Introducing our national framework for Sauna Professionals.
The British Sauna Society has been working on a framework for professionals working in the UK sauna industry, to establish a common terminology to be used across the industry and allow it to become formally recognised as an national occupation.
We have consulted with sauna masters, operators, suppliers and industry bodies across Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England to develop the framework.
This framework establishes three levels of expertise for professionals working in and around the sauna space: Sauna Host, Sauna Guide, and Sauna Master. We also establish a criteria of competency for each of those levels. These roles reflect how sauna work is currently practised, while also introducing a clearer sense of progression within the profession.
A Sauna Host supports the safe and effective operation of the sauna environment and plays a key role in participant care.
A Sauna Guide independently facilitates structured sauna sessions, taking responsibility for the safety and quality of each experience.
A Sauna Master represents a more advanced level of practice, holding responsibility for complex facilitation, deeper knowledge, and the longer term impact of their work, including the development of others and the evolution of sauna practice.
This framework provides shared language for the sector, supporting clarity for practitioners, operators, insurers, and the public, without limiting the diversity and cultural richness of sauna practice in the UK.
You can find further information about the competency criteria and the scope and purpose of the framework here.
We are already working with HABIA, the UK standards setting body for the hair, beauty and wellness industries, to support the development of formal National Occupational Standards for sauna practice and have them recognised by the Department of Education in the UK. We will be talking to Joan Scott, Chair of HABIA, at the upcoming Sauna Summit on 1 June 2026 in Brighton, where she will be talking more about the future of Sauna Professionals in the UK.
This project has allowed the developing authentic sauna to shape its own future as an industry, enhancing its profile publicly and supporting career paths and healthy employment opportunities for Sauna Professionals. British Sauna Society has been proud to proactively initiate this progress and looks forward to seeing large institutions recognise and reward the creative complexity and cultural depth of authentic sauna practice.
