Five takeaways from Sauna Summit 2025
Well. That was a thing! Our second Sauna Summit brought together 350 attendees from across the British Isles and Ireland, and even a fair few from Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Romania, Norway, Netherlands, Japan and the USA.
Rob da Bank hosts panel, How is sauna shaping our community? Image credit: Lucy Leo
Held in London at the Hilton Canary Wharf, Arc Community, and Pergola on the Wharf, sauna owners, operators, ritual practitioners and industry luminaries gathered for the British Sauna Society’s annual event of inspiration, learning and connection, underpinned by a theme of ritual and community. The summit welcomed around 40 speakers and over 20 sponsors.
The day kicked off with a welcome from the Finnish Ambassador Mr Jukka Siukosaari who reminded us that, in the sauna, “nothing is forced (...) the only rule in the sauna is that you do what you feel good to be doing.” Carita Harju (CEO Sauna from Finland) then went further to debunk some Finnish sauna myths such as ‘you must stay in the sauna for a fixed time’, hammering home the advice of the Ambassador. We were reminded of the simple wisdom that the best sauna sessions last only as long as they feel good.
Dr Emilia Vuorisalmi (or The Love Doctor as she has become widely known), a Finnish actor and celebrity, and author of The Healing Power of Hormones, took to the stage to deliver the first Keynote of the summit, sharing her own story into sauna, exploring the power of dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin – whilst asserting that I sauna is a place where we can take time to stop and ask ourselves critical questions of introspection.
Our fantastic panellists delved into how sauna is shaping our community, the safer way to sweat and plunge, the history of Britain and Ireland’s sweat culture, how sauna can become more accessible, as well as exploring the holy trinity: fire, ice, and löyly. Discussions included challenges as to what spaces people need in communities, what guidance people really need in the sauna, and the importance of being aware of its physiological impact.
Professor Sam Oliver, a researcher from Bangor University joined Dr Caroline Coch from Sawna Bach in Wales, to discuss current research being carried out to study the health benefits of sauna in the UK. Oliver and Dr Geoff Coombs, lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science, are working with the owners of Sawna Bach to monitor how people use the sauna and they are collecting valuable evidence which aims to offer firm guidance to best practice through better understanding of required frequency, intensity, type, and time of activity. This collaboration won Sawna Bach this year’s ‘Best Health Programme’ Award.
Dr Martha Newson delivering her keynote, The Power of Ritual. Image credit: Lucy Leo
Dr Martha Newson’s presentation on ‘The power of ritual’ explored how ancient practices meet modern science. Newson described sauna as “cross[ing] into the terrain of the sacred”, as an exploration of liminal or in-between places. She reminds us that humans evolved in community; in fact, “our ancestors depended on it.” A lack of it – the lack of belonging and the prevalence of loneliness – is demonstrably the biggest contributor to early mortality. That’s above lack of exercise, alcohol consumption, even smoking. With her words “extreme experiences bond us together, often powerfully,” we pose the question for our community ‘how do you cultivate ritual in sauna?’ Absolutely fascinating.
Before presenting the Sauna Summit Awards (sponsored by Harvia), the talks wrapped up with a fireside chat between Jake Newport (CEO Finnmark) and Emma O’Kelly on the UK sauna scene, with Emma sharing her findings in her latest book ‘Wild Sauna: The Best outdoor saunas Britain’.
Nick Tettersell wins Best Sauna Practitioner 2025. Image credit: Lucy Leo
The winners of this year’s Summit Awards are: Wyld Sauna, Fix MCR, The Wild Sauna, Hikitalo, Nomadic, Sawna Bach, Community Sauna Baths, Saltwater - Lulworth Cove, and Nick Tettersell. Congratulations to them, and to all those who were shortlisted from our survey which received 7,800 individual nominations.
We then moved on to snazzy rooftop bar Pergola on the Wharf where food and drinks were provided. Arc Community provide the sauna after party- which was packed to the rafters. It was a wonderful day of ritual, connection, and community. We are very grateful for all our attendees, staff, speakers, sponsors, partners, amazing volunteers, family and friends! Without your energy, passion, and support, none of this would have been possible.
And what’s more all of the amazing sessions were recorded and will be made available for BSS members to catch up on – or revisit - in the next few weeks. If you’re not a member already, join us now.
Polly Wilson speaks on panel How can we make sauna accessible to more people across the UK? Image credit: Lucy Leo
Here are 5 things we’re taking with us from Sauna Summit 2025 – insights, challenges, and inspiration for the future of sauna culture.
The UK has its own path to carve.
The UK sauna movement has learnt so much from other big bathing nations – Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany – that it can feel like we're just following in their footsteps. But our infancy and creativity also allow us to take a more modern look at bathing culture. It feels like we're pushing for progress. So as much as we're followers, we're also finding ways to be leaders.
This isn’t just a fad – it’s an emerging industry.
It was incredible to see so many sauna owners in person from the UK, Ireland and overseas. If this renaissance in sauna was just a flash in the pan, you might expect it to go no further than host enthusiasts. However, almost every business we spoke to was thriving.
Immense pride.
The BSS has undergone huge changes since the first Sauna Summit back in 2024 so it was exciting to see what kind of scale we're now operating on. The 2025 Summit showed just how much talent, motivation and love there is for UK sauna. It’s moving at such an incredible pace with some seriously exciting things in the pipeline for the coming year. We are proud to be able to bring together the energy and passion of everyone involved in sauna from across the British Isles and Ireland, and to further our aim – to give people deeply nourishing spaces to belong.
There are no rules in the sauna, but there is guidance.
As Jukka, the Finnish Ambassador, shared on stage to commence the start of the Sauna Summit 2025, “the only rule in the sauna is that you do what you feel good to be doing.” The invitation to create your own rules – to follow your own intuition opens up the space for needed introspection in a busy world. However, we believe it is important for there to be advice and guidance for those new and inexperienced to sauna with the aim of maintaining a safe space for everyone.
The three pillars that sustain bathing culture: physical, social, and spiritual.
Sauna is a place where people can connect with themselves, each other, and the landscapes around them, whether urban, rural, or wild. It is an opportunity to open our minds and get into our bodies. As Zak Avery from &SoulCommunity confirms, there is a “deep yearning for community spaces that are nourishing”. These three pillars have and will continue to sustain bathing culture.
Image credit: Lucy Leo
This unforgettable event was made possible by our headline sponsor Finnmark. Additionally, we are ever grateful for our supporting sponsors Periode, Heartwood Saunas, Harvia, Thermory Design, Narvi, Saas Instruments, Huum Sauna, Wild Hut Saunas, Repowr, Visit Tampere, Tulikivi, Porta Sauna, Jarvi, Arc Community, Urban Ice Tribe, Standwood, and Blythin & Brown Insurance Brokers.
The British Sauna Society is now growing at pace; we believe this amazing sauna movement needs its own professional event, a gathering where we can upgrade our understanding, find solutions to shared challenges and make connections with each other. The Sauna Summit is not for profit - it is an event for those who push the sauna movement forward – created and organised by people within the movement, who live and breathe sauna and want to share its joys and benefits with others.
What did you take away from this year’s Sauna Summit? Let us know in an email to hello@britishsaunasociety.org.uk. We’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback. And if you’re not one already, join us as a BSS member now.
