Bangor University researchers will create a guide for sauna users on how to best use them to improve health and wellbeing.

There has been a surge in people using saunas in recent years, with many praising their benefits.

Dr Geoff Coombs, Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Science and Professor in Sport & Exercise Science Sam Oliver, will work with Sawna Bach owners, Dr Caroline Coch, Jen Holloway and Alex Zalewski to monitor how people use the sauna.

They aim to discover how long should people spend in the sauna, best temperature, and should users jump in cold water or sea after using the sauna?

Currently, there is little guidance in comparison to other healthy behaviours like exercise where there is a good understanding of required frequency, intensity, type, and time of activity.

Dr Coombs said: “We will be collecting temperature and humidity measurements at multiple positions in the sauna. From this, we can create a “heatmap” of the sauna room, and we will be able compare the physiological impacts (e.g. temperature, heart rate, thermal comfort) for individuals seated on different benches and in different positions in relation to the fire source.

“This heatmap will provide a good baseline when we compare our sauna conditions to those in existing studies and understand how to individualise sauna guidance.

“Based on the scientific literature, we will develop evidence-based guidelines for effective sauna bathing. This will include information like the frequency of sauna bathing, duration, break times and what type of cooling down method between sauna rounds is recommended.”

Saunas have been associated with their health benefits. Their popularity is also on the up. According to the British Sauna Society, the number of Finnish-style public saunas in the UK doubled between early 2023 and 2024, jumping from 45 to 90, a figure that’s predicted to exceed 200 in 2025.