Four times a week, Alison Cork, 62, heads to the local gym. She swipes in, strips off her clothes and goes for a 20-minute session to boost her heart, improve her metabolism and help keep weight off. But it’s not a hardcore HIIT session or a sprint on the treadmill she’s partaking in – it’s a sauna. And Alison, who went on a huge health kick at 57 and lost five stone, is evangelical about them.
Alison does strength training three times a week and on the other days visits the sauna. ‘All the stats that have come out of Finnish research point to the health positives of taking regular saunas. One every month is not going to make a difference. If you want to get the optimum health benefits, it’s got to be four a week, and that’s what I now do religiously,’ she says.
A 2018 review of more than 70 studies suggested that visiting a sauna is much more than a relaxing treat. Researchers at the universities of Bristol, Jyväskylä and Eastern Finland found that it can reduce the risk of heart disease, lung disease and an early death. Basking in the hot temperatures may also combat mental-health issues, skin diseases, arthritis, headaches and the flu.
For Alison – who says that in her late 50s her health suddenly went from ‘nowhere’ on her priority list to ‘number one’ – the most compelling study she read found that regular saunas at around 76C ‘can reduce all causes of mortality by up to 40 per cent. That is a massive health benefit,’ she says. ‘You could say, “I’m going to go crazy at the gym, restrict what I eat or take loads of supplements.” But for me, saunas are an obvious, natural thing that you can do for your body. You sweat and expel toxins.’
Saunas are a part of life in the snowy landscapes of Finland, with research highlighting the health positives of regular use
Alison says she has enjoyed numerous tangible benefits as a result of her regular saunas, including fresher and brighter skin as well as improvements in her mood
Alison says she has enjoyed numerous tangible benefits as a result of her regular saunas. ‘I’ve seen a definite change in my skin – it looks fresher and brighter. It also helps weight loss because it increases your metabolism. And it improves your mood; I always feel great after I come out of the sauna.’
She’s not alone: there’s a new (heat) wave sweeping London. Twenty-somethings flock to Arc Community in Canary Wharf, the capital’s ‘first communal contrast therapy club’ (where you alternate between saunas and ice baths); in Hackney, rooftop saunas at Netil House come with city views; while on Clapham Common, the kids’ splash pad has been transformed for winter into a sauna complex called The Cabin.
Sam Glyn-Jones, co-founder of The Saltwater Sauna company in Dorset, says when they first opened in Sandbanks they were ‘fully booked immediately’ and the popularity of communal sessions has rocketed in the past 18 months. They have expanded to two more locations and are currently ‘building the UK’s largest beachfront community sauna’ in Boscombe, Bournemouth, in response to the demand, with people travelling from London, Bristol and the Midlands just to visit these ‘destination saunas’.
For the truly heat-obsessed, you can even have one installed in your house or garden – the at-home sauna market was valued at £894million last year and is projected to reach £2.6billion by 2033, according to industry expert Mark Sands, vice president of wellness at Six Senses.
Before: Alison was 13 stone at the start of her health kick and says that in her late 50s her health suddenly went from ‘nowhere’ on her priority list to ‘number one’
After: Now, aged 62, Alison has a metabolic age of 46 and says she always feels great when she comes out of the sauna
Of course, while saunas may be experiencing a huge boom in the UK, in northern Europe they are nothing new. The oldest simple pit saunas in Finland date back 10,000 years, and they are still considered one of the key elements of Finnish happiness. In fact, Visit Finland says there are more saunas than cars in the country. (There are roughly 3.3 to 3.5million saunas in Finland, and 2.8million passenger cars, a representative confirms.) This could be partly why visitor numbers to Finland are on the rise, with ‘sauna tourism’ taking off in line with the overall move towards wellness-oriented travel.
ALISON’S TOP SAUNA TIPS
- Take a timer in with you so you don’t fall asleep; there’s a danger of that if you’re very relaxed.
- Don’t take your phone in with you – the detox is mental as well as physical. Also it will ruin your phone!
- Get up very slowly so you don’t feel dizzy.
- In this country, keep your bits covered – you don’t know the sensibilities of others.
- Always make room for other people. If you’re lying down and four other people come in, sit up.
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Alison is among those who have travelled abroad to get sweaty, having been to Latvia to experience the famous black saunas. Heated by a fire built directly under stones without a chimney, these huts are filled with smoke and soot, which act as a natural disinfectant. She also recommends the saunas in Tbilisi, Georgia.
You don’t have to travel abroad or visit an expensive spa to enjoy the health benefits of a sauna, though – plenty of gyms in the UK have them, too. David Lloyd Clubs report that saunas have started to become a social hub for its members, seeing a 350 per cent rise in the use of their spas over the past two years.
For many, the community aspect of a sauna is almost as appealing as the health benefits. In Finland there is a saying, ‘All of us are equal in a sauna’, and people will often gather there to socialise. That partly explains its appeal to health-obsessed Gen Z in the UK: they’d rather meet up in a sauna than catch up over pints at the pub. You get chatting to strangers, too. Beth Mackay, 38, a project manager who regularly visits her local sauna in East London, says, ‘Sauna culture is something I like: being in one seems to lead to interesting, unexpected conversations. It can feel like you’ve had a free therapy session.’ She is currently planning a month-long trip to Helsinki, where she’ll work during the week and then explore Finland’s saunas ‘from rustic to fancy’ every weekend.
Alison also says she has made friends in saunas, often enjoying ‘lovely conversations’ with the people she meets. This, coupled with the apparent health benefits, makes it a no-brainer in her routine. ‘Brits often don’t understand that saunas are not the type of thing that needs to be done in a luxury spa,’ she says. ‘There are basic health and longevity benefits that anyone with their head screwed on should want.’
Fit & Fabulous Over 50 by Alison Cork is published by AC Publishing, £22. For 20% off, use code FABULOUS20 at alisoncork.com/shop-products