Why are saunas suddenly everywhere? I think it’s to do with booze | Zoe Williams

OhObviously I’m familiar with the sauna concept, having been to Iceland, where most socializing seems to involve either being unbearably cold or way too hot, but never before 2026 have I been forced to commit to it at the coalface, that is, go for it. I thought that if someone went there, it was because they had a health problem. This turns out to be false and, as a result, saunas become huge. A friend owns a sauna club. Another friend opened a sauna. Even though I am still far from understanding the problem, I accepted because what else could I do? I am a carpenter.

These are the rules: even if you’re sitting very close to people, motionless, with nothing to look at or read or do, nothing coming between you and your own thoughts, you’re still not allowed to question others about why they’re there or even the basics – how they know each other, if they’re in love, if they’ve had a good day.

So I couldn’t talk to strangers and just had to observe it all with my own eyes and ears: I think people really want to see each other without having to get drunk. It’s been quite a slow progression, from a tentative flirtation with socializing over a non-alcoholic lager, to meeting over coffee, to the ubiquitous Covid walking meet, to this logical end point: let’s meet somewhere where you can’t drink alcohol or you’ll pass out.

On the other hand, the age-old conflation of self-care and personal development is coming to an end. Simply put, no one goes to a sauna to lose weight or improve their muscle to brown fat ratio, and if it works on inflammation, it’s a side effect. It just makes you feel zen, and that’s enough.

I am in no way committed to this new, wiser way of life. I just pause to observe that those who do seem to be right.