Public saunas are becoming more popular in the UK with the British Sauna Society predicting there to be over 200 public saunas by 2026, up from 45 in 2023.
Home saunas are also becoming more popular, with residential saunas making up 59% of sauna demand in 2024.
The rise in sauna culture in Britain is coinciding with the drop of young people going to the pub, with one in four young people not drinking, up from one in five 10 years ago.
Joanne Monroe, a nutritional therapist, said: “Saunas, epically infrared saunas, have very specific health benefits for the cardiovascular, they improve circulation and reduce blood pressure.
“Therefore, its clear to see why young urban professionals during the pandemic began looking into sauna therapy as a form of exercise when lockdown was implemented.”
The pandemic was responsible for more people investing in home wellbeing, with sauna and cold therapy becoming a main focus on how to achieve this.
Growth in the sauna industry accelerated in 2020, with more young people becoming more health conscious then their older peers.
There has also been a change in UK sauna culture, with saunas historically being gym and spa add-ons.
Now, public saunas are becoming more widespread along the English coast and London, and they have started to act as a healthy social event, with public saunas in Brixton and Hackney becoming very popular for millennials.
Chris Chapman, a London home-sauna owner, said: “I love my sauna.
“I was paying a lot for my membership at Soho House to use one but I decided to invest in a home one because after two years I would begin to save money.
“I use it about 6-days a week and what it has done to my skin, mental health and how its able to detox on a cellular level, its the best.”
Nordic societies like Finland, where 90% of the population are said to take a sauna at least once a week, is the cultural inspiration behind the British sauna boom.
Joanne Monroe said: “There is now a lot of research into sauna therapy that has happened since the pandemic, the British Sauna Society produces a lot of articles into the health benefits.
“They improve sleep quality, mental health and reduce anxiety and with young people experiencing a mental health crisis in the UK it is a useful outlet for people who are experiencing these feelings.”
These clear health benefits contributed to the industry in the UK growing 9.7% in 2024, to be valued at around £589m in 2025.
But is the sauna craze booting out the beloved British past-time of going to the pub?
The growth in sauna usage is coinciding with the adaption in British drinking culture among young people.
Data from drinkaware shows that 49% of young people now choose low-or-no alcohol to reduce alcohol intake, this is up from 28% in 2018.
With pubs needing all the help they can get, a steady healthy Nordic competitor could not be coming at a worse time.
Feature Image Credit: Unsplash.
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