The study suggests that sauna bathing may be good for the mind as well as the body / Robert Kneschke/SHUTTERSTOCK
Saunas may do more than make you sweat; a new study from the University of Eastern Finland suggests that regular sauna bathing is good for the mind as well.
The effects of sauna bathing on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia were studied in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). The 20-year study followed more than 2,000 middle-aged men (aged 42 to 60 years) living in Finland.
Based on their sauna-bathing habits, the study participants were divided into three groups: those taking a sauna once a week, those taking a sauna 2-3 times a week, and those taking a sauna 4-7 times a week.
Strikingly, the more frequently saunas were taken, the lower the risk of dementia was. And lower by significant margins: among those taking a sauna 4-7 times a week, the risk of any form of dementia was 66 per cent lower, and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease 65 per cent lower than among those taking a sauna just once a week. The study’s findings were published recently in the Age and Ageing journal.
The association between sauna bathing and dementia risk has not been previously investigated, but previous results from the KIHD study have shown that frequent sauna bathing also significantly reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death and the risk of death due to coronary artery disease and other cardiac events. That study also found a correlation between the number of saunas taken and a decreased risk of the health issues studied.
Rita Redberg, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and editor-in-chief of JAMA Internal Medicine, says: “Although we don’t know why the men who took saunas more frequently had greater longevity (whether it is the time spent in the hot room, the relaxation time, the leisure of a life that allows for more relaxation time or the camaraderie of the sauna), clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent.”
According to Professor Jari Laukkanen, the study’s leader, it’s possible sauna bathing may protect both the heart and memory to some extent via similar, but still poorly understood mechanisms. “However, it is known that cardiovascular health affects the brain as well,” Laukkanen says. “The sense of wellbeing and relaxation experienced during sauna bathing may also play a role.”
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental’s group director
of spa and wellness discusses mental
wellness, spas and technology
Promotional feature: Beautyworld Middle East
Set to take place May 14-16, 2017 in Dubai, Beautyworld Middle East is billed as “three days to rediscover wellness and shake up the industry.”
Promotional feature: ESPA
ESPA has been a leader in the field of therapeutic skincare and luxury spa design and management for 25 years. Founder Susan Harmsworth explains how the company’s recent brand evolution will make ESPA even more relevant to the future of wellness
Promotional feature: Riceforce
Rice Force is set to make further inroads into the spa market in 2017 with the
launch of its new aromatic oils and treatment protocol
Promotional feature: Oakworks
Oakworks’ new Masters’ Collection range, which will consist of over 15 models by the end of 2017, has been designed to offer spa operators the ultimate in modern styling, with solutions and functionality that address each spa’s practical needs
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
The study suggests that sauna bathing may be good for the mind as well as the body / Robert Kneschke/SHUTTERSTOCK
Saunas may do more than make you sweat; a new study from the University of Eastern Finland suggests that regular sauna bathing is good for the mind as well.
The effects of sauna bathing on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia were studied in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). The 20-year study followed more than 2,000 middle-aged men (aged 42 to 60 years) living in Finland.
Based on their sauna-bathing habits, the study participants were divided into three groups: those taking a sauna once a week, those taking a sauna 2-3 times a week, and those taking a sauna 4-7 times a week.
Strikingly, the more frequently saunas were taken, the lower the risk of dementia was. And lower by significant margins: among those taking a sauna 4-7 times a week, the risk of any form of dementia was 66 per cent lower, and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease 65 per cent lower than among those taking a sauna just once a week. The study’s findings were published recently in the Age and Ageing journal.
The association between sauna bathing and dementia risk has not been previously investigated, but previous results from the KIHD study have shown that frequent sauna bathing also significantly reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death and the risk of death due to coronary artery disease and other cardiac events. That study also found a correlation between the number of saunas taken and a decreased risk of the health issues studied.
Rita Redberg, MD, of the University of California, San Francisco, and editor-in-chief of JAMA Internal Medicine, says: “Although we don’t know why the men who took saunas more frequently had greater longevity (whether it is the time spent in the hot room, the relaxation time, the leisure of a life that allows for more relaxation time or the camaraderie of the sauna), clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent.”
According to Professor Jari Laukkanen, the study’s leader, it’s possible sauna bathing may protect both the heart and memory to some extent via similar, but still poorly understood mechanisms. “However, it is known that cardiovascular health affects the brain as well,” Laukkanen says. “The sense of wellbeing and relaxation experienced during sauna bathing may also play a role.”
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental’s group director
of spa and wellness discusses mental
wellness, spas and technology
Promotional feature: Beautyworld Middle East
Set to take place May 14-16, 2017 in Dubai, Beautyworld Middle East is billed as “three days to rediscover wellness and shake up the industry.”
Promotional feature: ESPA
ESPA has been a leader in the field of therapeutic skincare and luxury spa design and management for 25 years. Founder Susan Harmsworth explains how the company’s recent brand evolution will make ESPA even more relevant to the future of wellness
Promotional feature: Riceforce
Rice Force is set to make further inroads into the spa market in 2017 with the
launch of its new aromatic oils and treatment protocol
Promotional feature: Oakworks
Oakworks’ new Masters’ Collection range, which will consist of over 15 models by the end of 2017, has been designed to offer spa operators the ultimate in modern styling, with solutions and functionality that address each spa’s practical needs
People taking GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound
may be losing weight, but they’re also becoming less physically active, according to new
research presented at the ENDO 2026 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Global retreat trade show, Synergy The Retreat Show, has launched a resource called The
Source, which hosts an open-access online Transformation Series programme.
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
