Hot topic: when did saunas get to be so popular in Ireland?

I FIND myself wondering ‘how did I end up in this situation?’, sat sandwiched between two burly rugby players while I look rather unpleasant, wondering is this steam or sweat rolling off my phone.

You see, saunas were never something which caught my interest. The idea of sitting in a small, enclosed wooden barrel with a group of strangers wasn’t appealing, and the thought of going to an outdoor sauna as a social outing would have never even occurred to me.

This was until I met my now-boyfriend, a 23-year-old man who favours spending his days off with his other 20-something-year-old friends at the sauna rather than going for drinks, or other activities often associated with young men. This sparked my curiosity, and when I became aware of them, I started seeing outdoor saunas pop up everywhere.

I started to wonder what the reason behind this sudden sweaty cultural phenomenon was, and whatever the reason, I decided to take it upon myself to figure it out.

“We like a pint, but we love a sauna,” were the words of Shane Fata and Connor Halpenny, two 23-year-old rugby players who decided one day that they would rub biceps in a sauna after a tough gym session, and they never looked back.

“Myself and Connor started going to the sauna when we were about 18 or 19 as a reward after our gym sessions, but it didn’t take long for it to become something more than that.” 

I took Shane and Connor to Valhalla Saunas in Milford, Co Carlow. It is beautiful sauna retreat nestled within the trees by the River Barrow. While at the sauna, I spoke to the owner Bobby, who gave us an insight into what it is like to run a sauna in Ireland. They, too, can acknowledge the rapid growth in their popularity.

Bobby opened Valhalla Sauna alongside his wife in 2024, and they have been busy ever since. It features a fabulous wild sauna, plunge pool and safari bucket. Before you even set foot in the sauna, your mind already feels cleansed as you take a step into the depths of Carlow’s countryside. Without a doubt, this was the most relaxing interview that any of us will ever partake in.

Right now, in Ireland we have more than 130 outdoor saunas in operation. They have popped up all over the country from small rural villages to city centres. This Scandinavian wellness culture has gotten its hands around our little island and only seems to be infiltrating it more and more every day. The saunas range from standalone saunas to saunas with cold plunges, saunas by the river and even mobile saunas that will travel around the coastline providing a cosy spot for sea swimmers to warm up.

Quite a special mobile sauna I spotted was ‘The Wet Mongrel’ sauna in Kinvara, Co Galway, notable for its adorable Newfoundland dog which travels around in the back of it.

Since Covid-19 we have seen the biggest growth in these outdoor saunas. In 2020 and 2021, most of us were unable to do the activities we once loved. This meant we all had to turn to something else, something outdoors, of course, so we could social distance and some sort of exercise so we could stretch the legs within the permitted 5km. Hence, we saw the boom of sea swimming.

In 2020, the Outdoor Swimming Society’s membership grew by 30%. No matter where you looked along Ireland’s coastline, you saw someone wearing a dryrobe within 20 feet. Of course, as lovely as our coastline is, its freezing, so it didn’t take long for people to come up with a way to warm themselves back up.

Shane Lynam, a secondary school teacher in Co Galway and avid sea swimmer, agreed that “saunas are the best way to warm up after your sea swim … they just go hand in hand”.

Covid-19 and our freezing cold climate seemed to answer my question as to why saunas have risen so greatly in popularity, but I wanted more. The concept of sitting half-clad in a sweaty wooden box of strangers seems alien to our deep-rooted conservative culture. Are we leaning away from our strong drinking culture and more towards a health-focused population?

I spoke to a classmate of mine, who is from the Czech Republic. Ironically, his first question to me was: “Do Irish people go into the saunas naked?” 

Without a slight bit of hesitation, I said, “oh God, no” and this further sparked the idea of a cultural shift in my head.

This idea led me to my most interesting finding. I was searching for hours trying to find out if this is a sign of a change in our culture and I found something which gave me an answer I never would have expected. Teach Allais. ‘House of Sweat’ in Irish.

Yes, this idea of sweating out your illnesses or treating sore muscles isn’t so alien to us after all. In fact, its deeply rooted in our ancient culture. These sweathouses were first recorded in 1796 by the French writer Chevalier de Latocanye. In fact, these sweathouses were so popular there are about 300 of them recorded on the island.

Now, unlike a traditional Scandinavian sauna, these are made from stone, and their exact origins are not definite. So although the idea of being fully vulnerable in front of a group of strangers might still be unusual for us, the idea of a sauna is not.

Maybe I had looked at this all wrong. Maybe there was no cultural shift. Maybe it was there all along, deep-rooted within our heritage. Something which would go hand in hand with other elements of our culture.

After a few cold plunges, we were back on topic, discussing why saunas are such an important part of Connor and Shane’s friendship and how they choose to spend their time together. For them, the love of saunas started through their love of fitness. It was a place of recovery and relaxation. However, even for them, eventually it became more than that. 

“I’ve met guys for the first time in a sauna; it’s a great social thing,” Connor said.

As far as the boys were concerned, saunas were even a great place to meet your future wife. “I mean, if they are in there, they obviously have similar interests and lifestyle to you,” Shane added.

They even went as far to say they’d bring a girl on a first date there ... we’ll see how far that one gets them.

I asked Connor why he would rather go to the sauna than go on a night out. “If you go on a night out, you’ll feel terrible the next day; you won’t be productive, even feel a bit depressed. For me, the negatives outweigh the positives, whereas the sauna is the complete opposite.” 

There was a mutual agreement from the two on this, which ended in them telling me: “We like a pint, but we love a sauna.” 

Now I must admit, although I said that saunas were not for me, I found that once I got into the idea, I really started to enjoy them. I have found myself being eager to visit all of our local outdoor saunas.

Valhalla Sauna in Milford, Co Carlow was the first outdoor sauna that I visited, and it will remain one of my favourites. Its beautiful landscape and intimate sauna never fail to leave you feeling relaxed. The Hot Box Sauna in Graignamanagh, Co Kilkenny is another one of my favourites. This larger sauna is great for a big group. It’s nestled on the River Barrow and with it’s cold plunge and river access, this sauna is great for those who enjoy the cool-down every bit as much as the heat! Heron Sauna in St Mullins, Co Carlow, Woodfield Sauna in Ballickmoyler, Co Laois and Tree House Sauna in Naas, Co Kildare are also great local saunas if you’re looking to immerse yourself within our beautiful flora.

As our session came to an end, it was clear to me than that for these two health-focused lads, a sauna would always come first. However, I wanted to see what they thought of the idea of saunas going hand in hand with our stereotypical drinking culture. I wanted to see if they agreed that this was less of a cultural shift and more of a cultural blend.

Connor agreed and commented: “Yeah, people will definitely go on nights out and then use a sauna the next day to feel better.” 

Shane as well was in agreement that these two activities complement each other, saying: “It doesn’t have to be a one or the other situation.” 

I’ve noticed through chatting to avid sauna users and researching their popularity that the reason behind Ireland’s rapid sauna growth is not due to any one cause; it’s a blend of a surge in health and wellness, aesthetics and a dip back into our ancient heritage. Although my original idea that this rapid increase was due to a shift in our habits was wrong, I discovered that each time we sit opposite a big sweaty stranger, curing ourselves of the excesses of the night before, we are paying homage to our ancestors, surrounded by our beautiful Irish landscapes.

And so there we were. Three twenty-something-year-olds, leaving a sauna red-faced and sweaty. But somehow, when you’re immersed in such beauty, those things don’t matter. What matters is the deep conversations that seem to just flow, the laughs as you pour freezing water all over yourself and the feeling of both your mind and your body being cleansed.