Sauna is the new pub: A guide to the UK's sauna culture boom

Where once many met over pints at the local pub, the growing interest in self-determined wellbeing and autonomy over personal health is leading many to explore other options for their social downtime, including sauna experiences. Across the UK, the social sauna renaissance is in full swing, cementing sweat-bathing not only as a quick post-gym addendum, but as a central wellbeing experience and even an opportunity to gather with friends.

The trend has reached new cultural heights with events like the Edinburgh Fringe incorporating sauna theatre into its summer programming this year, offering festival-goers a blend of performance art, storytelling, and thermal therapy.

Whether you're looking for an invigorating group experience or exploring a deeper sense of relaxation, here we look at the thriving sauna landscape and where to start.

What’s changed in UK sauna culture and why?

Historically, saunas in the UK were treated as part of the fitness experience or as a feature within a spa break, rather than therapy in its own right or a protagonist in a wellness ritual. Today, we are rapidly borrowing from centuries-old Scandinavian, Russian, and central European traditions to reimagine heat exposure as a holistic and deeply social ritual.

According to data from the British Sauna Society quoted by Vogue, the number of Finnish-style public saunas in the UK doubled between early 2023 and 2024 (jumping from 45 to 90), with predictions pointing toward well over 200 sites. It is, of course, nothing new - sweat bathing in its various forms, from Turkish hammams and Mayan temazcals to Finnish saunas and Russian banyas, has crossed continents throughout history whenever cultures seek collective restorative connection. Now, however, a new generation of wellness seekers are proactively turning their attention to the practice.

Beyond the social aspect, the boom in sauna use is driven by a growing body of health and clinical research. For example:

• Physical recovery and sleep: One PubMed paper looked at the multifaceted benefits of passive heat therapies for extending the healthspan, focusing on Finnish Saunas, and including everything from hypertension and cardiovascular disease to sleep, longevity, and muscle recovery.
• Nature and mental wellbeing: Modern UK saunas are increasingly built in open-air settings with floor-to-ceiling glass windows. A study on the Noticing Nature Intervention led by Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore at Concordia University of Edmonton found that consciously observing natural surroundings fosters a sense of connectedness and heightens positive emotions.
• The power of natural scenery: Clinical data published via the National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed that patients recovering in rooms with natural window views had significantly shorter hospital stays, reported lower stress levels, and required less pain medication than those facing brick walls.

Ritual, performance, and heat

The rise of social sauna popularity spans a variety of distinct formats tailored to different moods and wellness goals. Instead of meeting over drinks, friends can gather for shared sessions that encourage conversation, laughter, and shared experiences that boost wellbeing. For example:

Aufguss

One of the most dramatic thermal arts is Aufguss - an experience that proves saunas can be both wellbeing and entertainment. Often described as theatre meets sauna, Aufguss elevates sweat bathing into an immersive, multi-sensory performance. It originated in central Europe and has grown into an international phenomenon with its own world championships — the Aufguss WM, which has drawn hundreds of heat enthusiasts since 2015. Aufguss features a Sauna Meister, who leads the ceremony inside a large sauna, part of which sees them perform choreographed towel routines to direct heat around the space.

Russian Banya and The Parenie Ritual

For a deeply transformative, high-humidity experience, traditional Russian banya bathhouses, such as London’s Banya No.1 - Hoxton, offer a completely different feel to standard dry saunas. It’s based on the nordic thermal cycle of hot, cold, rest and repeat. The main event is the intense heat of the Parnaya steam sauna, stimulating blood circulation, profuse sweating, detoxing and boosting the immune system, before you take a dip in the icy plunge pool, relax in a private booth, and then repeat. The thermal massage, which takes place in the steam room, is the real cherry on top, where fragrant bundles of birch, oak, and eucalyptus are used to perform a hypnotic ritual that leaves guests feeling somewhat blown away.

First-time etiquette: How to make the most of your session

If you're visiting a social sauna or thermal suite for the first time and you're not sure what to do, here are some simple steps to maximise the benefits:

• Prep and cleanse: Shower before entering the thermal space to remove makeup, lotions, perfumes, and deodorants so your skin can breathe freely.
• Build slowly: Begin in lower-temperature environments like a Tepidarium or Caldarium (or sit on the lower bench in a sauna, where heat is less intense) before moving up to higher benches or hotter dry saunas.
• Cold contrast: After 10 to15 minutes of heat, take a cool shower, step into an ice fountain, or take a short dip in a cold plunge pool to stimulate blood circulation and trigger a release of endorphins.
• Prioritise rest: The single most overlooked step in heat therapy is rest. In traditional banya and thermal cultures, rule of thumb dictates spending at least double the amount of time resting as you spent in the heat. Allow your heart rate to rebalance in a lounge or private booth.
• Rehydrate and replenish: Drink plenty of water or herbal teas. In traditional banyas, it is common to recharge electrolytes with kombucha, fermented foods, or traditional snacks.

Top destinations for authentic sauna rituals and outdoor thermal spaces

There are lots of beautiful thermal experiences across the UK, but here’s some inspiration for your next spa break:

• Rudding Park, North Yorkshire: UK pioneer of theatrical Aufguss ceremonies led by trained Sauna Masters, featuring a rooftop spa garden and panoramic saunas.
• Banya No.1 - Hoxton, London: Authentic Russian banya with a 700°C cast-iron furnace, group or private Parenie leaf-bundle rituals, and herbal steam infusions.
• Wild Spa Wowo, Sussex: A seasonal outdoor wild spa with three distinct heat spaces: the intense Nordic Wild Sauna, clay-lined silent Cosy Woodland Sauna, and steamy Forest Room greenhouse.
• Hoar Cross Hall, Staffordshire: Outdoor Spa Terrace complete with a glass-fronted juniper log sauna, 15m thermal pools, fire pits, and Brass Monkey cold barrels for contrast therapy.
• Yorkshire Spa Retreat, North Yorkshire: Eight acres near Helmsley featuring a biologically purified natural cold-water swim pond, herbal steam room, and salt chambers.
• Rockliffe Hall, County Durham: Dedicated outdoor spa garden with a glass-fronted sauna, outdoor infinity pool, and warmed loungers along the River Tees.