For a country that spends a lot of time trying to stay cool, Australia has developed an unexpected enthusiasm for saunas.
The sauna, once a humble hideaway tucked inside gyms, is increasingly a hot addition to everyday Australian life.
Saunas are turning up well beyond gyms and pools and appearing in wellness centres, bathhouses and spa venues — often alongside cold plunges and other recovery spaces.
They are also finding their way into backyards, apartment buildings and holiday homes.
For all the hot air surrounding the trend, the reason people are increasingly showing up to saunas is simple: saunas make us slow down and stop for a while.
On top of that, saunas promise benefits without boasting about them.
As for those benefits, they are usually described in modest terms rather than bold claims.
Research to date generally suggests that regular sauna use is especially beneficial for cardiovascular health, circulation, mood and longevity.
Associated, of course, does not mean guaranteed though it is often enough to sustain belief.
Perhaps the most commonly talked-about benefit is detoxification.
It is also a claim that is dubious.
Sweating helps the body cool itself and might remove very small amounts of waste.
Yet most detox work is done by the liver and kidneys.
So even though after time in a sauna people often feel lighter or clearer, in that sense detox is more about perception than process.
Saunas are not a miracle cure.
The benefits appear to come from regular, sensible use rather than pushing things to extremes.
Plus those benefits vary depending on the person.
And those using saunas will invariably encounter tensions of the people kind.
Thermal tensions between users – particularly those using community hot boxes – arise because there is no single way to use a sauna properly.
Preferences around heat, silence, clothing and even where to sit can differ sharply.
Some want the temperature pushed higher. Others want it kept to something they can comfortably tolerate.
Some arrive wrapped in towels or swimwear. Others expect bare skin and minimal barriers.
Some want the seat where the heat is most intense. Others want to sit closer to the door for air.
Some sit in silence. Others make conversation.
Despite all of this, the appeal remains for many.
Yes, it seems odd that we live in a country that has spent decades engineering shade, insulation and air-conditioning into everyday life – only to voluntarily queue for controlled heat.
Whatever the explanation, there is something faintly amusing about a nation so practiced at avoiding the heat that we line up to sit in it, towels wrapped tight.
