Embracing the heat: the science of sauna and menopause
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.
Nevertheless, there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence suggesting sauna can help during this natural life stage. Menopause impacts the body in ways that can lead to serious conditions - cardiovascular disease, dementia /Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, depression and social isolation to name but a few.
It can also lead to brain fog, insomnia, swings in body temperature and mood and 34 other recognised symptoms. While it might seem counter-intuitive for some women to enter the heat when they are already struggling with the hot flush, many a UK sauna operator will testify that women around 40-60 years of age repeatedly seek out the heat, either alone or with friends and talk about benefits they feel after experiencing the contrasting hot and cold.
SaunaPause community members sharing warmth in the sauna with leafy whisks.
It’s the same in countries that already have a long-established sauna culture. Laura Foon of The Sipoonjoki Heritage Sauna in Finland, speaks of how women in the menopausal age range visit her sauna space and use the warmth and traditional herbs to alleviate rather than eradicate their symptoms completely. Sauna is helping them to focus on what their body needs most using their symptoms as a guide.
Scotland-based GP and lifestyle medic Dr Kath Jones uses sauna strategically in her female health professional wellness retreats as she says it immediately breaks down barriers, helps groups to relax and creates gentle connection. In 2024, a University College London study into cold water and menopause showed many perceived benefits – reduced stress and anxiety, mood swings, low mood and hot flushes.
But beyond this, high quality sauna-based research and female- specific health research is sadly lacking. A seminal study, published in 2018 by Finnish cardiologist Jari Laukinnen focussed only on men. Only 1-5% of health-based research funding in the UK and globally is allocated to female specific study and clinical trials despite women making up 50% of the population and having completely different physiology and commonly different responses to men.
As a sauna owner and practitioner with lived experience of menopause, I hear countless stories of sauna almost as ‘medicine’ and, along with an emerging group of British women, I advocate for using sauna as both disease prevention as well as supporting women during menopause. Judith Dunlop of Scottish Seaside Saunas is working closely with Dr Imogen Murray, a female reproductive health specialist to promote sauna use for women of menopausal age. But we need robust empirical evidence to verify the myriad anecdotal claims.
Could this be a reality and what would be needed for it to be so? We are asking: What might it feel like if women were to approach menopause well-informed and optimistic, knowing they have a potential space to visit which gives them the time and a community to allow a deeper connection and communication with their body as it navigates the changes? Might sauna, by its very nature, be that space?
On Monday 2 March at 6.30pm, we are hosting a webinar exploring sauna and the menopausal transition.
Join a panel of practitioners and academic researchers as we respond to questions and explore future possibilities in an area of sauna culture that remains underexplored. You can sign up to the webinar here.
We invite you to share any questions in advance on Discourse to help guide the conversation. You do not need to be a British Sauna Society member to take part. Anyone can post questions by creating a free Discourse account.
