Sauna culture improves physical and mental wellbeing in the UK through social connection and ritual

Sauna culture is experiencing rapid global growth, yet beyond physical health benefits, remains largely understudied within academic research. We investigate both its physical and mental health benefits in the UK using the Social Cure model in conjunction with a ritual lens to understand how feelings of connection grow via sauna. Across three studies (N = 1,907), we explored the role of social identities in shaping wellbeing outcomes among sauna users. Studies 1 and 3 employed longitudinal designs, revealing increases in emotional wellbeing over time, while Study 2 used a cross-sectional approach and showed that stronger sauna identities were associated with self-reported improvements in both physical and emotional wellbeing. Study 3 further demonstrated that perceiving sauna use as a ritual, alongside experiencing emotional synchrony during sauna sessions, was positively linked to stronger sauna identities. Together, these findings suggest that the social and ritual aspects of sauna use may contribute to its wellbeing effects, with potential implications for sauna operators in the UK and beyond.