Saunas have “exploded in popularity” in recent years, according to one small business owner.
Tom Connolly has been running a sauna in west Kerry since March 2024 after identifying a gap in the market along the scenic coastline.
Sona Sauna is a wood-fired barrel sauna that heats up to about 100 degrees and is based by the sea in Ceann Tra/Ventry, a few minutes outside Dingle, Co Kerry.
“It’s based on the Lithuanian barrel sauna, which is a traditional sauna that has no insulation.
“A lot of modern saunas would have insulation and be quite fancy, where this is kind of more ‘back to basics’ – I guess like a shed with a stove in it, which is the way saunas traditionally were.”
Sauna attendance is an on upward trend, especially when combined with the popularity of sea swimming.
Mr Connolly said sauna usage has a range of health benefits associated with heat-shock protein development.
Speaking to the PA news agency, he added: “It’s good physically and mentally, it feels great. It totally blows away the cobwebs.
“If you’re in any way stressed or or hungover, hop in the sauna for half an hour, 45 minutes and you just kind of feel like you can take on whatever your day has in front of you a bit more.
“Or if it’s in the evening, you can decompress.”
Mr Connolly, originally from Dublin, moved to Dingle “spontaneously” with his partner three years ago.
At the time, he was able to continue working in the creative department of an advertising agency on a remote or manageable hybrid basis, which saw him return to Dublin occasionally.
However, Mr Connolly said that he “really missed” having access to a sauna when he arrived in Dingle as he was used to going to one after a sea swim several times a week in Dublin.
After initially thinking about opening one on a part-time basis, a change in his work circumstances allowed him to pursue running the sauna as an almost full-time role.
“Basically since St Patrick’s weekend last year, it’s just been full on.”
Mr Connolly said the sauna is used as both a local amenity and a tourist attraction.
“They both complement each other. Sauna culture has grown so much in Ireland, it has kind of exploded in popularity over the last number of years.”
There is also some evidence of an ancient Irish tradition of “sweathouses”, suggesting that our relationship with a type of sauna culture is not entirely new.
Mr Connolly explained that there are observations from the 18th century of Irish people using heat therapy in small stone huts to treat a range of ailments.
Sona Sauna is located in the heart of the Gaeltacht, but Mr Connolly admits he had a very low level of Irish when he started the business.
However, he said he made a concerted effort to learn Irish over the last year, adding: “I speak Irish every day now, it has improved to a level it has never been before. Everyone has been super friendly and accommodating.”
Mr Connolly frequently posts humorous business updates on the sonasaunaventry Instagram, including turning his trials and tribulations into song, along with announcements on availability and weather developments in Irish and English.
He added: “I felt that diving into it would be the best way and I use social media because if I’m online, I can ask people ‘what’s the best way to say there’s a blanket of snow on the ground’ or whatever and it’s very interactive.
“I think regardless of what you’re doing or selling, people just want to laugh when they’re on a break on social media.”
On a fresh, frosty, windless morning under clear blue skies, Mr Connolly said he has become a “sabshsai” – an Irish word for a person who works outdoors in all weather.
“You’ve caught me on a high because this is sauna season – it looks like Finland today.
“But if it was four days ago, I would be in a different mood because it was just lashing rain and intense – so a difficult part of it is that I am constantly analysing the weather on an hourly basis.”
Sona Sauna opened on Christmas Day as part of a fundraiser for Kerry Hospice and West Kerry Care of the Aged.
Mr Connolly said one of the greatest joys he gets from the sauna is seeing people enjoy something he set up and the “sense of community” he has developed.
“It’s just been slowly building a sauna community, which is what I wanted because it’s what I really missed in Dublin.”
He added: “We have people who base their week around coming to the sauna, which is just really nice.”
