Water for the People: The roots and revival of community bathing
Why the community bathing model is vital in making the bathhouse boom accessible to all, with lessons in success from Oslo, London and more. Plus, an exclusive Dryrobe discount for our subscribers
The word “community” gets thrown around a lot in bathing circles, and not always to describe a scene that is genuinely open to all and built from the ground up. With social bathing enjoying renewed popularity, and commercial bathhouses on the rise, it’s critical the moment isn’t just about making a profit, but seeding an inclusive bathing culture that’s truly accessible. We look at the history of community bathing, how it is being embraced again through successful models in Oslo, London and the US, and why it’s so important that bathing’s communal roots don’t get left behind.
Before we get into it, here’s an exclusive for our own community of subscribers. Use the code COB15 at Dryrobe.com for 15% off until May 9!
Europe has a long history of bathing as part of everyday life. The first saunas and bathhouses were set up by communities, much before commercial operators came along. Ancient sweat houses dating back 10,000 years were built for people to gather and warm themselves in the face of harsh winters. In ancient Rome, the bathhouse was considered a place for all sections of society to enjoy. And in the development of spa towns like Baden the spring water is still seen as a precious resource to be shared, with a portion reserved the community.
The Swiss town (not to be confused with the more famous Baden-Baden in Germany), has thermal water bubbling up from 18 sources, and is a living link to a water history that goes back 2,000 years when its high-mineral content water was discovered to be good for our health. Bagno Popolare, its independent non-profit bathing association, runs free warm spring water baths for the public on the sidewalks facing the river.
Today, Oslo Badstuforening (sauna association), and its network of 29 floating saunas, is one of the best-known examples of bathing revived as an accessible part of everyday life. When a single sauna made from driftwood appeared on the Oslo fjord in 2016, the anarchic act kicked off a huge community bathing movement that became impossible for city officials to ignore. The association now has 20,000 members and the saunas see 340,000 annual visitors enjoying dips in the city-center fjord and epic Midsummer bonfire parties.
“When it’s obvious something makes city life better, it becomes hard for municipalities to remove.”
Ragna Marie Fjeld, Oslo Badstuforening
“When it’s obvious something makes city life better, it becomes hard for the municipalities to remove,” says Ragna Marie Fjeld, general secretary and sauna association spearhead. Run by employees and a huge number of volunteers, the saunas are a point of proud public ownership. And the model is self-sustaining. “As a non-profit organization, we get along with the income from visitors and occasionally some grants from private foundations connected to building new saunas. We have no funding from the city authorities.”
Reaching back to bathing’s origins as a health pursuit was discussed at our recent talk: What Can American Cities Learn from the European Nonprofit Sauna Movement? It was held in NYC last month as part of Culture of Bathe-ing. Ragna was on the panel, with Sweat author Mikkel Aaland, and Emily Weidenhof, assistant commissioner of public realm projects at NYC Department of Transport. The panelists, steered by Therme Group’s Adam Bamba Tanaka, discussed positioning contemporary bathing culture as a public good: important for mental health and wellbeing alongside fun and leisure. The re-framing was suggested as a way to get more cities behind the idea, in turn shaping a more inclusive future for bathing.
At London’s Community Sauna Baths, connecting bathing with social purpose is a core part of the not-for-profit model’s mission. Income from full price tickets goes to funding concessions and its social prescription work with the National Health Service. “We’ve set up referral pathways in the areas we work in, and now over 600 people suffering with depression, loneliness and other conditions are prescribed sauna with us,” says director Charlie Duckworth. “We’re still evaluating what works, but can already see it’s an amazing thing to bring to more people.”
“Over 600 people suffering with depression, loneliness and other conditions are prescribed sauna with us.”
Charlie Duckworth, Community Sauna Baths, London
The community interest company started out in an east London parking lot in 2021; now it has five sites in community gardens and other city pockets, with Paris and more destinations on the horizon. All aim to make saunas and cold plunge affordable to more people, rather than gatekept behind the membership fees of elite spas or bathhouses, which are out of reach for many.
One of the original guerilla bathing projects is Helsinki’s Sompasauna, a free public sauna in a harborside shack built from found materials in 2011. It was dismantled three times by the City of Helsinki in its early days, and is now run legally by an association that entrusts visitors to take care of it rather than staff or volunteers.
While there are a few US community models (notably Minnesota’s 612 Sauna Co-operative, and Big Towel Spa in Hudson Valley, NY which has accessibility and scale-pricing built in) the recent growth in stateside bathhouses is mostly geared towards the market that can afford a regular gym or wellness class. It’s not about pitting one against the other (as our expert panel discussed), but ensuring a spectrum of bathing opportunities and price points.
When it comes to cost, one size doesn’t fit all. Oslo Badstuforening has an annual membership fee of $40 and $15 a visit. Community Sauna Baths has flexible pricing that starts from $13 a session. Bergen’s Laugaren, built and run by volunteers, has a fee (from $8 up) that depends on whether you’re a local or visitor, and the time of day. Some are free, as are many open-air city baths like those at Copenhagen Harbor. Warm Hearts Sauna in Amsterdam grants access for a good deed, whether that’s picking up litter or sharing plant seedlings. Also on our radar is Urban Rivers, a floating park in Chicago with a non-profit model, that has plans to include a sauna next winter.
Ragna says she’s often asked for advice from people inspired to kickstart a grassroots scene in their own city. “Just do it. And ask for permission as you go,” is her reply. Where there’s clean water, community spirit and the die-hard will to bathe, who knows where such a movement could happen next?
Where to get your community spirit
Sompasauna, Helsinki
Always open and always free, Sompasauna first popped up in 2011 and is one of the best-known community saunas still going. All that it asks is for everyone to do their bit: chopping wood, carrying water and keeping things clean and peaceful.
612 Sauna Co-operative, Minnesota
The co-op owned and operated mobile sauna has been home to “thousands of sessions, spontaneous combustions, and warm connections,” says Glenn Auerbach, who helped launch it back in 2015. Catch him on Twin Cities PBS explaining the roots of community bathing in the northern State.
Rain or shine. Winter or summer. You’ll find locals and tourists soaking in the clean waters of these free city baths along Copenhagen Harbor. Fun to jump off is the stepped platform at Islands Brygge, designed by Bjarke Ingels Group in 2002. Some, like La Banchina, have a sauna to combine with your cold dip.
News
Putting on the Shvitz
The NYT Style section gets initiated into Aufguss at Culture of Bathe-ing!
New York Times, February 26, 2026
Want to Sell Affordable Wellness? It’ll Cost You.
Business of Fashion, February 26, 2026
A Floating Sauna With Mountain Views
The New York Times Style Magazine, February 19, 2026
Why are there suddenly so many bathing clubs in New York?
Wallpaper*, February 28, 2026
One Last Thing
That’s a wrap! Thousands of you came together for Culture of Bathe-ing, our sauna festival at NYC’s Domino Park, to enjoy an incredible 18 days of enlightening rituals, late-night performances, and collective release in the steam. It’s been a joy to welcome you; watch this space for what we’re planning next.
We’d love to hear from you - please send a DM, or email hello@cultureofbathe-ing.com
I‘m from Baden!
Love the NHS sponsored sauna sessions in the UK. More of this!