Sauna Talk #111: British Sauna Summit 2025

A Sauna Talk from the British Sauna Summit, Tuesday, 20 May 2025 Hilton London Canary Wharf.

Last year, Sauna Summit 2024 and 1.0, about 120 of us gathered rooftop at in Hackney. The spirit was both well organized like a conference, and yet intimate like a family gathering. This year, as attendance swelled to well north of 300, the Hilton Hotel ballroom provided a backdrop and familiarity of a "proper" (to use the British word) organized meeting.

This is the evolution of sauna. What started as a somewhat jest and jovial organisation, like the growth of many things sauna, the British Sauna Society has ballooned into a structured membership of several hundred, representing the "saunapreneurs" of public saunas that dot the map of the UK's shoreline, streams, and urban communities.

Yours truly was given the honour of announcing the winners of the second annual Sauna Summit Awards, which showcases outstanding saunas (Best Urban, Best Community, Best New, etc.). All of the contest participants are winners. And though there's surely pride and competition behind the curtain, yet what is displayed in the UK sauna scene is more collaboration and support. The Brits seem to recognize that the rising sauna tide lifts all public sauna boats.

London Calling

I am reminded of my time living in London. It was decades ago, and I had the dream job of music listings editor at Time Out magazine, where i'd have one on one relationship with the music venues (Dingwalls, Brixton Academy, etc.) and what stood out was the pricing structure of concert tickets. General admission at the top, then the list of discounted tickets (senior, student, unemployed, single parent, counsel estate resident, library card holder, etc.). It's ingrained in British culture to proudly support those underserved. And sauna culture today shares that "community support" ethos. America may face headwinds in this regard, being more capitalistic centric, yet Britain waves the flag of "serving their community" as evidence by the hundreds of saunas dotting their shoreline and beyond.

Anyhow, in this episode we get to hear one on one conversations with folks from Harvia, Jake Newport from Finnmark, kindred spirit author Lassi Liikkanen, key Summit organizer Mark Lamb, his wife and author Emma O'kelly, Sauna from Finland Carita, Rob De Bank, and other folks "behind the scenes" and "between the action."

Notes from presentations at the British Sauna Summit:

Carita

1. Take as long as you like in sauna. Listen to your body.
2. Nudity is common in private saunas. Often ladies and men's sides.
3. Most Finn's prefer 70-80c and we make löyly.
4. Sauna is a safe and relaxing activity for all ages. Sauna at the lake helps make family memories.
5. Everyone sweats differently. More sweat doesn't mean better
6. Sauna stones wear out. Replace them regularly. She changes stones twice a year.
6. Clean the sauna – deep clean under the benches. Dry the sauna after every use.
8. Whisking is gentle and relaxing. Good for your skin and circulation.

Every sauna has its own soul.
Löyly is the main thing.

Dr emelia Vuitisalmi
"Sauna is the one single place where we truly feel safe and we can relax."

Finns don't count minutes or measure temperature.
Sauna stimulates three hormones
1. Dopamine. Direction Motivation and reward.  Walk your true path. Sauna is the place to answer these questions

2. Serotonin. Safety
Sauna is the place where we feel safe.

3. Oxytocin. Connection.
Sauna is an amazing place to connect with ourself. What is behind our own thoughts.

Deep healing power of sauna takes us to a state of love.

Sweat. Let go. Belong.

The deep power of sauna.

—

Rob Da Bank
Slo Mo

Drew parallels of organizing festivals to the sauna space in UK.

Dom Bridges
Running his sauna for 12 years on the beach in Margate. Free. Significant part of the town. More like a skatepark, its own ecosystem. No one owns it, a spirit of togetherness.

Sara Higgins
Seaside Sauna Haus
Dorset. "It's about connection with yourself, and it's also about connection with who you share the bench with. "

"Focus on your thing and shout about others. "

Wild Scottish Sauna
Jayne McGie & Jamie Craig-Gentles