With sauna culture quickly growing across the UK, including in Wales, some advocates of the heated treatment claim they could become the "new pub" when it comes to socialising. There are more than 600 public saunas across the UK, with many now opening on beaches, overlooking lakes and in other picturesque rural settings. While many users promote the health and mental benefits of sauna use, the science behind this is nuanced.
Experts also warn that people should take care when using saunas, such as ensuring they are hydrated, while also making sure it takes place alongside other healthy activities. The British Sauna Society (BSS) promotes almost 640 saunas on their website – up from 540 at the start of the year – while a recent report said the UK could become Europe's largest sauna market by 2033. Gabrielle Reason, director of BSS, said: "The continuing growth suggests that the peak has still yet to come – if there is one." A sauna business owner also argues that Wales' picturesque landscape – which includes dramatic coastlines and remote rural areas – lends itself to sauna use, in a similar way to Finland.
Kathryn Donavan, 40, opened Môr A Sawna near Jackson's Bay, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, in June 2024. She had struggled with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and endometriosis, using cold water therapy to help manage her symptoms. After having surgery to remove parts of her womb, she noticed her conditions would flare up more frequently, sometimes leaving her unable to get out of bed.
"I was in so much pain," Donavan said, adding that she began developing flu-like symptoms. It was then she began looking into alternative treatments to help manage her pain and symptoms, and began visiting a sauna an hour and a half from where she lived. Wondering why one wasn't more accessible, she decided to open her own outdoor sauna and since then said her health conditions have become more manageable.
"I don't get pain anywhere near as intense as I used to," she said. Donavan said visitors to her sauna came for a range of reasons, including those looking for a sense of community or to escape a feeling of isolation. "We've got quite a few people who use it regularly because of various health conditions and it helps them sleep better and move easier.
"I just think sauna is a way of life – it's not a fad, it is a place to unwind and destress or be social," she added. William Jenkins spent 15 years working in the technology sector and said long hours and stressful days left him struggling with his mental health, eventually suffering what he said was a mental breakdown. While travelling he discovered sauna culture, and in nine months visited 70 saunas in 14 countries, finding it useful for his mental health.
Upon returning to Wales he opened Hikitalo Sauna in Porthcawl. "I class saunas as the new pub. A sober way of getting together and you don't wake up with any hangovers," said the 34-year-old.
Jenkins said he believes there is a "huge mental health benefit" to being socially connected. "We all need a sense of belonging and that kind of social connection," he said, adding that he believed the culture was "here to stay". "There's no titles or social status in the sauna, that's what I really love about it.
It's a place that's judgement free," he added. He said saunas were about creating "social connection", something that helped him when he was struggling with his mental health. "And that's what I'm trying to create here," he said.
Jenkins also said he believes Wales' picturesque landscape lends itself to sauna culture, similar to the way it does in Finland. "The combination of these social saunas in connection with nature, I think there's something very special about it." Dr Geoff Combs, lecturer in sport and exercise science at Bangor University, and a member of the Institute for Applied Human Physiology, said health benefits from sauna use needed to incorporate "other healthy behaviours". "If someone is telling me that they feel it improves their mental health, that's great, keep doing it," said Combs, although he added that more research was needed.
He also said safety around sauna use was important and for people to ensure they did their own research from trusted sources. "Listen to your body and be aware that you could overheat – make sure you're hydrating before, bringing water with you and just start slow. "I mean, go in for a few minutes, see how you feel, take a break.
"I think it's important to have scientific evidence, but if people enjoy doing something, then they should continue to do that," adding that it was important that people used sauna's safely.
