Research
The case for heat as infrastructure.
Regular sauna bathing is one of the most robust, lowest-cost preventive interventions in the cardiovascular and cognitive-health literature. London already has the sites. It needs the policy.
Clinical Case
Health outcomes
Comparing 4–7 sauna sessions per week to 1 session per week, in Finnish cohort studies with 20+ year follow-up.
lower risk of sudden cardiac death
Comparing 4–7 sauna sessions per week to 1 session per week, Finnish cohort studies.
lower risk of fatal cardiovascular disease
Kunutsor & Laukkanen, Mayo Clinic Proceedings (2018).
lower risk of all-cause mortality
Laukkanen et al., JAMA Internal Medicine (2015).
lower risk of dementia
Laukkanen dementia cohort studies, reviewed by the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation.
Built From What's There
London's bathhouses are overwhelmingly adaptive reuse.
Based on 68 classified sites across London. Adaptive reuse and meanwhile-use of underused urban fabric — yards, arches, retail units — dominate over new-build.
Social Prescribing
Why sauna fits the referral pathway.
Social prescribing already connects patients to community activities alongside clinical care. Sauna offers routine, consistency, low-pressure connection, and a regulated pause — all without requiring skill or prior experience.
Routine & consistency
Predictable sessions rebuild a routine.
Low-pressure connection
Social contact without performance demands.
No skill required
Fully accessible, no prior experience needed.
A regulated pause
Heat and stillness interrupt daily stress.
Clear structure
A defined beginning and end, every session.
Community anchor
A third place that holds neighbourhoods together.