What do we associate with Devon’s beaches? Mr Whippy’s? The Red Arrows? How about a community sauna? Saunas may not be everyone’s idea of a typical weekend retreat outside of a spa day, but they are being used more in people’s everyday lives as they realise the physical and mental benefits that it can bring to their wellbeing.
Sara Dance and Meg Hughes are the masterminds behind the Devon Community Sauna CIC, both established practitioners who hope to make the sauna accessible to everyone in Devon, with two locations in Teignmouth and Paignton. Meg tells us more about how she and Sara started the CIC together, and the successes they’ve seen from the project since opening in October.
What led you to start the Devon Community Sauna along with co-owner Sara?
Over here, saunas are still considered a luxury thing. You go to a sauna when you’re at a spa, but it’s not quite built into our wellbeing routine like it is in places like Finland where it’s everywhere, even in people’s workplaces. We felt like there was this huge gap along our stretch of coastline where there weren’t saunas, but we absolutely love it being near the sea and the practise of bringing both hot and cold together. So we put our heads together to think about how we can bring that close to the community.
Sara and I met through being close by physically and having similar interests, as she’s a Wim Hof method instructor and I’m a yoga teacher. I was helping Sara run her pop-up sauna tent. Then we found out about Community Sauna Baths, a CIC based in London that provides seed funds to other community saunas. Sara knew them from running her Wim Hof workshops there, so they supported us to get off the ground with our two saunas; a percentage of that profit goes back into that pot so it can hopefully fund another sauna somewhere else.
What are the benefits of going to the sauna?
What are the benefits of going to the sauna?When you’re in the sauna, your cardiovascular system is working in a similar way as if you were to go for a brisk walk or a run or a workout. It can be really great for people who perhaps can’t exercise because they get similar benefits in the sauna. It’s great for heart health, blood pressure, and reducing the risk of things like diabetes. Mentally, it can be tension releasing. Lots of people hold lots of stress in their physical body. Because the sauna is such a physical sensation, feeling all that warmth, you have to be aware of what your body feels like, which can be beneficial.
The social aspect of going to the sauna is that you meet people you normally wouldn’t meet. We have all ages of people in that sauna from 16 up to 85 years old. You’re sharing an hour with different people, enjoying being outside and enjoying what’s on your doorstep.
How has Teignmouth’s community responded to the sauna?
How has Teignmouth’s community responded to the sauna?We see lots of different people here getting in the sea, going in the sauna smiling, having fun, feeling alive, and connecting with other people who they might not have met in Teignmouth. We get lots of locals through Teignmouth, which is what we want, but we definitely get a good handful of people that come from other places, especially if it’s their closest sauna in Devon.
The response has been amazing, particularly on our Wellbeing Wednesdays where people can pay what they can, either getting a discount on their normal rate or a free ticket if they need it. We do have people who come every Wednesday that can’t afford to pay much or are out of work, which is what we have the scheme for. It can be really easy to feel isolated if you don’t have spare income, aren’t working or your circumstances are difficult, so the impact is huge for people who use the sauna for their weekly wellbeing sessions.
What has the local impact of the sauna been so far?
What has the local impact of the sauna been so far?One lady came a couple of weeks ago and shared that she was going through a really rough time. We chatted, I gave her a hug, she had a sauna, and while she was still going through a rough time when she came out, she was smiling and went off to have coffee with a friend. It’s lovely when you see moments like that.
If we manage to do well enough, I would like to offer our pay what you can days more frequently. But people that can afford it at our general price pay it, and some people have even paid it forward, buying two sessions and keeping one for someone else who can’t afford it, so it works both ways. That’s how something community-based should work.
What have been the difficulties of coordinating the Devon Community Sauna?
We’re constantly challenged by the weather. We started in winter, so we’ve had some rough wind and dodgy storms, which forced us to not run the sauna because it’s not safe. Being so close to the sea, we often have to move the sauna somewhere else so it doesn’t get damaged. It also took 18 months for us to liaise with the council and find a space for the sauna, so that was a real slog.
What are your hopes for the future?
We’re building what we offer at Teignmouth, such as opening on different days, opening more on evenings, just so we can target people who can’t do daytimes or weekends. We’re also running themed evenings, such as opening on the full moon. Long-term, we would love to have another sauna somewhere else. Also offering more to charities, local groups that could benefit from it but might not access it normally. I reached out to Warm Spaces in Torbay, so we’re offering the sauna to their service users. Now we’re settled, that’s a part of our focus as well.
What advice do you have for anyone wanting to start a community interest company?
Definitely seek people to support you that have the skills you don’t have. Also talk to the community about what they might want and what you’re trying to offer. From there, you get good conversations where people express what’s missing or what they want your service to provide, rather than doing just what you think will work.