With a nod to sweat house history, Rowan Clarke discovers how the UK is embracing sauna culture

Left: Watershed Sauna in Findhorn, Scotland

Secret Sauna, River Waveney near Bungay

Relaxing in a beach sauna looking out over the sea feels like a delicious side-dish to cold water swimming. With outdoor swimmers among their biggest proponents, it’s little wonder that so many beaches, lidos and lakes are starting to host mobile saunas and even install their own.

But saunas are much more than a side dish. Steeped in history, tradition, ritual, folklore and ceremony, sauna culture is a growing movement. And while cold water immersion is an important element, it’s about a quick plunge and not swimming.

As one of the world’s emerging sauna cultures, Britain is defining itself, developing its own distinct character. So, from beach box saunas to the competitive events, what does British sauna culture look like?

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You might be surprised by the depth and nuance of sauna culture. Most of us experience saunas in spas, leisure centres or pop-up mobile saunas – an occasional treat or a bolt-on to a swim, work out or day spa.

But you don’t have to go far into Europe to experience established sauna culture that’s embedded in everyday lives. Take,

for example, the Finnish ‘church of nature’ – a sacred sauna experience imbued with folklore with löyly, the spirit released by casting water onto a stack of heated stones, at its heart. Or the smoke sauna tradition of the Võro community of Estonia, which is a family custom that’s passed down through generations.