Is Your Sauna Obsession *Actually* Good for Your Skin?

It’s my fourth day staying at an Unplugged cabin in the great British countryside, and I can literally feel my wellbeing barometer rising. As birds chirp around me, nary an iPhone or human in sight, I realise that my skin has taken on a healthy, dewy flush that exceeds anything I've been able to achieve with expensive skincare. No, this glow has something to do with fresh air, going over my daily step count—and chiefly, I believe, from using a sauna consistently.

You've likely been touched by the great sauna boom of 2025. Once reserved for wellness obsessives and recovery-oriented gym goers, saunas have become an incredibly buzzy, community-oriented third space in London, where you can't bring your phone. Forget the pub, where pints are now averaging £6.50 a pop, all the coolest people you know are at the sauna (and they probably have tickets to the upcoming sober sauna raves coming to East London).

According to the British Sauna Society, which just hosted its second-ever summit last month, the number of public saunas in the UK doubled between 2023 and 2024. That’s expected to happen again, and they predict that there will be upwards of 200 Nordic-style wooden saunas by the end of this year.

I've stayed in Unplugged cabins before, and I adore their ethos. The premise is to "digitally detox" from modern life, deep in nature. The cabin comes with a box where you lock your devices away—but it has all the facilities needed for contemporary sensibilities: flushing toilets, Piglet in Bed sheets, gourmet coffee beans, a polaroid camera, and now, in Basil and Gruff in West Sussex, a wood-fired sauna—which they introduced in December. It was intended to be a temporary pop-up, but the founders have decided to extend it indefinitely due to its success.

Was their recent popularity a factor? "Yes", Hector Hughes, co-founder of Unplugged, emphatically tells me. “Our mission is to help more people switch off from technology and spend quality time in nature, and adding a sauna to our cabin experience complements this incredibly well. We've had a great response to our pop-up sauna, with 56% of guests adding it to their booking, so we're hoping to launch saunas at more of our cabins across the UK."

While we know that the health benefits are myriad, I have long been fascinated by their supposed skincare benefits. I can't place where it came from, but I've long held a belief that extreme heat is intrinsically good for your skin. And I can't lie: this was a factor when embarking on my sujourn around the rapidly growing sauna circuit in London. In a bid to discover the truth beyond the anecdotal, I consulted board-certified dermatologist Dr. Anetta Reszko.

“Physically, engaging in the sauna allows for increased circulation. Heat causes blood vessels to dilate, boosting blood flow, which may give skin a temporary healthy glow and promote nutrient delivery," she says. "It also helps with pore cleansing, as sweating helps flush out impurities and may assist in decongesting pores, reducing the likelihood of blackheads and acne. Then there's enhanced product absorption: After sauna use, the skin can be more receptive to skincare, especially hydrating serums."

She adds that dermatologists tend to support sauna use as part of a healthy skincare routine, if it's done properly and customised for skin type. However, she cautions against those with rosacea, active dermatitis, or very dry or sensitive skin from dabbling without consulting an expert.

It’s also important not to overdo it, Dr Reszko continues. “Excessive use of the sauna can cause dehydration, and excessive sweating can strip the skin of its moisture, leading to dryness, flakiness, or increased sensitivity. Additionally, there is a minor risk of dilated capillaries, especially if you spend too long in them."

If you're mindful of the above, the dermatologist says that one to three sauna sessions per week is generally sufficient for most to notice benefits. “In the short term, the skin may appear more radiant or dewy immediately after use due to increased circulation, but generally after two to four weeks of consistent use, you may notice clearer pores, better hydration retention (if moisturising correctly), and reduced acne congestion."

Then, be mindful of aftercare. Dr Reszko emphasises the importance of hydration before and after sessions—which you should limit to 15 to 20 minutes. From a product perspective, remember to clean your skin of make-up and sunscreen, as these can trap heat or clog pores when mixed with sweat, and don’t use harsh exfoliants like AHAs, BHAs, or retinoids in the run-up to your session, or straight afterwards. She adds that regular sauna-goers should opt for ceramide-rich or barrier-repair moisturisers.

Still, are the skincare benefits even a consideration for this new cohort of sauna founders? For couple Kathryn Tyler and Angus Thatcher, who founded Cornwall’s Kiln Sauna last year, it is a lifestyle choice that the UK can benefit from—much like Scandinavian and Korean cultures have. “I think the rise is rooted in our collective craving for slower, more embodied experiences. Our sauna offers a return to something elemental and grounding and for many, it’s become a ritual and sanctuary,” Tyler tells Marie Claire UK. And while aesthetics may not be front of mind, she says that it is “absolutely” a positive addition to a beauty routine: “think of it as skincare from the inside out,” she posits.

Ultimately, I do believe I saw skincare benefits from using a sauna consecutively, but it's hard to tell whether this was mainly a result of slowing down and being in nature. As my personal favourite, The non-profit Community Sauna Baths—which have outdoor sauna and cold plunge facilities in Peckham, Hackney Wick, Bermondsey, Camberwell, and Stratford—explain: "We don’t position sauna as a beauty treatment."

Celia Alonso, the Head of Marketing, continues: "That said, anything that supports rest, reduces stress, and improves circulation will naturally support how you look. If someone sees sauna as part of their self-care routine, that’s great—but we’re more interested in how it makes you feel. Some people notice a post-sauna glow, but we’d argue that glow comes just as much from feeling grounded, connected, and cared for as it does from the heat." I'm tempted to agree—glowing skin is a great side-effect—but the benefits of sauna far transcend that. It's one of the last communal spaces where you cannot bring your phone, and where you're forced to wind down, or connect with the strangers around you. Long may its reign continue.