Soul Gathering by Soul Water Sauna, supported by the British Sauna Society, is a brand-new one-day urban wellness and sauna festival taking place at in Edinburgh at The Pitt, on Saturday 18th October. With a focus on Grounding & Wintering, the festival celebrates the deep connections between sauna, community, and seasonal wellbeing.

Across the day, you’ll find at least six saunas offering aufguss, rituals, storytelling and more, alongside fireside conversations, workshops, nature connection, yoga and movement.

The talks programme dives deep into sauna culture and holistic wellbeing, talking about the broader cultural aspects of sauna: the tradition of pirtis, the practice of whisking and Saunotus and the meaning of bathing rituals in today’s world.

Panelist’s Birutė Masiliauskienė and Rimas Kavaliauskas, of the International Bath Academy (Lithuania), will be joined by Laura Foon of Sipoonjoki Heritahe Sauna (Finland). 

Lassi Liikonnen, author of How to Build a Finnish Sauna and more recently Finnish Sauna- How to build your own, Steam, Wood & Stone, and Rimas Kavaliauskas, the International Bath Academy will join in conversation to share insights into sauna function and build. Together they will be discussing key questions around self-builds and how their own sauna traditions, hands-on experience and construction are always connected to human experience, tradition, and community

Alongside sauna culture, we’ll explore wider themes of health and wellbeing. A dedicated panel of herbalists, doctors, and women’s health specialists will open up vital conversations around menopause, hormones, and holistic approaches to wellbeing. And for those drawn to the water, we’ll be diving into the connections between cold-water swimming and sauna practice, with authors and practitioners sharing their expertise on resilience, ritual, and seasonal living.

Beyond the sauna, the programme features yoga and movement, creative workshops in fermentation, foraging, pottery and land art, and plenty of space to connect, reflect, and prepare for the months ahead.

As a special offer for our sauna community, BSS members receive 20% off tickets - check our latest newsletter for the code.