They are de rigueur in Scandinavian and Nordic countries, with as many as one for every household in Finland, where the old saying goes: “First build the sauna, then the house”, and it appears Britons are now following suit. Google UK searches for “home sauna” rose by 84% between January and March 2024 and the same period in 2020, according to the marketing company Semrush.
Hampson Architects – based in Brighton and working across the south-east of England – has seen a large uptick in demand. “On the larger houses (3,000 sq ft-plus) it’s increased from 30% wanting saunas to as high as 80-90% now,” says the managing director, Andy Parsons. “I think it will stay at that level now as there’s a market expectation to have them.”
