As a theatre designer and co-founder of Sauna Sessions Arts Club I’ve been watching the amazing growth of UK sauna through the eyes of someone who designs and builds spaces for collective experiences.

On 1 June, the British sauna community gathered at Brighton Dome for Sauna Summit 2026. A day of keynotes, panels, and conversation shaped around one central question: what will British sauna look like in 2030?

I handed eighteen sauna bathers paper and pens in the moments after an Aufguss ritual, and asked them to draw how they felt.

In March this year I travelled to Finland for the annual Saunawave Nordic Reset retreat. A 9 day, deeply immersive journey of Finish sauna, culture and conversation. 

Here's a look at who took home the honours in 2026. Sponsored by Harvia.

The British Sauna Society has been working on a framework for professionals working in the UK sauna industry.

Redefining cooling through emotion, interaction, and contrast. With TechnoAlpin Indoor.

If you are heading to the UK Aufguss Championships 2026, this guide brings together saunas across Northern Ireland, along with nearby points of interest around each one.

In this lived experience, Stephanie shares her journey through postnatal depression and the role sauna has played in her recovery.

In this lived experience, Sian shares her journey through pregnancy loss, postnatal depression and the role sauna has played in her recovery.

At this stage, we know. We know frequent use of sauna and contrast bathing therapy is incredibly good for health, wellness and longevity. We have read the studies, we know them well. In sauna circles, and indeed on the UK sauna scene, Laukkanen is a household name; or a saunahold name, that’s for sure.

A lived experience by Harry Beardsley . In this lived experience, Harry reflects on addiction, recovery, and the role sauna and cold water have played in rebuilding his life.

New research has been published that finds that shared sauna rituals significantly boost wellbeing by enhancing social connectedness, belonging, and emotional synchrony.
Building on the social cure model, which identifies how membership to social groups fosters mental and physical wellbeing, the study suggests sauna is not just an individual wellness practice, but offers a social hub that fosters communal belonging and inclusion. 

There is a moment that often arrives unbidden in the sauna. It might be during the third round, once the body has softened, when conversation has quietened and the visceral stimulation of bathing is gently working within. Something shifts. Defences drop. Consciousness widens. We become aware of how good it feels to sit together, relaxed, open, human. And then the thought arises: we’ve always done this.

One Thursday morning, after dropping my daughter at nursery, I realised how depleted I already felt. The day had barely begun, yet my shoulders were tight and my mind crowded. Maybe it was the 3am toilet-training wake-up. Maybe it was the quiet marathon of getting a toddler out of the house before 9am, with all the tiny negotiations that requires.

Whatever the cause, I felt a deep sense of relief knowing that in a few hours I would be at Mothers Recharge, a weekly, women-only (should we say mums-only to avoid problems?) community sauna session I founded in 2025 with London’s Community Sauna Baths, offering uninterrupted time to recover.

Sauna and menopause have become independent hot topics in the UK public sphere recently, helped along by media coverage, books by experts and high-profile personalities talking candidly about the two separate, whole-body experiences. But no one has been discussing how sauna and menopause might work together.

The British Sauna Society is delighted to announce that booking is now open for the 2026 UK Aufguss Championships, taking place at the award-winning Galgorm Resort in Northern Ireland from 20–22 April 2026.

This flagship event celebrates Aufguss, a dynamic sauna ritual that blends heat, scent, and performance. It is competitive, with a jury deciding which of the UK’s leading Sauna Masters to crown British champion and who will go on to represent Britain on the world stage.

The British Sauna Society is delighted to announce the return of the UK Aufguss Championships to the award-winning Galgorm Resort from 20th–22nd April 2026. This marks the second time the prestigious event will be hosted at Galgorm, following the success of its debut there in 2024.

For 2026, the championship format expands in an exciting new direction. The event will feature two distinct categories: Performance Aufguss, and Modern Classic Aufguss.

“What’s the right price for a communal sauna?”

A few weeks ago, I asked this question on Instagram. I didn’t anticipate the flood of thoughtful, passionate responses, from sauna owners, practitioners and bathers all over the country. It quickly became clear that this question touches something deeper than money.