Sauna isn’t just a Scandinavian tradition — it’s part of our Irish roots too.

Long before modern spas, Ireland had its own version of sauna culture. Ancient Irish sweat houses — small stone huts heated by fire and steam — were once common in rural communities. People used them for warmth, healing, and purification. Much like the Finnish sauna, these spaces were social and sacred — a natural remedy long before the age of prescriptions.

The first recorded mention of Irish sweat houses dates to the late 16th century, but these stone-built structures likely existed long before that. Found mainly in the west and north of the country — counties like Leitrim, Donegal, and Fermanagh — these small, beehive-shaped huts were heated by fire, and people would enter to sweat out illness, ease pain, and purify the body.