The tradition of sauna is growing in popularity, but what exactly are its benefits and appeal?

Words: Beverley D’Silva

You might have noticed a quiet revolution unfolding near you – at the beach, health centre or even in a forest or the woods. Saunas are springing up in many places. All shapes and sizes, outdoors and in, they seem to be proliferating all over the northern hemisphere.

Perhaps you’re already familiar with the scenario. Putting on a pixie-ish felt hat, relaxing on a wooden bench and sinking into a meditative state as water is ladled onto hot coals, causing a gentle hiss of steam to rise… Feeling your skin soften and muscles unknot as you yield to the power of deep heat… These are just hints of the sensory pleasures that have made sauna bathing one of several fast-growing wellness trends.

It’s been called an ‘explosive rebirth of ancient bathing traditions’ by Mikkel Aaland, photographer and host of Perfect Sweat, a seven-part documentary series about sweat bathing around the world. And sauna expert Emma O’Kelly, author of Sauna: The Power of Deep Heat, sees the growing interest in sauna bathing as ‘like a red-hot trend ’ and ascribes the ‘dramatic revival of sweat-bathing culture’ to a search for stability: ‘In our rapidly changing world, the growing need for physical, social and spiritual wellness is inspiring people to look for alternative lifestyles, and the sauna/sweat bath fits this yearning.’