As Finnish tradition is expanding rapidly, the UK is projected to lead Europe in sauna market revenue by 2033, data suggests.
As work-related stress peaks in the United Kingdom, many Brits are now turning to saunas.
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Work-related stress in the UK hit record levels between 2024 and 2025, with nearly one million workers reporting stress, depression or anxiety, according to the UK’s Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety.
Against that backdrop, the appeal of an hour or so of calm is not hard to understand.
Owners of Temz, a floating sauna in London, say it offers an alternative to endless scrolling.
“It's just such a good way to just treat yourself, almost, to that 50 minutes of calm and serenity where you can let go, take that time for yourself,” said Amy Wilson Hardy, co-owner of TEMZ Sauna.
“And people do come out as a different person and we see it so often. People come in a bit stressed and then they leave just with a sauna glow and a relaxed look on their face. So it's brilliant to see.”
On the floating pod on the River Thames, the ritual is simple but demanding.
Guests lower themselves into cold baths as the sauna staff keeps a close eye on the clock. Timing is central to what is known as contrast therapy, before making the short sprint back to the warmth of the sauna.
“It's just such a brilliant place to come, obviously,” said Sue Harper-Clark, a visitor at the Temz sauna and a physiotherapist.
“I've been in a sauna before, but I've never done an ice bath. So obviously, the combination of the sauna and the ice bath was something just a little bit novel.”
While alternating between heat and cold is rooted in Finnish sauna culture, another modern reinterpretation has spread worldwide in recent years, driven by the rise of biohacking, a wellness movement that promotes what it says is optimising the body through controlled stress such as heat and cold exposure.
But are there measurable benefits to contrast therapy?
Heather Massey, associate professor in extreme environments and physiology at the University of Portsmouth, has studied both ends of the temperature spectrum.
“We know that that initial response to cold water, what we term as the cold shock response, causes a big gasp and then rapid breathing and an increase in heart rate and blood pressure as well,” Massey said.
But while anecdotal evidence is compelling, Massey urges caution about the growing number of health claims surrounding sauna and cold exposure.
“We just don't have that evidence in terms of what the benefits could be, and also how that benefit might come about,” she said.
Keah O'Reilly, a sauna visitor who works as a recruitment executive, is less concerned by the scientific uncertainty.
“Well, the last time I did it I noticed a big difference. I was still buzzing two or three hours later. So it was real uplifting. I'd never done anything like it before. And to be honest sitting in a sauna in a gym, you feel enclosed and stuff, whereas this is gorgeous,” she said.
Massey points to the social and environmental context, which may be just as important as the physical effects.
“A lot of the qualitative research that's coming out would start to suggest, particularly being in a social group of like-minded individuals doing something with moderate challenges involved, whether that's a physical challenge or an exercise-type challenge, exercise itself," Massey said.
"And being outdoors in nature may also be contributing factors. So these need to be considered as well."
In Finland, there is roughly one sauna for every two people. In the UK, the practice is expanding rapidly, with the country projected to lead Europe in sauna market revenue by 2033, according to market research group Grand View Research.
