Sweating It: The rise of Scotland’s community saunas

Bring two towels – a pair of flip-flops is a good shout, too. Phones wait outside and conversation is very much welcome. Scotland’s community saunas are well and truly heating up, and they’ve got a flair for connection and collaboration. 

Opened in November of last year, Glasgow Community Sauna sits at the back of Pollokshields Bowling Green. The sauna (an upcycled horse trailer) is accompanied by a plunge pool (an upcycled barrel). Already, it’s received the warm Southside welcome befitting of its logo – a smiling, anthropomorphic flame. "Glasgow Community Sauna's aim is to make sauna culture accessible for those who are often left out of wellbeing spaces, and to create a place where people can slow down, connect and feel looked after,” says founder Tami Pein. While very lovely, the starched white robes and mint-infused tea of a spa-based sauna aren't affordable to everyone. No matter our pay cheque, we all deserve to feel relaxed and at ease. As Pein notes, we live on the same latitudinal line as Latvia – it’s unsurprising that Scotland would look to any Baltic or Scandinavian nation’s long-established sauna culture and grow a little envious. After all, cold winds and heavy rains call for at least a little heat.

On the east coast, Leith is home to Puffin Sauna (likewise an upcycled horse trailer) which took founder Max Schilling the best part of last summer to convert, with the help of a Moffat-based joiner. Although Schilling had no immediate location in mind, Leith Community Croft soon emerged as the perfect place. “I don't think there are enough [saunas] in Scotland. Particularly in urban areas – there are lots of beautiful saunas in beautiful locations but our aim is to enable people to have these great wellness experiences on their doorstep, locally,” says Schilling. “It should be easy and fun to take care of yourself so making saunas accessible and affordable is really important to us, somewhere you can go after work, after the gym, meet with friends. without it being a special treat, just part of your routine.”

We know the physical benefits – reduced stress, pain relief, improved blood flow – but the social benefits are equally rewarding. “There's something about sitting together in the sauna that creates a bond. Every time I've been to a community sauna, even if you arrive by yourself, not in a chatty mood, you end up talking to people you never usually would and having a great time,” says Schilling. At Puffin Sauna, it isn’t unusual to end a session with sauna-goers swapping numbers or arranging to reconvene at the same time next week. Such bonds are formed through the very environment of a community sauna. To strip down and sweat together, we must respect one another via a shared etiquette.

The term third place – referring to a social space that is neither work nor home – is fairly commonplace these days; primarily because we’re all awakening to the widespread destruction of third places in the UK. Our libraries, our community halls, and our pubs: it’s all under threat. The rise of the community sauna is, in part, a response to such developments. "Part of the motivation was very practical: Glasgow City Council simply doesn’t have the budget to keep many of our public saunas and steam rooms open, and yet the need for warm, accessible wellbeing spaces keeps growing,” says Pein. In recent years, our local council swimming pools have had their opening hours squeezed tighter and tighter; with this, there’s less access to saunas, too. A community sauna isn’t the third place we knew we wanted but maybe, just maybe, it’s the third place we need.

Okay, we’re all thinking it: what’s the difference between a sauna and a community sauna, bar a marketing buzzword? “What makes us a community sauna is our community partners,” Pein continues. “We work closely with the Bowling Green to support the local BME community and collaborate on events. We currently run dedicated sauna sessions for trans people, refugees and asylum seekers and immunocompromised groups, with more to come.” Neither Glasgow Community Sauna or Puffin Sauna are interested in an exclusive experience for only a handful of folk. Nor are they interested in pricing the local community out of nearby facilities and resources. Rather, they want to look towards what the community needs (and wants) and ensure that the sauna provides this.

Of course, staying put within a community is no mean feat. “The most challenging thing is creating a great experience while weaving between permissions, legal restrictions and keeping the affordability,” says Schilling. Unsurprisingly, standard council planning permissions are not designed with community saunas in mind. Regardless, Puffin Sauna is feeling positive – Leith Community Croft has been a great help and it’s a collaboration they’re looking forward to building on. It’s a heart-warming reminder: none of us are islands, and that includes your local community sauna.

While no amount of steam will solve all manner of socio-political ills, we could all do with a little more pleasure and a little less stress. Throw in a nicely-heated chat with our fellow sauna-goers and we’re all leaving each session with that warm, gentle glow – here’s to making it last.

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