The Perfect Winter Hobby: 8 Reasons to Sauna as the Days Grow Shorter

There is a moment every year when the light changes. The afternoons shorten, the air turns sharp, and the evenings start to pull you indoors. For most people, that's when the year slows down. For us, it's when the sauna comes into its own.

Few activities suit the colder months as well as heat. Here's why the sauna may be the best hobby you take up this fall and winter, and how to make the most of it.

1. Warmth that reaches all the way in

A heavy coat keeps the cold out. A sauna sends warmth back in. Twenty minutes in the heat raises your core temperature by a degree or two, and that deep, lasting warmth stays with you long after you've stepped back into the cold. On a grey January evening, few things feel better.

2. Support for your immune system in cold and flu season

Winter is when colds and flu make their rounds. A Finnish study that followed more than 2,000 men for over 25 years found that those who saunaed four or more times a week had a 44% lower risk of pneumonia than those who went once a week or less (Kunutsor et al., 2017). Regular heat raises your body temperature much as a mild fever does, and many lifelong sauna-goers will tell you they catch fewer colds.

3. A lift when daylight is scarce

Shorter days can weigh on mood. The sauna releases endorphins and leaves you calm and clear-headed: a small, reliable bright spot in the darkest weeks of the year. Make it part of your evening and it becomes one of the best ways we know to fall into deep sleep.

4. A healthier way to stay in

When it's cold, we go out less. The sauna gives those quieter nights a purpose: an hour that restores rather than drains, in place of another evening on the couch or another round at the bar.

5. Connection, without the noise

In Finland, the sauna has always been a social place. Phones stay outside, conversation slows down, and the talk goes deeper. Over the holidays, with family home and friends in town, a shared sauna is a healthier way to spend time together than another long dinner. Some of our best conversations have happened on the top bench.

6. More time for it over the holidays

Late December brings rare open days. Instead of filling them, use them to build the habit: a morning session to start the day, an evening one to close it.

7. A reset before the new year

The weeks before January are made for reflection. The sauna gives you twenty quiet minutes with your own thoughts, a natural place to look back on the year and think about the next one. And unlike most resolutions, it's one you'll actually look forward to keeping.

8. Recovery for winter sport

Skiing, skating, winter runs and shovelling the driveway all leave you stiff and cold. Heat loosens tight muscles and joints and helps you recover for the next day outside.

How to make the sauna your winter habit

• Aim for two to four sessions a week. Consistency matters more than length.
• Hydrate more than you think. Winter air is already dry, and you'll lose more fluid in the heat. Add electrolytes afterward.
• Try the cold the Finnish way. A roll in fresh snow or a cool shower between rounds is a winter tradition. Ease into it, and skip it if you have a heart condition.
• Look after your skin. Rinse and moisturize after your session to counter dry winter air.
• Follow a routine. Our full sauna routine covers what we do before, during and after every session.

Don't forget your sauna hat

More sessions mean more heat on your head, and your hair and scalp feel it first. Over a winter of regular sauna use, the dry heat can leave hair brittle and the scalp dry. And a hot head is often what sends people out of the sauna early, sometimes feeling dizzy.

A wool sauna hat addresses all three. It insulates your head from the hottest air at the top of the room, protects your hair and scalp from drying out, and keeps you comfortable so you can stay in longer. In our own testing, heads were about 25°F cooler at the 20-minute mark with a hat than without. Read more on sauna hats and dizziness and why a sauna hat matters.

Ours are undyed Merino wool, handmade in small batches in Lisbon, and made for exactly this season. They also make a thoughtful gift for the sauna-goer in your life. See the NORDÎ sauna hat.

Sauna in good health this winter,
Arber & Bledi

P.S. We don't just wear ours in the sauna. The same wool that keeps the heat off your head keeps the cold out, so the NORDÎ doubles as a natural winter hat for walks by the lake and shovelling the driveway.