It is a Saturday evening, and I am with my rugby mates. We have the corner of the room to ourselves and a bottle each. We are talking about life, having a laugh – and sitting on towels in nothing but a pair of trunks. The bottles hold water. We are in the sauna.
I’ve been a keen sauna goer for about a decade now, and recently I’ve found my straight mates – from London to Cardiff and Glasgow – suggest a sauna session for catching up. In 2026, saunas have finally taken off in the UK, as part of a wider boom in wellness-adjacent recreation and socialising. We’re not at Finland levels yet, of course, where there is more than one sauna for every two people in the country, but The British Sauna Society‘s reports a 75 per cent increase in listed saunas this year alone, rising to 946.
Increasingly, I have noticed groups of men adding a sauna session to their social calendar, ditching pubs for plunges and spirits for steam. Downing pints is being replaced by taking deep breaths while talking about feelings.
I love it, but I’m conflicted about it.
If there is a Venn diagram between the lads and the sauna purist, you will find me sat in the middle. I don’t own my own sauna hat or dedicated sauna watch (though I often think about doing so), but I do use the sauna three times a week. I do a modest eight to 10 minutes, take a little break for some water from my shiny steel-inner silicone-wrapped bottle, and have a very relaxing time.
My friends and I have been a few times now, and I’ve noticed that it offers us a chance to speak far more vulnerably than we do elsewhere. We have gotten closer as a result. I do find their natural hubristic instinct to try and tolerate the heat for as long as possible before shocking the system in the coldest pool possible somewhat amusing, but mostly it fills me with hope for having more sober experiences with my close friends.
The purist in me, however, knows that finding the place you come for tranquil silence and deep relaxation taken over by a bunch of booming lads is a bit of a vibe killer.
Jacob, 32 from south London, says: “I only use the sauna solo and despise groups chatting there.” The sauna he uses advertises “a social hour, and one sauna on the site which is silent” which, to him, would suggest that outside of the social hour, it is generally discouraged.
Kasimiira, 33 from Glasgow, says this happens at the mixed sauna she uses too, and that it “also applies to female groups”.
With my friends, we usually go to a place with a few different saunas at different intensities, and tend to dip in and out individually, at our own pace, having small conversations between each one and sometimes when sat next to each other. Speaking inside the sauna is, of course, not ideal, and while I would describe us as nice and considerate lads, we are still lads. I’ve had friends be shushed before, especially in a “quiet zone” – in fairness, they genuinely didn’t realise it was a quiet zone. Even when we are silent, it does sometimes feel like we’re crashing the very chill party.
Then there’s the potentially intimidating aspect of men starting to turn up in groups for others, not least women. Kate, 26, based in London, says she “won’t go to the local sauna without my boyfriend because I’m often the only girl these days and feel very put off by it”. Other non-male friends I spoke to worry about people hitting on, or staring at, them in there when they’re just trying to switch off. And, of course, harassment continues to be a huge issue in the UK, with over 70 per cent of women saying they’ve experienced sexual harassment in public, according to UN Women.
I’m wary of making women using the sauna feel vulnerable simply due to my presence. At my sauna, we have female-only, male-only, and Flinta-only (Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans, and Agender) hours, which perhaps offers some way to make sure everyone’s needs are addressed. Though I wonder whether this does limit the business’ potential.
For now, I make sure I just go somewhere where I don’t have a natural eyeline of anyone, keep my head down and leave as soon as I’m done. In a male-only session or space, I might be inclined to relax more.
Equally, though, I think part of the beauty of sauna is sharing space with such a breadth of people, of all ages and genders – having to all understand a common etiquette to make for a mutually positive experience. While plenty of sauna-style cultures around the world tend to focus on individual stress relief and enjoyment, they also accept being within these socially diverse dynamics, which are more like public spaces than anything else. In fact, a study of UK-based sauna spaces has found a correlation between the social element of the sauna and mental wellbeing improvements.
This isn’t to say we should make active efforts to say hello to everybody. In countries where sauna is more embedded in mainstream culture, there are varying levels of socialising – while some generally discourage talking, such as in Germany, the Korean jjimjilbang is generally a social place where people have conversations.
On the whole, I prefer and find solo trips more relaxing on a personal level, sure. But I am grateful that sauna has provided me with a way to have candid chats with friends, without it being masked by distractions or pints. The bonding starts when we arrive and get changed, and extends into getting a coffee afterwards, so it isn’t entirely revolving around the sauna itself.
In the face of a generation of loneliness, and incredibly bleak mental health statistics for men, we’re strengthening more organic and sober bonds between each other, learning to confide more vulnerability and ultimately practice a form of unwinding that isn’t rooted in substance and debauchery. We are far from perfect, but many of us are trying.
Hence then, the article about men are swapping the pub for the sauna it s fixing the male friendship crisis was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Men are swapping the pub for the sauna – it’s fixing the male friendship crisis )
Also on site :
- IDA Documentary Awards Shortlists: ‘You Can See Everything,’ ‘To Hold A Mountain,’ ‘Nuisance Bear’ Make Features Cut, But What Got Snubbed?
- Everything New on HBO Max in November 2026, From ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 4 to ‘Elf’ and More Holiday Favorites
- ‘DWTS’ Guest Judge Shirley Ballas Defends Her Historically Low Scores After Horror Movie Night