Sauna & Cold Therapy News: Late July 2026

Sauna heat kept making headlines in the back half of July 2026, from a Finnish study on what a single session does to your immune cells to two new water-side venues, one floating on a London canal and one on a Cheshire lake. Here is what happened and why it matters if you are buying kit or planning where to sweat.

Finnish study: one sauna session sends immune cells surging, briefly

Researchers at the University of Eastern Finland, led by Professor Jari Laukkanen, reported that a single 30-minute sauna session with a short cold shower break raised every type of white blood cell in the bloodstream, including infection-fighting neutrophils and lymphocytes. The study, published in the journal Temperature and covered on 27 July, tracked 51 adults with an average age of 50; the spike was temporary, with neutrophil and lymphocyte levels back to normal within about 30 minutes, and cytokine levels barely moved. The honest takeaway is that a sauna nudges the immune system in the short term but the team was clear it cannot show whether regular bathing changes immune function for good, so treat it as one more reason to enjoy the heat rather than a cure. If you are wondering whether to sit in the heat when you feel run down, our guide on whether a sauna is good for a cold and our sauna benefits explainer both cover the evidence. The write-up is on ScienceDaily.

A wood-fired floating spa opens on a London canal

Time Out reported on 23 July that the Maria Alexander, a 70ft narrowboat fitted with a wood-fired sauna and a hot tub, is now taking bookings at Limehouse Basin in east London after a stint at Little Venice. Private sessions for up to four guests run from £125 for one person and £175 for two, with treatments like massages and facials bolted on. It is a novelty venue rather than a template for a garden build, but it is a neat sign of how far the wood-fired sauna trend has travelled, and a low-commitment way to feel a proper log-fired heat before you buy one. If a wood burner is what you are weighing up, start with our wood-fired sauna buying guide, and our roundup of the best saunas in London has more places to try one first. The listing is on Time Out.

Wild Shore Delamere opens a lakeside contrast-therapy sauna in Cheshire

The Cheshire watersports park Wild Shore Delamere officially opened a lakeside sauna, reported by the Chester Standard on 16 July, letting visitors alternate heat with a cold plunge straight into the lake. Public sessions are £10 for 30 minutes, with private hire at £150 for up to 10 people, all by advance booking. It is another cheap entry point to contrast bathing on open water, the same seaside-and-swim pattern spreading across the country, and a sensible way to test whether you actually like the hot-cold cycle before committing to a home setup. Our sauna and cold plunge guide walks through doing the switch safely, and the best ice baths in the UK covers the controlled, at-home route. Opening details are via the Chester Standard.