I was in Hackney Wick at the first sauna festival of the year. I was sitting in a container with 15 other people, all in swimsuits. It was hot, about 87 degrees Celsius. The others were dressed less smartly, but all had on woolly hats. Guitar music came from a Bluetooth speaker and a man started waving a towel over our heads. Some people cheered, some sang loudly, and some started stomping on the wooden benches. Welcome to Saunaverse, the UK’s first sauna festival, held in public saunas in east London, and my first sauna ritual.
“Aufguss” comes from the German word for “injection.” Our Aufguss master Chris explains that the ritual is a multi-sensory experience that combines heat, sound, and scent to help you drift into a relaxed, meditative state. He poured essential oil-infused water onto the hot stones and swung a towel in a circular motion, sending even hotter steam down my throat and into my eyes, but it also seemed to bring a strange sense of calm.
London is home to the sauna movement, thanks in part to the rise of Community Sauna (community-sauna.co.uk). The sauna opened in early 2022 on a disused site behind a 1930s public bathhouse. For £10 (£15 at peak times) outside festivals, you can enjoy a 90-minute wood-fired sauna and a cold plunge.
When my partner and I arrived at 11am on the festival’s second day, I saw a flicker of confusion in his eyes as he took in the outdoor, artificial-turf sauna. In mid-February, a DJ booth was blasting house music, a bubble machine was cranking, and people were milling around in bathing suits. There are 10 saunas of varying sizes, from converted horse-drawn carriages to traditional Finnish-style saunas, all divided into “optional” and “mandatory” options. Cold-water lovers splashed around in converted whiskey barrels and enjoyed a refreshing post-sauna dip, while one man sat in a relaxed meditation pose for more than six minutes. The sauna is largely unadorned, but on a chilly winter morning, it looks like it’s been filtered through an Instagram filter.
Charlie Duckworth co-founded Community Sauna Baths with four others. He had always loved saunas but was disappointed with what was on offer in London. “They were either too crowded or not hot enough and there was no place you could go regularly that wasn’t too expensive,” he said. “We have a lot of repeat customers – it’s rare that anyone comes even once. At first we were attracting people like me who were looking for a sauna in London, but recently we’ve seen a lot of people coming for the first time and the feedback we’ve had is that saunas have quite a big impact on people’s mental health and mood.”
Claire Bracegirdle, who runs the Wild Saunas (@wildsaunas) Instagram account, talks about the UK’s burgeoning sauna culture. She believes saunas make it easier to socialise with others. “In a sauna, the brain relaxes and social anxiety is reduced.” Tom de Wilton is a “sauna fanatic” and the owner of The Saunaverse. He has helped organise the sauna festival and built several saunas himself. He agrees: “Once you’re in a sauna, all titles disappear. There’s nothing to do in a stuffy room except chat.” He also points out that if you’re sitting next to someone who’s boring, there’s an easy way to escape: “You just say, ‘I’m too hot!’ and walk away.”
I’ve been there before, a friend and I heading there at 2pm on a Saturday to catch up. It was a lot better than going to a bar, and the 90 minutes went by really fast. That’s the whole point, Duckworth said. “Saunas are really healthy and fun, but I don’t drink, so it’s the only place where you can really socialise, where there are no phones and you can meet new people. Where else can you do that, other than drinking?” The festival does serve alcohol, by the way, it just doesn’t seem to be the main focus.
He said the number of sauna bookings had been “a bit crazy” over the past few months, and that another project was already in the works – the team is currently preparing a new location in Stratford. “We think this could be a really interesting use of unused space in London, and mobile saunas are a great fit for that market.”
So what are the benefits of regular sauna use? Sauna culture is common in Scandinavia, the Baltics, and Central and Eastern Europe, but perhaps most closely associated with sauna culture is Finland. A Finnish study found that regular sauna use may protect against dementia.
It increases your heart rate similar to gentle exercise, helps heal sore or tight joints and muscles, promotes better sleep, and many people report glowing skin after a sauna session.
For best results, “try a steam bath in a hot room, a cold plunge, relax outdoors, get some fresh air and repeat,” advises Mika Meskanen, co-founder and president of the British Sauna Society. The association is a not-for-profit organisation that aims to promote sauna culture in the UK. “After about three rounds, you feel amazing. There’s a word for that in Japanese: ‘totonotta’ – which roughly means ‘everything’s back to normal’. You get the benefits of alternating hot and cold, plus an aerobic workout, a burst of ‘happy hormones’ and the most obvious benefit: relaxation.”
He’s not wrong. After two hours in the sauna and bath, we wandered back down the River Li. The sensation was very similar to the warm feeling I get after acupuncture. We were both very hungry (thankfully the bathhouse now offers wood-fired pizza to satiate the post-sauna hunger), and the lively atmosphere naturally excited us. The Sunday anxiety that had plagued us that morning had completely disappeared.
It insulates and wicks heat away from your head, while also protecting your hair and ears (which can get very hot).
Always shower first and then sit on the towel. Each sauna has its own dress code (optional or not), so be sure to follow it.
Take your time during all procedures related to visiting the sauna. The optimal time for three hot and cold relaxation sessions is about 1.5 hours.
Sauna use, like yoga, is a reflective practice rather than a competitive sport. Instead of counting the hours, listen to your body and become aware of how much time (or how many) in a day is good for you.
Those looking for long-term, lifelong health improvements will want to make sauna use a habit. Finnish research suggests that sauna use should be four or more times a week. Find your sauna and share your experience.
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