Putting Britain back on the map of great bathing cultures

This September, Dr Kath Jones (Founder, Wild-Ness Health & NHS GP) and Polly Wilson (Social Prescribing and Outreach Manager, Community Sauna Baths) represented the UK sauna-for-health movement at the 2025 Annual Medical Conference of the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine (BSLM) in Brighton. They presented From Clinic to Sauna: Fostering Synergy for Whole Person Care, introducing GPs, health professionals, and conference delegates to the idea that sauna use can play a meaningful role in integrative, whole-person care.

The British Sauna Society is delighted to announce that the UK will be joining the Sauna Herbal Cup for the very first time in 2026, sending a national team to compete on the world stage. This unique international competition celebrates the art of herbal sauna rituals and peeling procedures, showcasing creativity, tradition, and innovation from sauna masters across Europe and beyond.

Emma O’Kelly talks to Katja Pantzar, author of Helskini by Sauna, about her favourite places to soak up the sauna scene in Finland’s capital.

The British Sauna Society is officially launching the search for a host venue for the UK Show Aufguss Championships 2026.

Is it a miracle machine? A weight-loss trick? A cardiovascular threat? The internet has opinions. But behind the vapour is something simpler and deeper: a space for warmth, rest, and ritual. A space where myth often overshadows truth.

Sweat bathing is an ancient practice with deep roots. There are many living traditions, some of which are recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Britain, too, has its own bathing past: quiet, fragmented, often forgotten. But today, a vibrant new culture is emerging. And as with all cultural movements, to understand where we’re going, we first look to where we’ve been.

Now in its 3rd year, the 2025 UK Aufguss Championships saw the spectacle of sauna theatre performed against a backdrop of skyscrapers in Canary Wharf, London.

Our second Sauna Summit brought together 350 attendees from across the British Isles and Ireland, and even a fair few from Belgium, Denmark, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, Romania, Norway, Netherlands, Japan and the USA.