When you think of people steaming in the Highlands in mid-March, a sauna might not be the first place you think of.
But this trend is being seen by some as a great alternative to the post-work pub culture on chilly winter evenings.
One of those is Fergus Weir, Director of Community Sauna Highland.
He took me on a Scandinavian-style sauna experience, similar to the one they hope to bring to Inverness in a first of its kind Highland sauna project.
During my two-hour sauna session, we discussed:
- What makes a good sauna
- The full hot-cold sauna experience
- Benefits of using a sauna
- Some of the objections to the Inverness sauna proposal
Journeying into the heat
A sauna, for the uninitiated, aims to be a place of serene relaxation.
Fergus tells me the pine-clad room requires three essential components – heat, steam and ventilation.
Cold air squeezes itself in through a floor gap in the door, warming into a eucalyptus and menthol steam as it rises towards a small channel in the top of the sauna.
How did it feel?
Heated to a scorching 80+°c by the interior stove, the warmth immediately enveloped my skin as soon as I stepped inside.
I’m told to listen to my body as the heat continues to permeate around and inside, as my nose hairs feel like they are being singed by a Turkish barber with every breath.
But you quickly get familiar with the heat as it builds.
This familiarity turns to relief once you step back outside into the snapping Highland air.
However the illusion of relief is soon shattered as I lower myself into an icy plunge pool, for as long as I can endure.
Time for a chat
I’m back in the sauna again, and my body is thanking me.
This is a cycle of extreme hot and cold which I will repeat several times over a two-hour session, the standard sauna session for the Inverness project.
Plenty of a time for chat – one of sauna’s attributed benefits.
Beyond the scientific studies outlining the positive impacts of saunas for those with cardiovascular conditions, during my time in the heat Fergus attributes many of sauna’s benefits from the social to the personal health aspects.
He names better sleep and improved exercise recovery to start.
But the social side, gathering together to talk while experiencing sauna is something Fergus and the team at Community Sauna Highland are hoping to recreate for Inverness.
Community sauna culture has yet to reach the Highlands
Estimates say Finland has between 2.4–3.3 million saunas, out of a population just five and a half million.
According to Fergus, their sauna culture along with other countries in Europe and beyond has been an inspiration for the Inverness project.
Community sauna projects, such as one in Hackney are popping up all over the UK.
This handy map shows a number of saunas around the UK – with a distinct gap in the Highlands.
Fergus hopes the non-profit nature of the business will allow them to open up sauna experiences to as many people and groups as possible in the Highlands.
This plan begins with the 26-person sauna proposal due to sit in an unused area of Bellfield Park.
It will include several different cold experiences like showers and outdoor benches, for those not keen on full-body submersion.
Destigmatising the sauna
The plans for the Inverness sauna have been met with a number of critics, who live nearby to the development.
They mentioned issues with noise and the lack of parking to support the venture.
Fergus and the community sauna team said they hope to address these concerns as the plans develop.
I left the sauna feeling relaxed for the rest of the evening, despite the intense temperature changes my body had undergone in the hours prior.
I’m lucky to not have any issues with my sleep, and the following night’s rest was an equally uneventful one.
I do, however, feel well rested. Should the plans go ahead – I would be interested in trying another sauna session.
Saunas tacked on to leisure centres and gyms do not provide the experience I was offered, and ‘proper’ sauna could be coming soon to Inverness and the Highlands.
You can view the full planning application here.
Conversation