathing I think quality will improve and bathers will become more knowledgeable.

“New site are opening all the time. With the focus on sauna as a form of social wellness, I predict it will become like wild swimming or yoga – something normalised that everyone does for their wellness.”

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