NASS SURVEY FOR GOOD PUBLIC SAUNAS IN NORTH AMERICA

There is a boom in heat bathing in North America. NASS, as part of an effort to find noteworthy public bathhouses in North America, conducted a sauna survey aimed at people, who are in the know. We asked recommendations for places to go to and personal preferences.

A very promising aspect was that 65% of the respondents were female and 44% between the age of 30 and 45 years of age. This is one indication of sauna bathing not being a male oriented pastime (if it ever was that in North America to start with) and the younger generation is getting more and more into it.

The survey is still ongoing. However, after more than 600 completed submissions, it’s time to start drawing conclusions. We will report about the recommended public sauna establishments later. Since we solicited submissions from sources that were thought to be familiar with sauna, the results are not statistically valid when it comes to the general public. This was not even sought after, but to understand more about respondents’ preferences. Deeper understanding of authentic sauna bathing is still quite limited in North America and often blurred with strong, and sometimes misleading, marketing noise.

The submissions gave promising indications of the future of sauna on this continent: 87% of our respondents prefer traditional sauna.

83% want to just relax while doing sauna (a clear indication that proper sauna routines are followed). “All that apply” options were to chat, listen to music, exercise, watch TV and read. There was also “other,” which mainly consisted of comments about having a drink while in sauna, watching out the window, etc.

Only 35% of the respondents were raised with sauna as part of their cultural heritage, so it’s not only an ethnic thing anymore.

Almost a quarter (23%) were influenced by a friend or an acquaintance to try sauna, so gyms and spas and health clubs play an important role.

74% preferred water sprinkled on the hot rocks inside the sauna, which is actually a very interesting finding. Many of the commercial saunas are not geared towards this (sometimes called as dry saunas), most also forbid this outright. They either have a heater that is not suitable for proper sauna or misunderstand what sauna is, taking away an essential part of the sauna bathing experience. 30.7% of the respondents told that the sauna they use actually offer a possibility to throw water on the heater rocks.

72.9% Want a cold element close by and 70.4% prefer multiple visits to the hot room, both ingredients of a fulfilling sauna experience.

36.5% of the respondents preferred multiple sessions from 20 minutes to an hour and 28.1% multiple sessions from 1 to 2 hours.

As a clear majority of respondents preferred multiple sessions, places to rest and a cold water element, usually a shower close by is a must for a fulfilling sauna experience. 13.1% of the respondents preferred a single session.

How long is your sauna process normally?

And finally, the most sought after frequency for public sauna visits is every few months. The “other” choice had mostly to do with the pandemic caused changes to one’s schedule and having a sauna at home, which obviously lessens the need to go to an outside facility for many.

A growing number of people want the real thing when it comes to sauna. NASS will conduct a new survey later on, this time to gather statistically relevant information of sauna in North America. These findings can then be combined to the people at large and also to go deeper on how gym saunas are used here in North America.

First Phase of NASS Survey Findings Are Out