Social Prescribing Day, 14th March 2024

Sauna You Free

Inviting NHS and social prescribing link workers to come and enjoy the magic of sauna for free!

Watershed Sauna, Findhorn, Moray

For all NHS and link workers

We are delighted to announce that we’re co-hosting a little initiative with Sauna Our Souls, to invite all NHS workers and link workers for a free sauna on Social Prescribing Day on March 14th, (or before April 14th).

This is a tiny token of gratitude from us as a community for the extraordinary care you have consistently provided throughout the pandemic and beyond. Please can we prescribe you a sauna?

We’ve witnessed such incredible positive shifts in well-being in our community, both in ourselves, and in the people we serve. Recent scientific studies now support all the magic we’ve been feeling in our minds, bodies, and souls for years.

We’d love to help ease the pressure on your surgeries, and all of you, by helping people get well, and stay well, with regular sauna and safe cold exposure.

This is a nationwide initiative supported by many of our sauna owner members. Please find your nearest local sauna from the list below to get in touch to book your free sauna.

Why prescribe sauna?

  • Produces the same cardiovascular benefits as medium-intensity exercise (Ketelhut & Ketelhut, 2019) - ideal for the elderly, disabled or those with mobility issues

    Counters chronic inflammation (Laukkanen & Laukkanen, 2017), the main driver of diseases of aging (Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer etc)

    Frequent sauna users 40% less likely to die prematurely, regardless of age, activity levels and lifestyle factors that influence health (Laukkanen et al. 2018)

    Frequent sauna bathers 66% less likely to develop dementia (Laukkanen et al. 2017)

    Helpful for those with chronic pain (Masuda et al. 2005)

    Slows muscle wastage which impacts the elderly or those with muscle wasting diseases (Hafen et al. 2019)

    Improves recovery time from exercise

    Enhances the release of growth hormone for bodybuilders (Hannuksela & Ellaham, 2001)

  • Can produce an immediate antidepressant effect for people with severe depression (Janssen et al. 2016)

    Frequent bathers 77% less likely to develop psychotic disorders (Laukkanen et al. 2018)

    Gives a social experience without the need to manage relationships/hold conversations

    May assist focus and concentration in those suffering from ADHD (Hannuksela & Ellaham, 2001)

    Read our blogpost Let's talk sauna and mental wellbeing for further information.

  • Protects against the negative health outcomes of low socioeconomic status (Kunutsor & Laukkanen, 2023)

    Provides low-skilled flexible jobs for the community

    Single-bather bookings randomises the demographics to facilitate socialisation across age, wealth and background

    A sense of equality and enduring difficulty together is a bonding mechanism, creating a camaraderie between different social groups (Yates, 2022)

    Heat functions as a social lubricant, promoting conversation between strangers/people of different backgrounds

    Gives an accessible space for the isolated to meet new people

    Lowering inflammation makes people less fearful of strangers and more sociable (Eisenberger et al. 2017)

Participating saunas

These saunas have pledged a free sauna session to their local NHS and social prescribing link workers in celebration of Social Prescribing Day on 14 March 2024. Find your local sauna below and book your free sauna session directly with them.

Frequently asked questions

  • All the participating saunas are listed on this webpage. Find your local one and click on the link to access their website and contact details.

    Each sauna operator has their own system, so get in touch with them directly to book your session.

  • 1. Invite your local NHS and link workers

    • You can download this leaflet about the initiative

    • Fill it in with your sauna’s details and any personal greeting

    • Deliver it to your local NHS and link workers

    2. Add your sauna to this page

    Email saunayoufree@britishsaunasociety.org.uk with following information:

    • Name of the sauna

    • Post town & county

    • Website address

    • Attach one square format image that represents your sauna

    3. Host a free session

    Either on Social Prescribing Day, Tuesday 14 March or before 14 April 2024.

    Any questions, contact the Sauna Our Souls and Sauna You Free steward Jez Tozer at 07779 111151 (WhatsApp).

  • Social prescribing – sometimes referred to as community referral – is a means of enabling GPs, nurses and other health and care professionals to refer people to a range of local, non-clinical services.

    Recognising that people’s health is determined primarily by a range of social, economic and environmental factors, social prescribing seeks to address people’s needs in a holistic way. It also aims to support individuals to take greater control of their own health.

    Social prescribing schemes can involve a variety of activities which are typically provided by voluntary and community sector organisations. Examples include volunteering, arts activities, group learning, gardening, befriending, cookery, healthy eating advice and a range of sports.

    There are many different models for social prescribing, but most involve a link worker or navigator who works with people to access local sources of support.

    Community-centred ways of working can be more effective than more traditional services in improving the health and wellbeing of marginalised groups and vulnerable individuals. For this reason, they are an essential way of reducing health inequalities within a local area or community.

    Source: GOV.UK – Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID)

Organising partners

The British Sauna Society was established in 2014 by a group of Brits and European ex-pats. They had experienced the awe of authentic sauna and wanted to connect with fellow enthusiasts and encourage more of it in the UK.

A decade later, it’s been a driving factor in a UK sauna ‘revolution’, with exponential growth of authentic sauna experiences across the UK.

Sauna Our Souls is a gathering of sauna owners, medical & mental health professionals, social workers, and therapists to expand the conversation, and initiate action, to make sauna and safe cold exposure accessible to more people in the UK and beyond.

In particular, they are committed to expanding access to sauna & cold through social prescribing, charitable funding, and donation programs.