The rise in home saunas is fuelled by our desire for good mental and physical health. And GPs are finally shifting their thinking from fixing disease to nurturing resilient, thriving humans. As a result, sauna is now being mooted as the lifestyle medicine that creates a compelling home retreat that also comes with a plethora of health benefits. Rooted in Baltic and Nordic cultures, the traditional outdoor sauna is the ultimate prescription. But why?
Sussex home sauna company making a name for luxury and longevity
Wildhut is a Sussex-based business, fast becoming the standard for luxury garden and home saunas. Led by interior designer, Lisa Deller, and spa and wellness entrepreneur, Thaisa Box, they share their expertise on both the health benefits and the buying criteria for your very own wellness haven at home.
Connecting with nature
“Outdoor saunas are especially popular for the sensory experience that comes with connecting to nature, disconnecting from life, creating a retreat and enjoying the many health benefits of sauna use.”
Thaisa Box
A sensory experience
“The ‘magic’ of a traditional sauna lies with the intense, immersive heat coming from the stones and steamy air within the sauna. As water pours over the stones, it turns to steam and fills the sauna with a beautiful steamy heat that opens up pores and promotes a deeper, intense sweat that improves blood circulation and muscle recovery. An infrared sauna by comparison, only heats up the body, providing a different experience and effect.
But the benefits of sauna bathing don’t stop there, with the benefits adding significant depth to what is already an intensely relaxing ritual and a natural way to improve your sense of wellbeing. A growing body of research, including a major review by the Mayo Clinic, suggests that regular sauna use is associated with wide-ranging physical and mental health benefits, particularly when combined with an active, healthy lifestyle.
The health benefits of regular sauna use
By supporting cardiovascular health, recovery, mental wellbeing and emotional balance, sauna bathing offers a quietly powerful way to feel better day-to-day, and it’s easy to see why more people are choosing to make it part of life at home.
Cardiovascular and physical health
Research indicates that frequent sauna bathing may reduce the risk of conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, dementia and certain respiratory illnesses. These benefits are thought to arise from improved circulation, lower blood pressure, reduced inflammation and enhanced cardiovascular and immune function. Some studies also suggest potential benefits for musculoskeletal conditions, including muscle stiffness and lower back pain, as well as possible links to increased longevity.
Supporting exercise, performance and recovery
Sauna use appears to complement physical activity rather than replace it. The evidence suggests it can enhance the benefits of exercise by improving cardiorespiratory fitness and recovery. Exposure to heat (typically between 60–90°C, depending on the sauna type) increases blood flow and heart rate, helping muscles relax, recover more quickly and receive greater oxygen supply. This can support endurance, reduce fatigue and ease post-exercise soreness and stiffness.
Mental wellbeing and stress reduction
Alongside physical benefits, sauna bathing is strongly associated with improved mental wellbeing. Time spent in a sauna can reduce stress and anxiety, promote relaxation and improve focus and concentration. Regular use is also linked to lower levels of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, helping to counteract the pressures of modern life.
Hormones, mood and emotional balance
Talking of hormones, sauna bathing can stimulate the release and regulation of key “feel-good” hormones, including dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. Dopamine supports motivation and energy, serotonin contributes to mood stability and sleep quality, and oxytocin encourages feelings of calm, connection and social bonding. Studies have shown that dopamine levels can significantly increase after a sauna session, helping to explain the sense of clarity, uplift and wellbeing many people report.
A holistic health practice
Taken together, the evidence suggests that sauna bathing supports health in a holistic way, benefiting the heart, muscles, mind and nervous system simultaneously. While it is not a cure-all, incorporating regular sauna sessions into an existing health and wellbeing routine can offer meaningful support for physical performance, recovery, mood and long-term health.
If you’re planning your own private health sanctuary, here are the key points to consider:
Design aesthetic
Modern or classic? Interior designer and co-director of Wildhut, Lisa Deller, says, “For Wildhut, we wanted a classic British design that would fit a contemporary city garden as perfectly as a country estate and create a timeless asset. If you’re investing in a sauna, the best advice is to buy one that will look as good in years to come as it does when new.”
Construction
The timber and construction method makes the difference between a sauna that buckles and warps, or stand the test of time. Lisa says, “We source premium, slow-grown timber from cold climates that’s thermo-treated and we build our saunas with an ultra-strong and sustainable core, using cutting-edge cross-laminated timber construction. This offers incredible stability compared to framed saunas, which is great for longevity – and the thickness of the timber provides the best sauna experience.”
Making the cost count
If you want quality, durability and lifespan, it’s all in the detail. “We invested in architectural and structural engineering expertise to create unique powder-coated stainless steel supports that ensure a perfect installation, maintain stability and ventilation and give you the option to relocate the sauna in the future. We chose Estonia for manufacture because sauna is in their blood and the quality is unrivalled. We also added insect mesh protection around the base to deter insects and protect the timber.”
Luxurious features
Wildhuts come in four sizes, with customisable options, like wood-fired heaters – ideal for remote locations – or an electric heater for energy efficiency and convenience. Triple-glazed windows sized and positioned for a great view or calming privacy provide excellent thermal efficiency and high spec sauna LED lighting creates the perfect ambience. Bluetooth speakers are an optional extra.
Marine-grade showers make for easy contrast therapy in a small city garden, while an ice plunge alongside is a must for those who want to extract the full health benefits of going from hot to cold, which include improved circulation, muscle recovery, reduced inflammation, boosted immune function, mental wellbeing and enhanced skin health.
With such wide-ranging wellbeing benefits, sauna bathing is one of those habits that, once discovered, feels surprisingly hard to do without.
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