Beyond the Physical

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. The studies are many, and all evidence the positive effect sauna bathing has on physical health conditions, particularly of the heart, brain and vascular system. Perhaps the most well-known research, and certainly the most quoted, carried out over twenty years, clearly indicates dramatic reduction rates in pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease and mortality rates in those who took sauna 4-7 times a week (Laukkanen et al. 2015). Later studies highlight lowered risk of dementia (Laukkanen et al. 2017). Further research suggests regular sauna use is an emerging protective factor to “offset the adverse effects of other risk factors, such as high blood pressure, systemic inflammation and low socioeconomic status” (Kunutsor & Laukkanen 2023). Particularly interesting here is the inclusion of social position and economic standing in the findings, as it is well known that those from low-income households and underserved communities have more prevalent physical and mental health conditions, and quite frankly higher rates of premature death (Roy-Byrne et al. 2009). If having access to sauna regularly can improve not just physical health, but also mental health and emotional wellbeing, then it makes perfect sense for this to be an appropriate tool for social prescribing - an approach noted to work well for people with complex needs, low-level mental health issues and those who are lonely or isolated (NHS England, 2020). 

So that’s the science angle, where else can we look for confirmation and validation of these propositions? Well, as art imitates life we can certainly look to the big screen, namely the wonderful work done by Anna Hints and her beautiful film ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’. An artful and mesmerising depiction of the power of sauna healing and being witnessed by community. Estonian film director, Hints, quite rightly scooped up an array of awards and accolades for her film, sharing not just the beauty of women coming together to sweat, but of stories previously left untold, tales of trauma which could safely be shared, released in the dark, in communal vulnerability. It is true therapy. 

It is here where this discussion takes a more personal path for its author. When Anna Hints came to Brighton in October 2023 to premiere her film, myself, Jesse Inferno, and a tribe of wellness warriors went en masse to watch this film - which sounded so similar to what was happening inside my guided sauna sessions on Brighton Beach. For the past 18 months I had been building a community who gathered at dawn for movement, connection and contrast bathing. Something born out of my own personal healing journey, a desire to share the practices that had helped me thrive physically, mentally and emotionally. As the community expanded, people from all walks of life joined, and the striking fact was it was mostly women. Men would come, love it and come back now and then. Women would come and be instantly converted. It soon became clear from their comments that this was more than the morning yoga or kettlebell workout, this was more than the sun-rising over the beach, there was something happening with the sauna space that was incredibly therapeutic. The discussions they had, the sharing of the load, the turn-taking across the days, weeks, months, where everybody had their time, when they needed to be heard. We had women struggling economically, we had women struggling with dependents with complex needs, we had women trying to put themselves back together after marital collapse, job-loss, struggling with the effects of perimenopause. That time together, comfortable and relaxed, held by the heat, by each other, was improving quality of life, coping skills, providing an outlet to vent, a haven to escape to. Truly remarkable. As the community expanded further and The Sauna Corner® was established, these sessions became honoured for what they were, a sisterhood, and ‘Sauna Sisters’ was born, the UK’s first guided sauna session, solely for women to come together, be nurtured and be heard. Every Thursday evening we would gather together in our 16-seater sauna trailer and you never quite knew what to expect. Sometimes there was laughter, often there were tears, howling like a wolf was a common theme, as was being free from textiles, being free from judgement, simply being free. It was incredible. It was powerful. It was therapy. 

So for me, it’s a very personal and passionate encounter with the powers of sauna bathing, sauna healing and sauna therapy. I've witnessed it in my community, I’ve watched it on the big screen, I’ve studied it in the literature. This is not some woo-woo pseudoscience, this is real healing. So as we draw this discussion to a close, let’s remind ourselves of what wellness is and how that very definition calls for an adaptive and modern approach to treatment. There is a consensus that wellness is “a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential” (National Institute of Wellness, 2020). In order to be truly well people need to have autonomy in their approach to treatment, and options which feel meaningful to them. Treatment plans should promote holistic wellness outcomes, not a pill to treat a symptom but a lifestyle to affect change. The prescribing of a wellness practice which not only has strongly documented physical health benefits, but also so much anecdotal evidence of how this improves social, emotional and mental health is surely irrefutable. The identification of an approach to treatment which encourages connection, which supports engagement, which brings laughter and joy, along with tears and grief, whilst also being low cost and simple in its concept, is really promising. The sauna - itself a sacred portal of transformation - ticks all of these boxes. With over 600 saunas across the UK, a number growing all the time, this option is relatively achievable, wherever it’s accessible. 

It is said that ‘there is no hierarchy within sauna’ so indeed it must equally be the case that there is no hierarchy in sauna accessibility! Social prescribing may be the way to ensure that sauna bathing really is accessible to all - beyond barriers.

References 

Kunutsor SK, Laukkanen JA. Frequent sauna bathing may reduce chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk: A prospective study. Eur J Clin Invest. 2023 May;53(5):e13940. doi: 10.1111/eci.13940. Epub 2022 Dec 27. PMID: 36541049. 

Laukkanen T, Kunutsor S, Kauhanen J, Laukkanen JA. Sauna bathing is inversely associated with dementia and Alzheimer's disease in middle-aged Finnish men. Age Ageing. 2017 Mar 1;46(2):245-249. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afw212. PMID: 27932366. 

Laukkanen T, Khan H, Zaccardi F, Laukkanen JA. Association Between Sauna Bathing and Fatal Cardiovascular and All-Cause Mortality Events. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(4):542–548. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.8187 

National Wellness Institute, 2020. Six Dimensions of Wellness: What is Wellness? National Wellness Institute. Available at: https://nationalwellness.org/resources/six-dimensions-of-wellness/ (Accessed: 8 February 2026). 

NHS England, 2020. Social Prescribing and Community Based Support: Summary Guide. NHS England, June 2020. Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/social-prescribing-summary-guide-upd ated-june-20.pdf (Accessed: 8 February 2026). 

Roy-Byrne, P.P., Joesch, J.M., Wang, P.S. & Kessler, R.C., 2009. Low socioeconomic status and mental health care use among respondents with anxiety and depression in the NCS-R. Psychiatric Services, 60(9), pp.1190–1197. doi:10.1176/ps.2009.60.9.1190.