Sauna Travel Is the Next Big Trend in Wellness Tourism
Wellness travel is booming. Within it, sauna tourism is growing faster than almost any other segment — driven by social media, scientific research, and a genuine hunger for analogue experience.
The wellness travel industry has produced a succession of trends over the past twenty years: yoga retreats in Bali, meditation centres in the Himalayas, detox resorts in Thailand, ayurvedic programmes in Kerala. Each trend reflected the concerns and aspirations of its moment.
Sauna travel reflects ours: a hunger for physiological reset, authentic cultural experience, social connection without screens, and the kind of deep rest that no amount of sleep seems to provide.
The Wellness Tourism Market
The Global Wellness Institute valued wellness tourism at $651 billion in 2022 — a sector that had recovered dramatically from its pandemic-era collapse and was growing at twice the rate of conventional tourism. By 2027, the market is forecast to reach $1.4 trillion.
Within this vast market, thermal and bathing experiences — of which sauna is the fastest-growing component — have emerged as one of the most dynamic categories. The shift is partly demographic: millennials and Generation Z, who now represent the largest segments of global travellers, are more likely to prioritise health-focused experiences than their predecessors.
Why Sauna Specifically?
Several factors have converged to position sauna as the defining wellness travel experience of the mid-2020s.
Scientific validation. The accumulation of research on cardiovascular, cognitive, and mental health benefits has given sauna a credibility that many wellness trends lack. When a traveller can cite peer-reviewed Finnish studies to justify their sauna holiday, the practice moves from indulgence to investment.
Instagram and TikTok. The visual drama of sauna travel — steam rising from a lakeside hut at dusk, bodies moving from hot sauna to frozen sea, Northern Lights visible through a glass-walled relaxation room — is exceptionally photogenic. The images circulate widely and inspire imitation. Sauna travel has developed an aesthetic identity that has helped drive demand.
Slow travel alignment. The sauna experience demands slowness. You cannot rush a proper sauna session any more than you can rush a good meal. This aligns perfectly with the "slow travel" movement — the preference for depth over breadth, for two weeks in one Nordic region over two weeks across eight countries.
Cultural authenticity. Sauna is not a manufactured wellness experience. It is a living tradition embedded in real communities with centuries of practice behind them. Travellers increasingly want cultural authenticity rather than resort-engineered relaxation, and sauna delivers this in a way that few wellness practices can.
