There is something profound about a room full of people from across the globe, sweating together, sharing stories, and finding common ground in the heat. No translation needed. No cultural barrier that a good löyly cannot soften. This is the World Sauna Forum — and this year, it is bigger, broader, and more international than ever.
What began as a gathering rooted in Finnish sauna culture and a showcase for Finnish sauna companies to the world has grown into the foremost annual business conference for the sauna industry across the globe. Last year, over 36 countries were represented at the World Sauna Forum. This year, we are on track to match that — and grow.
There is a reason the World Sauna Forum calls Finland home. Finnish sauna culture is not merely a national tradition, it is a gift that Finland has always been willing to share. Generous, unhurried, and deeply human, the Finnish approach to sauna embodies everything the forum stands for: openness, equality, and the belief that everyone deserves a seat on the bench.
This year, Finland opens its doors once again, and the world is walking in! We are thrilled to welcome the Japan Sauna Society to the forum for the first time, a milestone that speaks to the remarkable global reach sauna culture has achieved. Joining them are Dai Matsuo and Daisuke Akiyama of TTNE, returning to the World Sauna Forum stage. Together, they have helped redefine what sauna can look like — from sculptural architectural installations to the world’s first sauna inside a baseball stadium — and their energy and vision are a true highlight of this year’s programme.
From Germany, Robert Heinevetter, founder and managing director of Aufguss Roots and one of Europe’s leading voices in sauna education and Aufguss culture, brings over thirteen years of expertise to the conversation.
And from Estonia, Eda Veeroja of Mooska Farm joins us, carrying with her the ancient wisdom of the smoke sauna tradition — a practice so significant it earned its own place on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2014.
One of the most beloved moments of last year’s forum was the Global Sharing Morning, a session that brought voices from around the world onto one stage, celebrating the rich diversity of sauna and bathing cultures across continents. The response was overwhelming. Attendees left energized, inspired, and deeply moved by the realization that while sauna traditions may look different from country to country, the feelings they create are remarkably universal.
This year, we are bringing it back, and expanding it. Expect voices and perspectives from Estonia, Ireland, Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore, North America, Hong Kong, and Sweden, with more woven throughout the event. Each voice brings its own story, its own rituals, and its own understanding of what it means to gather in heat and emerge restored.
What strikes you, when you sit in a room with sauna enthusiasts from 35 countries, is not how different they are, it is actually how much they share. A love of heat. A respect for ritual. A belief that slowing down, even briefly, makes us better. And a sense that the best conversations happen when there is nowhere else to be and nothing left to prove.
The sauna, it turns out, is a remarkably good place to find common ground. And the World Sauna Forum is where the world comes to find it together.
Whether you are coming from across the street or across the world, there is a place for you here. The Global Sharing Morning will set the tone that is curious, celebratory, and deeply human, and that spirit will carry through every session, workshop, and conversation that follows.
The world is coming to Finland. And Finland, as always, is ready to welcome everyone in.
