You’re hot then you’re cold: Australians discover sauna ‘euphoria’

Australia’s once limited sauna options have recently expanded, with openings around the country – though not everyone is ready to sweat fully nude

Shaun Boggan knows he isn’t the stereotypical wellness consumer. The 45-year-old tradie moved to Australia more than a decade ago from Scotland, a place where “people are more interested in going to the chip shop than they are taking care of themselves”. But after his father died, Boggan found himself drinking heavily. In search of a healthier habit, he started going to a new Finnish-style sauna that had opened near his home in the Blue Mountains in New South Wales.

Boggan was initially apprehensive about getting near-naked and sweating it out with a bunch of strangers. Now, 18 months later, he is “totally hooked” and goes for two-hour sessions three or four times per week. He says it calms him down, clears his head and makes him feel physically lighter. The board shorts Boggan used to rock on visits have been replaced by “the smallest piece of underwear possible, because it’s so hot”. Each visit sees him rotate between the sauna, heated to 90C, and a cold plunge pool, chilled to just above freezing.