Inside the Sauna Revival

The sauna used to be the room people passed on the way to the locker room. Lately it has become a destination in its own right, as a wave of interest in heat therapy has spawned dedicated sauna studios and a community of devotees who treat the practice with near-religious seriousness.

The appeal blends old and new. The tradition is ancient, but a fresh wave of research into the effects of regular heat exposure has given enthusiasts a modern vocabulary for what cultures have practiced for centuries.

The business has followed. Studios now sell memberships to well-designed sauna suites, often paired with cold plunges for the contrast that adherents swear by, and the ritual of hot-then-cold has become a social activity as much as a solitary one.

Skeptics roll their eyes at the fervor, and the health claims can outrun the evidence. But the pleasure is undeniable, and the sauna's shift from gym afterthought to standalone attraction says something about how seriously people have started to take the simple business of feeling good.