WELCOME
International Sauna Association (ISA)
The International Sauna Association (ISA) is an association of national and other sauna societies, organisations and private people. It was founded in 1958 with the office in Germany . After 20 years quite slow activities it was reborn in 1977 in Helsinki Finland and the office was agreed to be in Helsinki.
The founding members were Austria , Germany , Finland and Japan and they are continuously members. Besides those there are 20 other members including all the important sauna countries. The President has been all these years from Finland.
ISA and its members shall pursue the goal of publicizing the sauna and promoting its use on a global scale by rallying supporters of sauna activities in different countries.
This goal is served e.g. by acceptance of the Definition of Sauna recorded in Aachen , Germany 1999 as well as promoting the scientific studies of the sauna from e.g. such viewpoints as social history, folklore, medicine and technology. A particular emphasis is given to the collection and compilation in archives of the results of such scientific studies as well as other written material on sauna.


The XVIII International Sauna Congress
The XVIII International Sauna Congress has now been awarded to Germany for the period from 24 to 27 October 2022. It will be held in Stuttgart together with the world’s largest sauna trade fair, interbad. The event is held every four years by the International Sauna Association (ISA), based in Helsinki. The German Sauna Association (Deutscher Sauna-Bund) is responsible for the organisation and programme.
We expect that about 400 people will visit the congress.
Objectives of the Congress are
- to establish forum for dialogue between representatives of the global sauna community
- to encourage knowledge transfer and exchange of new insights from the fields of medicine, economics, technology, marketing and trend research
- to facilitate healthy growth for the industry and its individual companies
- to support research projects
- to provide education for employees in the sauna industry
1. SAUNA & HEALTH
Sauna & well-being based on scientific studies
2. SAUNA ECONOMICAL
International business models of public sauna and wellness facilities
3. ECOLOGICAL AND TECHNICAL CHALLENGES FOR SAUNA CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION
Energy efficiency / sustainability, heating and construction options
4QUO VADIS, SAUNA
Market presentations, visitor behavior and customer offerings, future orientation
Sauna – How to take a sauna bath?
Leave your clothes in the dressing room. Also remember to take off your eye glasses because the heath of the Sauna can damage them. Take off your watch also even if it is waterproof – you are here to relax, not to measure the time. You should also have a clean set of clothes to wear after the sauna. Take something to sit on, e.g. a small towel, into the sauna.



SAUNALETTER-1 2020
Dear ISA Members and other saunalovers The New Sauna year has started with many activities. And that is naturally nice. We want to open in the future calendar which could show the different eventsorganised by the members as well as also other people/organisations...
SAUNALETTER 6 2019
Dear ISA members and other saunalovers Because there are so many things happening we make this extra Saunaletter in order to be able to distribute information to You. The company and member presntations we have been planning to this Saunaletter are published a littel...
SAUNALETTER 6B 2019
Dear ISA Members and saunalovers Additional information to Saunaletter 6 Please note the new events listed here. Glenn Auerbach from US visited Finland. Here is his interesting material....
NEWS
Fact-Finding Survey about Sauna in Japan 2021
Sauna Boom in Japan?The population trends of sauna bather and the recognition of hot and cool bathing in 2017-21. How did the covid-19 pandemic give an impact on the Japanese sauna bathers in 2020 ? Fact-Finding Survey about Sauna in Japan 2021Download <Outline of...
XVIII International Sauna Congress – Information
Mission The International Sauna Congress aims to promote and develop the use of saunas worldwide. It is a global forum for knowledge transfer and information exchange around the trends, ideas and challenges of the industry. The focus is on positively shaping and...
PD Dr. Brenke synopsis for the International Sauna Association
PD Dr. med. Rainer Brenke: Is there a lower susceptibility to flu-like infections as a result of regular visits to the sauna?Summary of a synopsis prepared for the International Sauna Association The ongoing COVID 19 pandemic has once again brought to public attention...

Regarding the sauna and the coronavirus
There is a lot of misleading information circulating on the subject of the sauna and the coronavirus. Here is a statement the International Sauna Association drafted. It has been reviewed by medical experts for accuracy.